Hotels Going Up, Crime Going Down

Northern Exposure

GRAND HOTELS: The North County coastline appears headed for a dramatic transformation, with several big hotel projects on tap for such scenic spots as the bluffs west of La Costa Avenue and, farther north in Oceanside, the west end of Buena Vista Lagoon. Now comes a proposal for a three-story, 104-room Marriott Hotel on Carlsbad Boulevard south of Carlsbad Village Drive, a triangular parcel now occupied by the Armenian Café and the Surf Motel——the latter a seaside fixture since 1968.

AND THEY’RE OFF: The election’s not until 2008, but already the upcoming mayor’s race is the talk of Oceanside. City Hall insiders say that since Councilmember Jack Feller announced his intent to challenge incumbent Jim Woods——with notorious consultant Jack Orr at his side——the two pols have stopped speaking to one another outside of council session. Insiders predict a bruising fight and wonder if Councilmember Rocky Chavez will reprise his 2004 role as last-minute spoiler. Chavez entered that race late and split the vote with then-incumbent Terry Johnson, allowing Wood to coast into office with less than 40 percent of the vote.

BEATS ANOTHER REC ROOM: No-growthers may not agree. But government officials are getting more and more concessions from developers in exchange for approving their projects. Case in point: Developer Newland Communities built San Diego County a brand-new library in 4S Ranch (just west of Rancho Bernardo), complete with stone fireplace, vaulted ceilings, wireless Internet access and more than 25,000 new books, CDs and DVDs, valued at more than $500,000.

TERMINAL VELOCITY: Carlsbad’s McClellan-Palomar Airport is getting a new $24 million terminal, replacing a hodgepodge of smaller buildings constructed on a piecemeal basis in the 1960s and 1970s. The 18,000-square-foot terminal will include baggage areas and a sit-down restaurant. The airport, which opened in 1959, is operated by the county and used by private and corporate aircraft as well as commuter airlines America West Express and United Express, which provide passenger service to Los Angeles and Phoenix. Vision Airlines is expected to launch commuter service to Las Vegas this summer. Airport officials are hoping the new digs, scheduled to open in November 2008, will help attract more airlines and expand service to such cities as Sacramento, Denver and Salt Lake City.

PALMGATE: The sordid scandal at MiraCosta College over the unauthorized sale of palm trees is finally over, with the early retirement of horticulture department head Aileen Texeira. In February 2006, school officials launched an investigation into charges by a whistle-blower that Texeira and her former fiancé, Jack Wackerman, were selling thousands of palm trees donated to the college in 1997. Texeira resigned shortly after the release of a $100,000 investigative report on the scandal that revealed a “facilitator” at MiraCosta helped a third party raise and sell palm trees on campus for personal profit. No names were mentioned in the public version of the report.

CRIMINAL MINDS: A long-awaited annual report finds most North County cities and communities experienced a drop in crime in 2006. According to the report, from the Criminal Justice Research Division of the San Diego Association of Governments, Ramona had the lowest crime rate in the county and experienced a 6 percent drop in 2006 (from 15.74 crimes per 1,000 residents the previous year to 14.81). Crime also fell in Encinitas (4 percent), Escondido (9 percent), Fallbrook (9 percent), Oceanside (13 percent), Poway (3 percent), Solana Beach (10 percent), Valley Center (7 percent) and Vista (7 percent). In San Marcos, crime was up 3 percent and in Del Mar, 9 percent, while Carlsbad’s rate was relatively flat at about 28 crimes per 1,000 residents.

THE LAST LAUGH: Oceanside, once the butt of jokes about its seedy downtown and waterfront, is firing back. The city is home to two of the 25 finalists in a national online comedy competition, including grand-prize winner Stuart T. Swanson, who walked away with $10,000. The American Idol–like contest was sponsored by the Web site Famecast, which, beginning in January, invited visitors to vote for their favorite comedians. Also making the cut: another Oceanside comic, Quartez Wynn, along with Mark Gonzalez of Encinitas and Erik Knowles of Poway.

NIGHTS IN WHITE SATIN: If you’ve noticed the San Diego County Fair’s grandstand concert lineup getting better each year, you’re not alone. Highlighting this year’s schedule: a July 2 appearance by seminal British rock band the Moody Blues. The show comes on the heels of June fair concerts by Earth, Wind & Fire, REO Speedwagon and the All-American Rejects.

TRASH TALK: For the third consecutive year, California State University San Marcos won first place in the nationwide RecycleMania contest, this time with a 59.7 percent recycling rate——handily beating its winning 2006 rate of 50.9 percent. The 10-week contest began in 2001 as a friendly competition between several Ohio schools and now includes more than 200 colleges and universities around the country. Cal State San Marcos first entered——and won——in 2005.

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