Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Also serving the communities of De Luz, Rainbow, Camp Pendleton, Pala and Pauma
Sorted by date Results 726 - 750 of 3477
FALLBROOK – A new solar energy system at the Palomar College Fallbrook Education Center was activated following approval by SDG&E in early December 2020, expanding the college's portfolio of sustainable power resources. The array was installed on steel canopy structures in the parking lot adjacent to the "Modular Village" of existing buildings. Designed to eventually produce 161 kilowatts of electricity, it is currently providing 146 kilowatts – enough to power the center's en...
SAN DIEGO – Addressing the San Diego region's limited local water supplies with innovative ideas is something the San Diego County Water Authority has become known for. Using expertise gained from decades of planning and projects, the Water Authority is developing strategies to reduce the future cost of water that sustains the economy and quality of life in Fallbrook, Rainbow and the rest of the county. Those efforts are ramping up in early 2021, following a Water Authority B...
FALLBROOK – The Mourning Cloak, Nymphalis antiopa, is one of the most widespread butterflies in the world, found from Alaska to Venezuela, and all throughout Europe and Asia. It also lives in Southern California. The adult butterfly's wingspan reaches about 3 inches with a unique color scheme on the wings. The outside of the butterfly's wings are black, resembling charred wood, with a white marginal band. The inside of the wings are mainly a deep maroon-brown color, with a b...
FALLBROOK – Climate change, a worldwide problem, is such a big, complex problem that an individual may wonder, "Is there anything I can do to make a difference?" A resounding "Yes!" is the answer. If every property owner could find a place to add even one tree to offset pollution through the miraculous process of photosynthesis, which gobbles up pollution every day, it would make a difference. Trees hugely provide shade that can break up a "heat island" created by the vast a...
SAN DIEGO – Whether you’ve just adopted a puppy during the pandemic or you’re a longtime pet owner, positive reinforcement-based behavioral training is key to a happy, healthy human-animal relationship, especially while everyone is spending more time at home. But with most traditional in-person training classes on hold to prevent the spread of COVID-19, you may feel your options are limited. That is not the case, though – and trainers at San Diego Humane Society have moved many of their training classes online. They have fo...
FALLBROOK – Families know how important it is to retain the value of their homes, especially when we hear so much about diminishing home values and foreclosures. Still, remodeling is one of the best ways to preserve your home's value. If you're a homeowner who's in the process of remodeling, consider budget-friendly options to get the look you want without breaking the bank. Here are several tips to give you some less expensive options when remodeling. Kitchen The c...
The San Diego County Department of Public Works seeks to prohibit certain activities on DPW property and has been obtaining community planning group and community sponsor group input on three proposed ordinances. The Fallbrook Community Planning Group recommended approval of the three draft ordinances, Dec. 21. Lauren Moreno, coordinator of DPW’s cleanup and sanitation program, gave a presentation to the Fallbrook Community Planning Group before the 14-0 vote to recommend adoption of the ordinances. The draft ordinances w...
The weather forecasts say this could be a relatively dry winter, which means having a rain barrel to collect every precious drop of rain and cut your gardening water costs could be more important than ever. And this month local residents can pick up a discounted top-of-the-line rain barrel for $90 – and potentially as little as $25 – thanks to the County of San Diego's Watershed Protection Program, the nonprofit Solana Center and the Metropolitan Water District of Sou...
Happy New Year – let's hope this one is an improvement over 2020! This month I'm going to help you get ready for the major late-winter pruning. (I'll provide details on pruning in my February column.) Check Temeculavalleyrosesociety.com to see if there will be a rose care workshop at Rose Haven Heritage Garden (30592 Jedediah Smith Road in Temecula, just a few blocks north off of Temecula Parkway) in January. In our area – the corridor from Riverside to San Diego – this major...
The Fallbrook Public Utility District is working with the California Public Utilities Commission to secure CPUC grant funding which will reduce FPUD's electricity costs. A non-voting item at FPUD's Dec. 7 board meeting addressed FPUD's efforts to reduce electricity expenses. The program would utilize Tesla battery walls and is expected to save FPUD more than $100,000 annually in electricity expenses. "That savings is really important," said FPUD purchasing/warehouse supervisor Kevin Collins. "Those energy costs are really...
San Diego's Local Agency Formation Commission has an Advisory Committee on the Fallbrook/Rainbow Detachment which met Dec. 7, and the focus of that meeting was to introduce consultant Michael Hanemann and provide feedback on his proposed approach. "I want to be helpful, I want to move this forward, but in a way you're all satisfied with," Hanemann said. The 10-member advisory committee does not make recommendations but seeks to identify and potentially resolve issues regarding the proposed reorganization in which the...
Earlier this year, the San Diego County Water Authority approved an ordinance adopting a Permanent Special Agricultural Water Rate and setting the eligibility criteria. On Dec. 7, the Fallbrook Public Utility District board voted 5-0 to update FPUD’s Administrative Code to incorporate the PSAWR. “It will become a permanent SAWR program with eligibility changes,” Ken Endter, board president of FPUD, said. In 1994, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California implemented the Interim Agricultural Water Program which...
Calgon Carbon Corporation was awarded the Fallbrook Public Utility District contract to provide granular activated carbon treatment system equipment. FPUD’s board voted 5-0, Dec. 7, to award Calgon Carbon a contract for $1,260,493. A separate 5-0 vote that day approved a change order to the construction contract with Filanc Alberici JV to install pipelines associated with the granular activated carbon treatment system. In July 2019, FPUD awarded Filanc Alberici JV a $54,398,232 construction contract for the Santa Margarita Ri...
MISSION VIEJO – The Hass Avocado Board has announced that four producers and importers have been seated to HAB’s executive committee. The 12-member board of directors elected the following members to serve for the 2021 board year. Newly seated HAB executive committee members include: Importer Jorge Hernandez from McAllen, Texas, as Chairman Producer Salvador Dominguez from Santa Paula, California, as Vice-Chairman Producer Ben Van Der Kar of Carpinteria, California, as Secretary Importer David Fausset of Port Hueneme, Cal...
California's topography ranges from the jagged coastal bluffs along the Pacific, to its valleys and low lying coastal mountains, and then climbs up to the Sierras' high peaks. Its climate is extreme, from the hot Death Valley (below sea level) to the towering Sierra Mountains reaching over 14,000 feet in elevation. The Mediterranean climate of Southern California allows us to grow a broad spectrum of plants from all over the globe while our mountains support vast forests from...
BONSALL – Keep Fallbrook Litter Free Zone 15 captain Joe Beyer made his monthly report for the Support Bonsall & Fallbrook Team on their clean up of SR-76 from Wednesday, Nov. 30 to Monday, Dec. 14, detailing the team's efforts in an email. "We are still at it for Caltrans and San Diego County Public Works, working far, far separated due coronavirus guidelines," Beyer wrote. They filled 13 bags on the westbound side of 76 and four bags on the eastbound side for a grand t...
San Diego Gas & Electric will utilize 600 additional radios as part of the Regional Communications System. A 5-0 San Diego County Board of Supervisors vote December 8 authorized the execution of an agreement to add the radios for SDG&E, which will pay the county an estimated $5,086,620 for the additional participation, and authorized the county Sheriff to execute amendments, extensions, or revisions which do not materially impact the program or funding level. The agreement between the county and SDG&E covers the period from...
The holiday season means gifts, packages, trees and yes – recycling. Now, recycling is probably not the first thing that pops into your mind when you think about the holidays. But the truth is Christmas and the holidays bring all kinds of recyclable things to our homes, from wrapping to all those packages from gifts and online purchases and yes, even our Christmas trees, if you're using a real tree. So, in keeping with the holiday spirit, the County Department of Public W...
FALLBROOK – As Fallbrook residents walk through their little avocado town, they may notice an orange and black butterfly fluttering about. This little creature is the Monarch butterfly, one of the most well known and studied butterflies in the world. The Monarch is the only butterfly that makes a two way seasonal migration. During the winter, the Monarch butterfly uses environmental clues to travel from the tip of North America and Canada back down to Mexico and California w...
SAN DIEGO COUNTY – What comes to mind when thinking of the holidays? Perhaps it’s family, friends, decorations, music, food and gifts. Unfortunately, what comes with many holiday traditions is a spike in waste. Whether it be shopping bags, packaging, gift wrap, or food scraps, Americans generate 25% more waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day than during the rest of the year. This equates to an extra one million tons of waste generation per week nationwide during the holidays. Increases in online shopping this year...
Santa Ana winds have long been the cause of headaches for avocado growers, and the winds experienced in Southern California the first week of December – which also caused public safety power shutoffs in Fallbrook and elsewhere – were no different. One De Luz grower said the winds knocked a significant chunk of the fruit off her trees. "I have quite a few trees that have no fruit on them at all," the grower said. "I wouldn't say half my grove has no fruit but there are pro...
Mid-year budget adjustments approved by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors will fund repairs to roads in Pala Mesa and DeLuz. The supervisors' 5-0 vote Dec. 8 appropriated $14,000 for Permanent Road Division Zone No. 13A in Pala Mesa and $120,000 for Permanent Road Division Zone No. 20 in DeLuz. Prior year fund balances were used for that money which will be spent on road maintenance and planning services. PRD Zone No. 13A covers six roads in Pala Mesa: Sage Road, Brodea Lane, Sumac Road, Citrus Drive, Wilt Road, and a...
FALLBROOK – Poinsettias and their rich red, white or variegated color schemes are the ideal backdrop for Christmas celebrations. In fact, poinsettias are among the most popular decorative flowers during the holiday season. According to the 2013 USDA Floriculture Statistics report, poinsettias accounted for about one-quarter (23%) of all flowering potted plant sales that year. Roughly 34 million poinsettia plants are sold in a given season. Indigenous to Central America, the p...
SAN DIEGO – It may be hard to fathom, but Lindbergh Field in San Diego receives less annual rainfall in an average year than the desert city of Tucson, Arizona. So how is it possible that enough water flows every time San Diego County's 3.3 million residents turn on the tap? The answers have taken years to come to fruition: regional partnerships and long-term planning. By working together over several decades, the San Diego County Water Authority, Fallbrook Public Utility D...
Depending on which side of the canyon you live, the weather has been relatively good for our fall roses. Most areas still haven't had temperatures anywhere near frost. Roses could still be seen actively growing and blooming in many Temecula Valley gardens during the Thanksgiving holiday. The cooling nights will soon cool the soil and reset the roses' biological clock to slow down and go into some kind of dormancy. Roses need a four- to six-week dormancy period during the...
