Page 4 - December 15, 2011


Water to Cost More in Escondido?


Results were not in at press time but The Escondido City Council considered a proposed 12 percent water rate increase Wednesday evening.


City staff said the increase is needed to pay for capital improvement projects, such as replacing aging pipes, and oper- ational costs, including higher prices from water suppliers; and to cover the city’s bond-debt ratio.


The average single-family resi- dential customers who used 7,000 gallons of water a month would see their monthly bill increase an estimated $5.84. Included with the agenda were more than a dozen letters of protest from residents.


Members of the agricultural fraternity were particularly con- cerned. Escondido Growers for Agricultural Preservation, a group formed within the past year to try to ensure that agri- culture continues to prosper in the Escondido area, said that hundreds of acres of avocado trees have been removed because of water costs and the


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group pointed out this meant a loss of millions to the local economy. While some farms are outside Escondido city lim- its, they still purchase water from Escondido.


A multiple tier level has been submitted by city staff, offering some relief to agriculture users.


In January, the council approved a one-year, 7 percent increase for all users that took effect March 1. Utilities staff members had told the council that approving a rate increase lower than the recommended 9 percent likely would require a 12 percent rate increase for 2012.


Power Plant Discussions Continue with Public Comment


State energy commissioners heard arguments from a num- ber of Carlsbad residents as well as representatives from a New Jersey based energy com- pany . . . all dealing with the five-year-long battle over a pro- posed power plant in Carlsbad.


It’s a proposed 558-megawatt power plant that would sit on the city’s coastline if approved


out, sent me on my way . . . no rush, plenty of time to talk and even joke.


Had to laugh. The doctor was examining me and turned to evelyn and asked, "could you do me a favor?"


Evelyn answered, 'sure, what?"


"Would you go out and buy this man some long pants? Doesn't he real- ize it's 40 degrees outside? And he's walking around with tennis shorts and sandals?"


"I grew up in Omaha, Doc; this is a heat wave to me. Besides, shorts and sandals are formal wear to me."


Man About Town


I went to Kaiser Permanente last week for a pain in my side that I thought might be a return of my gall bladder problem.


I swear, I checked in and sat down. No more than five sec- onds later, they called my name.


Blood pressure, weight, etc., then off to the doctors room. Five minutes . . . doctor came in, very cordial, checked me


The guy had a nice sense of humor. I really liked him.


(It was not my gall bladder; apparently a muscle or nerve inflammation in my right rib cage; have no idea what caused it. Will take Ibuprofen for a week and it should be gone).


I think, tops, 30 minutes and I was out of there. I'm really a big booster


for Kaiser


Permanente. They have always treated me like a champion.


by the California Energy Commission. They have the ultimate say in whether the plant is built.


Mayor Matt Hal joined other residents in citing concerns similar to the ones they men- tioned during the last public hearing earlier this year, includ- ing safety and pollution worries, harm to tourism and the inabil- ity to use the valuable coastal property for parks or other open space.


Carlsbad city officials have fought the power plant propos- al since 2007, when NRG first submitted plans for a plant that would generate enough energy to power more than 360,000 homes. Under their proposal they would also replace the existing Encina station. The company now appears to want to withdraw that portion of their proposal, in protest against the city’s arguing against their proposal.


Fun To Cost More and More and More and More


The Oceanside City Council considered a proposal Wednesday evening that would change the rate schedule for


Add to Kaiser: At 9:20 pm, I had been home, maybe, a half hour. Lo and behold, I had an email from Kaiser. It had all my measurements, blood pressure, height, weight, pulse, and doctor's orders (Three Ibuprofen a day for five days - return to clinic if nausea or vomiting or if pain gets worse).


I dropped an email to the doc- tor, thanking him for his promptness, his courtesy, and his plain English expla- nation of what was going on with this Adonis like body of mine. (That's another thing I like about Kaiser. You can communicate with your doc- tor via email).


PS: If you're local (North San Diego County) and looking for a super Kaiser doctor, his name is Dr. Arnold Singer. If I wasn't so happy with my pri- mary doctor, Dr. Bavesh Balubhai Patel,* (yes, he's from India) I'd ask Dr. Singer to be my primary. We really hit it off and he obviously impressed me.


*(I met Dr. Patel about three years ago in the ER. I remem-


parking fees for the city’s beach parking lots from $1 per hour to $2 per hour. Where daily rates are now $3, they would be upped to $5, and where they are already $5, they would climb to $8.


Overnight parking would rise from $10 to $20, and an annual pass would go from $100 to $200, though Oceanside resi- dents would still be able to buy the year pass for $100.


The city has been strapped for cash for years, laying off employees and shuttering city facilities to close budget deficits. The new rates would come closer to covering costs of maintaining parking lots, the beaches and the Oceanside Pier, city officials say.


Mayor Jim Wood said he’d look hard at the proposals, but was uncomfortable with them, However, he said the only alter- native to a rate increase was a lay off of city employees who provide services and he really didn’t want to do that. City offi- cials estimate the rate change would increase revenue by $571,000 a year, bringing rev- enue from parking to $1.71 mil- lion annually.


ber he was very cordial. We vis- ited and it was as though we had known each other all of our lives. I asked if he was accept- ing new patients. He was, I asked to be transferred and he's been my doc ever since. Evelyn even chose him as her primary doctor.


Lovely man, married, two kids, big NFL fan (Dallas Cowboys) . . . neat guy, great doc.


Had a touching story almost happen. Scott Davis delivers papers for us and one of his stops is the Escondido Humane Society. He told me about this elderly man who was there to surrender his dog. He had to move into a retirement home and they did- n't allow dogs there. The man was heartbroken and you could see the dog sensed what was going on and it, too, was crestfallen at its apparent fate. Scott left . . . then called and told me the story.


I mentioned it to Evelyn and Friday morning she asked me to call the Humane Society


‘Man About Town’ Cont. on Page 6


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