Unexpected rains and snow down to the 1,500 foot level created hazardous conditions on Hwy 76 last Thursday and also produced a few moments of winter magic for some local residents.
The various rain gauges around Valley Center indicated that up to an inch fell on Thursday in a storm that completely blindsided weather officials.
Once again Hwy 76 was closed at Valley Center Road, and once again Palomar Mountain residents were furious with the CHP for assuming that those residents were not capable of dealing with ice and snow on the roads, even though they do so every winter.
However, there were some real hazards on the highway in the afternoon, as Valley Center Fire Chief John Kremensky reported to The Roadrunner:
“On Thursday afternoon during the snow storm Hwy 76 received 3 to 4 inches of snow in the La Jolla Reservation area. We received snow as low as Highway 76 at Rincon Ranch Road ( That’s about two miles east of the Cal Fire, Rincon station). During the afternoon we had roughly 30 vehicles stuck on Hwy 76 near Amago Raceway and aπ couple dozen trees blocking Hwy. 76.”
The CHP closed Highway 76 from Valley Center Road to Lake Henshaw for the duration of the night.
Eventually local residents, as long as they had ID and chains were allowed access, and advised to proceed slowly due to black ice.
Some residents reported seeing snow in Valley Center for the first time in several years.
The man who has been put in charge of the County’s General Plan Update is promising that no more delays will plague the much-delayed process (formerly known as GP2020) that has been ongoing for ten years.
“The new management at the County is committed with this project. We want to see it done and see it done right,” Devon Muto of DPLU, Interim Chief, Dept. of Planning & Land Use told the Valley Center Planning Group at their February meeting.
Note: Planning Chief, although it sounds like he’s the boss, actually serves under the Interim Planning Director, Eric Gibson.
Muto presented the group with a timeline for finishing the update that calls for hearings before the Board of Supervisors in the fall of 2010. “We are going to be realistic about the timing. We are going to come up with a realistic deadline, and then we are going to stick to it,” he said.
He noted that the general plan update “has been going on for a very long time.” Muto compared the update to “the constitution,” calling it the foundational document that is used for all of the planning that occurs in the county.
One change is that the individual community plan’s won’t be part of this “constitution.” Although not part of the general plan, they will still be adopted by the Board of Supervisors and have the same authority as the general plan.
“The new management at the County is committed to this project. We want to see it done and see it done right,” said Muto.
County planning staff is having ongoing meetings with the General Plan Update steering committee and the so-called “Interest Group.” The latter includes representatives of environmental organizations, land owners, farmers and developer interests, planners and architects. It meets quarterly.
Muto has been taking his show on the road to the 23 different sponsor and planning groups of the unincorporated areas.
He invited the public or planning members to contact him with concerns. His e-mail address is devon.muto@sdcounty.ca.gov and his number is 858-694-3016.
Muto addressed previously expressed concerns of the group that its work done over the last decade would be tossed aside in the new process.
“We’re not changing these maps,” he said referring to the maps mounted on the walls of the VC Community Center. “What we are looking at right now is how do we get this to completion? We’re looking at improving the process, not changing the product.”
DPLU is turning its attention to the environmental impact review of the maps.
“That’s going to be our main timeline driver,” he said. The timeline for completing the update will be updated on the DPLU Web site: www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/
“You will be able to follow it as we progress,” he said.
Muto noted that the County has hired a consultant to help complete the general plan update: PBS&J, an employee-owned Florida-based engineering consulting firm with offices in 26 states (see their Web site:www.pbsj.com/index.asp).
The project manager is Kim Howlett and their general planning lead is Elwood Tesher.
“They will be reviewing some of the elements at the same time that the planning groups look at it. They were hired not to change it but to take it to completion,” he said.
Four alternative maps are under consideration for the VC planning area. All are similar but with key differences.
Map # 1: The “Draft Land Use Map—May 2007” was created by the community working with DPLU staff, then approved by the planning group, and then adopted (as one of two maps) by the Board of Supervisors in 2006. It is available at www.co.san-diego.ca.us/cnty/cntydepts/landuse/planning/gpupdate/pubs/ draft_lu/valleyctr.pdf
MAP#2: The “Draft Referral Map—August 2006” is the other map adopted by the Board of Supervisors in 2006. This map is MAP#1 plus the changes Supervisor Horn asked to be included for review. Because these parcels/changes were “referred” back to DPLU, it’s called the Referral Map. It is available at www.co.san-diego.ca.us/cnty/cntydepts/landuse/planning/gpupdate/pubs/ draft_ref/valleyctr.pdf
MAP #3: “Draft Hybrid Map” was recently created by DPLU. It blends MAP #1 and MAP #2 and may be the result of judgments made about what was politically feasible and what was indefensible. It is available at www.co.san-diego.ca.us/cnty/cntydepts/landuse/planning/gpupdate/pubs/ draft_hyb/valleyctr.pdf
Map #4: highlights and numbers the parcels/changes that were referred back to DPLU by Supervisor Horn.
All four will have EIRs, although the referral map will have the most changes.
When one planner ventured the opinion that the consultant sounded like a facilitator, Muto said the consultant would actually perform like “a sounding board.”
Andy Washburn, chairman of the planning group’s General Plan Update subcommittee asked if it was possible for VC’s Village Limit Line to be less “fuzzy” when confining city-like functions like sidewalks and sewers to the Village Area. He asked if this could be enforceable.
Muto said that was possible and that other communities have brought up that concern.
Planner Keith Simpson asked: “How much heat do you get from the supervisors to cram density down the throats of communities that don’t want it?”
Muto artfully sidestepped that question, saying that DPLU is bound by board policies, maps and principles derived from the board.
Simpson followed up: “Will the 14.9 maximum density that the planning group adopted for the Village map be honored?”
“The ultimate decision will be made by the Board of Supervisors,” replied Muto, who added, “I think it will be difficult for them to do anything radically different.”
“Then you’re going to honor what we agreed on before as far as density?” pressed Simpson.
“I don’t want to sound wishy washy or that we are trying to undermine anything but if something comes up with the environmental analysis we might have to step back and take a look at that,” said Muto. “If we do have a change we will communicate that to you and give you time to respond.”
Simpson said that it looks like there have been more changes proposed to VC’s adopted map than for any other community.
“Why is that?”
“There must have been a lot of interest in referrals,” Muto said.
Simpson asked, “Is there sensitivity among the staff that when we work with the community and then have all these changes it doesn’t reflect well on the process? Is there an awareness of that among senior staff? And what about the Board of Supervisors?
“It undermines the community planning process and the interest of the community when the changes don’t go through the normal community process,” said Simpson.
VC Planning Chairman Oliver Smith noted that there were more than 30 changes (referrals) to VC’s plan. Most communities have around ten. The only community to come close to this number is Ramona, with 25.
Muto also discussed some possible boundary adjustments proposed between Hidden Meadows and Valley Center and Valley Center and Bonsall.
“We are not trying to force this on anyone, we are throwing this out as an option,” he said.
The adjustments were not well received by the VC planners, but they put the Hidden Meadows boundary proposal on the March agenda.
A San Pasqual reservation tribal gaming commissioner who pleaded not guilty after being charged with embezzlement and theft of tribal funds was hoping to get those charges dropped this week in Superior Court.
Victoria Diaz-Ramos, 55, was one of two people charged in November by the District Attorney for allegedly using a tribal credit card for $7,524 in personnel charges. The case against the other defendant was dropped in January.
The alleged misuse of the tribal credit card occurred between June of 2003 and September of 2004, according to superior court documents.
In early 2007 police interviewed the San Pasqual Band of Mission Indians’ chief financial officer, who said that he believed members of the Business Committee were using the tribal American Express card for personal use.
They also interviewed the tribal secretary and treasurer, Angela McNeal, who alleged that Diaz-Ramos had charged $7,524 in unauthorized charges for airline tickets, Home Depot, retail stores, auto fuel, restaurants and lodging.
According to McNeal, on May 2007 Diaz-Ramos confronted the Business Committee directly, saying that she had heard rumors that the tribe was going to prosecute her for misusing her credit card. At that time, according to what McNeal told investigators, Diaz-Ramos admitted to the charges but said that she had repaid the tribe. However, McNeal told the Business Committee that she was never able to find proof that Diaz-Ramos did repay the tribe.
In spite of the fact that Diaz-Ramos said she repaid the tribe, McNeal said that the tribe has a policy that tribal credit cards will only be used for tribal business. She felt that Diaz-Ramos had committed embezzlement even if she had paid back the funds.
Diaz-Ramos’s attorney Sloan Ostbye says that the case that was dropped in January was dismissed because the defendant was able to show that she had repaid the charges to the tribe.
Ostbye says he believes the case against his client will also be dropped after she shows that she repaid the charges.
The Valley Center Stampede Rodeo is looking for talented, young horsewomen to compete for the title of Valley Center Stampede Senior Rodeo Queen, ages 15–22 and Jr. Queen, ages 12–14.
Deadline for entries is March 15.
Contestants will be judged on poise, personality, and public speaking ability. There is also a horsemanship portion in which each contestant is judged on their riding abilities while navigating a set of horsemanship patterns and executing a Queen’s run in the arena.
Horsemanship practices will be held at Aerie Park Arena on dates yet to be determined.
Entry fee is $ 45.00.
As a Rodeo Queen, you will have the opportunity to represent the town of Valley Center, as well as the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo as a goodwill ambassador.
Being a Rodeo Queen can be one of the most memorable experiences of a lifetime. It includes riding into the arena to thousands of cheering rodeo fans and making your queen’s run in a beautiful, sparkling outfit with curls flying.
It includes waving at all the starstruck little girls and boys with a huge smile on your face, and is an event you will never forget.
Signing autographs and posing for photos with both kids and grown ups alike, gives you the warm feeling of being able to give a little something special to a person’s life.
A Rodeo Queen’s reign requires dedication, endurance, hard work, good sportsmanship, and integrity.
There are responsibilities and obligations that you must meet to serve as a representative of Valley Center and of the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo. Volunteer work, appearances at community events, and other rodeos, and being a guest speaker by invitation at schools, hospitals, other venues and special events out of town, are just some of the requirements of the job.
Being a Rodeo Queen is fun and exciting, but it does require a real commitment.
The Rodeo Queen is a confident horsewoman who works with her horse as a team while representing the sport of rodeo as well as the community that she is proud to be a part of.
If you are that young woman, who loves the sport of rodeo and loves her town, you are invited join the competition for the 2008 Valley Center Stampede Rodeo Queen.
To obtain entry forms or additional information, or if you are interested in sponsoring the Queens’ contest please contact Jane Rockenmacher at 751-9898 or email at www.vcrodeoqueendirector@yahoo.com.
If you are interested in Rodeo sponsorships contact Joyce Holmes at 760-445-1723. Queen entry forms, Queen Sponsorship forms, and Rodeo sponsorship forms are also available on the Valley Center Stampede Rodeo website at: www.valleycenterrodeo.com
On Thursday a group of VC residents helped put new carpet, provided by Tri-City Carpet, in the homes of the Jauregui family, whose homes burned last October. See the group photo on Page A-3.
The Valley Roadrunner
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Website: www.valleycenter.com
Email: editor@valleycenter.com
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