March 24, 2022

 

State of the City 2022

 

Last night, the annual State of the City presentation took place during the regularly scheduled City Council Meeting. Watch a recording of Mayor McNamara's speech and presentation at: https://escondido.org/meeting-broadcasts

 

Congratulations to all of this year's City Council Award winners. Thank you for your service to your community and neighbors!

 

 

Escondido Library Branch at Palomar Escondido

 

Palomar College and the City of Escondido are pleased to announce the opening of the renovated Ernest J. Allen Library at Palomar College Hidden Education Center.

 

The Library at the Palomar Escondido campus is open to the general public. People over 18 can register to get a free "Community Sponsor" card to start taking borrowed materials. The registration form is available here: https://bit.ly/escolibrary

 

The use of books, games, DVDs, computers, printers, Wi-Fi and Librarian assistance will be available for everyone. Library hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The library is closed Friday-Sunday.

For more information visit: https://www.palomar.edu/library/

 

 

 

Urban Corps Recruitment in Escondido

 

Urban Corps of San Diego County is looking for new faces from Escondido to join their Green Jobs Program. The program helps young adults aged 18-26 earn a high school diploma, and be placed in a job with the County of San Diego. Learn more about the program and apply at: https://urbancorpssd.org/education/

 

 

The Escondido Discussion

 

As part of this year's budget process and to further engage Escondido residents CityWide, the City has launched The Escondido Discussion to hear local community priorities and City service needs.

 

The City is continuing to recover from the long-term effects of COVID and potentially faces an $8 million budget gap this year, we want to hear from YOU what local priorities you have and the City services you rely on as we strive to continue to provide the level of service residents expect and deserve.

 

Some of the priorities your neighbors identified include:

  • Addressing homelessness
  • Attracting businesses and jobs to the City
  • Improving public safety and police services
  • Maintaining and repairing local streets, roads and sidewalks
  • Keeping public areas clean and free of graffiti

 

Now we want to hear from YOU! Please take a moment to join The Escondido Discussion.

 

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BY THE NUMBERS

 

Code Compliance:

Total Code Cases (Year to Date)

289

 

Public Works:

 

 

Graffiti Restitution:

Collected Last Week

Collected Year to Date

 $80.84

$967.48

 

POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

 

Drug Bust

 

On March 17, officers conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a vehicle code violation. The driver had a suspended license and his vehicle was impounded. While conducting an inventory of the vehicle prior to impound, the officer searching the vehicle found a grocery bag containing numerous narcotic substances and paraphernalia. The substances totaled 1.82 pounds of methamphetamine, packaged into individual smaller quantities. The bag also contained a scale, empty baggies, a meth pipe, and a jar of marijuana.

 

Did You Know?

Methamphetamine is a powerful, highly addictive stimulant that affects the central nervous system. Crystal methamphetamine is a form of the drug that looks like glass fragments or shiny, bluish-white rocks. It is chemically similar to amphetamine, a drug used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy, a sleep disorder.

How do people use methamphetamine?

smoking

swallowing (pill)

snorting

injecting the powder that has been dissolved in water/alcohol

 

Arsonist

 

On March 17, officers responded to a radio call of multiple trashcans being set on fire at the Escondido Transit Center. The suspect had set 15 trashcans on fire before fleeing. Escondido Police Dispatch then received a call that there was a small clothing fire outside of Wells Fargo Bank. Officers found more small fires with accompanying video footage of the suspect. Officers located the suspect who was later arrested for a total of 18 fires in addition to a parole hold.

 

Community Resources:

Anonymous Tip Line: 760-743-8477 (TIPS)

Crime Data/Mapping: https://www.crimemapping.com/

Helicopter Announcement Transcription:

o Call 858-866-4356 or text "Hello" to 858-866-4356

Megan's Law Information: https://www.meganslaw.ca.gov/

Mental Health & Crisis Intervention:

Access and Crisis Line: 888-724-7240

 It's Up to Us Campaign: www.Up2sd.org

Get Connected. Get Help: Dial 211

National Drug Helpline: https://drughelpline.org/contact/ or call 844-289-0879

Non-Emergency Line: 760-839-4722

Congratulations!

 

Congratulations to Officer Sarah DeAntoni on her completion of field training.

 

 

Recognition

 

On March 18, Jared Gonzalez and Ulysses Rios with the Debris Crew and Officer Martin Mohammad hiked into the creek off Vista Grande Glen and carried out over 300 pounds of camping gear. Thank you all for going above and beyond to keep the City safe, clean, and efficiently run. We see you and we appreciate you!

 

 

 

 

 

February Abandoned Vehicle Data

 

 

 

 

FIRE DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

 

On March 20, Fire Station #4 received a visit from a local family who called 911 several months ago when their eight-month-old son suffered from respiratory distress. Parents Brad Wilcko and Christina Munro wanted to show their appreciation for the crew that cared for Zachary and transported him to the hospital.

The family spent time with the crew members, provided a delicious catered taco dinner and also made a generous donation to the Escondido Fire Department through the San Diego County Fire Foundation. The news segment of the day can be viewed here.

 

 

 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & ENGINEERING

 

Permits and Inspections:

 

Building Division:

  1. The counter staff conducted in-person meetings with 115 applicants, processed 100 applications, and issued 107 permits.
  2. The total permit valuation for the week was $239,415.
  3. Building inspectors completed 193 inspections.

 

Field Engineering Division:

1. Field Engineering processed 21 permits

2. Field Engineering inspectors completed 127 inspections

3. Field Engineering has 206 active permits

 

Development and Capital Projects Update:

 

Curious what's happening with development projects around the City? The link below directs to an interactive dashboard of projects currently in various stages of the development process. Browse project descriptions, see locations on the map, browse photos and more.

 

City of Escondido Development Project Dashboard

 

 

A short overview video of the Dashboard features can be watched here.

 

To learn about previous applications for residential and commercial development permits, please visit the Development Project Information Archive page or contact the Planning Division.

 

 

If you would like to receive this report by email on Thursdays, email: mthorne@escondido.org.