San Diego, CA
San Diego City begins search for its next fire chief
The city of San Diego on Monday announced a nationwide search for a new Fire-Rescue Department chief to replace Colin Stowell, who is retiring this August.
The job search will include public feedback via community forums and a public survey, according to city officials.
Stowell, the city’s 18th fire chief, first joined the department in 1988 and served the city for 34 years.
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria, who described Stowell’s dedication and service as invaluable, wished him all the best in retirement.
“As we search for a new fire chief, we’ll be gathering community input to ensure we find candidates who reflect the values and priorities of our city,” Gloria said. “I encourage all San Diegans to participate and help us identify an effective leader who’ll work hard to continue to keep San Diegans safe.”
Job candidates will undergo a series of interviews, including one with a panel of community leaders nominated by city councilmembers and Gloria, according to the city. Final interviews are scheduled for May, with candidate selection being anticipated in June.
Two community meetings scheduled in early April will allow residents “the opportunity to share their thoughts and opinions about the qualities and characteristics they desire in the city’s next fire chief,” according to the city.
The meetings schedule are:
- 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., April 3, at Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 6401 Skyline Drive; and
- 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., April 4 at Kearny Mesa Recreation Center, 3170 Armstrong St.
An RSVP is not required, and the city encourages residents wishing to attend the meetings to register at https://sandiego.seamlessdocs.com/f/fire_rescue_chief_community_forum_rsvp.
According to the city, language interpretation and accessibility services will be available if requested.
Those who can’t attend the meetings may offer input at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CLM6M5R.
The city is working with Bob Murray & Associates to lead the recruitment process.
More information is available at https://www.sandiego.gov/next-fire-chief.
San Diego, CA
Suspect arrested on suspicion of assaulting several women hiking at the Calavera Preserve
The Carlsbad Police Department has arrested 22-year-old Felix Blanco of Oceanside for allegedly striking women on their buttocks as he passed them at the Calavera Preserve in Carlsbad.
Authorities say they received several reports of a male suspect riding an electric bike approaching women hiking on the trail and then assaulting them.
Blanco was arrested Friday, Jan. 30, following reports of a similar incident, and a description provided by the victim.
It is unknown how many victims were targeted by Blanco, but he was arrested and charged with 7 counts of assault. He is booked at the Vista Detention Facility.
The suspect is expected to appear in court for the first time on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
San Diego, CA
When will San Diego’s leaders finally listen to residents?
Re “Plan to tax short-term rentals stalls” (Jan. 29): What I continue to see from this City Council and mayor is the refusal to do what is needed to solve the budget problem. They must force reform in the city’s pension plan and cut high-paying middle- and upper-management jobs. Our city must maintain services and road repairs wherever possible. The answer is not to continue to tax segments of our citizenry, foisting the burden onto them — specifically local owners of vacation rentals and the residents who use our beautiful Balboa Park.
This city has already hammered those of us who own homes into paying additional fees for trash, even though those expenses were already covered by our property taxes. What is next from these guys? Don’t they get it by now? Attention, City Hall: We are sick of you continuing to raise our taxes due to your inept management of our money! Wake up!
— Glen Volk, Point Loma
San Diego, CA
Oregon State MBB Sneaks Past San Diego in Overtime
While Oregon State has traditionally struggled to win games away from Corvallis under Wayne Tinkle, the Beavers grabbed one at the Jenny Craig Pavilion Saturday against the San Diego Toreros. OSU rallied to pick up a 78-76 overtime result to end their recent stretch of contests in the state of California. The Beavers also won at Loyola Marymount earlier this week.
Johan Munch finished as the Beavers’ leading scorer with 15 points, also adding nine rebounds. Guards Josiah Lake and Dez White also recorded 12 points apiece, with Lake dishing out eight assists and grabbing five rebounds.
In the first half, the difference was free throws. OSU went to the line eight times, making seven. Oregon State’s bigs made a significant impact, with Johan Munch, Olavi Suutela, Noah Amenhauser and Jorge Diaz Graham combining for 19 points. San Diego only took two free throws in the opening 20 minutes. The Beavers managed to take a 30-25 lead into the halftime break.
The second half was equally competitive, with both sides struggling on the offensive end. Neither the Beavs or the Toreros had a second-chance point in the second half. With 1:45 remaining in the second half, Oregon State found themselves down by ten, 59-49. However, the Beavs hit three three-pointers and Munch threw down a dunk to tie the game at 60-60. USD failed to tie the game on the final possession of regulation.
In overtime, the two sides traded punches with Oregon State again taking advantage of frequent trips to the free-throw line. The Beavers made ten of their 16 free-throw attempts in the extra period, but only three field goals. That would be enough to close out a 78-76 win, despite San Diego hitting two three-pointers inside the final 30 seconds.
Oregon State finished with a field goal percentage of 40.3 as they added a slight improvement to their resume to end the month of January.
The win moves Oregon State to 12-12 overall on the season with a record of 5-6 in conference play. The Beavers are 3-5 in road contests this year. They won’t have too much time to soak in the SoCal sunshine before returning home to take on Washington State at 8 p.m. PT on Wednesday, February 4.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
-
Massachusetts1 day agoTV star fisherman, crew all presumed dead after boat sinks off Massachusetts coast
-
Tennessee2 days agoUPDATE: Ohio woman charged in shooting death of West TN deputy
-
Pennsylvania7 days agoRare ‘avalanche’ blocks Pennsylvania road during major snowstorm
-
Movie Reviews6 days agoVikram Prabhu’s Sirai Telugu Dubbed OTT Movie Review and Rating
-
News1 week agoVideo: Jack Smith Defends His Trump Indictments During House Hearing
-
Science1 week agoLAUSD says Pali High is safe for students to return to after fire. Some parents and experts have concerns
-
Technology1 week agoThe TikTok deal is done, finally
-
Politics1 week agoTrump’s playbook falters in crisis response to Minneapolis shooting