City of Escondido Partners with Escondido Community Foundation to Grant $1.5M to Escondido-Serving Nonprofits

The Escondido Community Foundation and The San Diego Foundation have partnered with the City of Escondido to grant $1.5 million to nonprofit organizations that serve the City, thanks to the American Rescue Plan. The City of Escondido Nonprofit Relief Fund will begin accepting online applications on May 12 at sdivsbdc.org/grant-for-escondido-nonprofits. The deadline to apply is 5 p.m., August 11. To apply, nonprofits must be located in or serve the City of Escondido.

 

The Escondido Community Foundation will review applications after the submission period closes on August 11; grant recipients will be notified in late September. Technical assistance, including two recorded Q&A webinars and office hours, will be provided by the San Diego and Imperial Small Business Development Center. For application assistance and/or additional details about eligibility and required documents, visit sdivsbdc.org/grant-for-escondido-nonprofits.

 

Board and Brew Opens in Escondido

Welcome to Escondido, Board & Brew! Their newest location that serves sandwiches, wraps, salads, and beer is now open at 1354 W. Valley Pkwy, Escondido, CA 92029. Check them out!

 

 

Free Transit Rides for Youth

Free transit for youth is here! Now anyone 18 and under can ride free with PRONTO on all San Diego MTS and North County Transit District vehicles in San Diego County thanks to SANDAG's Youth Opportunity Pass pilot program. Youth can take as many rides as they want on the bus, Trolley, COASTER, and SPRINTER, all for free through June 2023! Registering is easy! Find out how to ride free: YouthOpportunityPass.sandag.org

 

If you do not have a smartphone and need to pick up a physical PRONTO card, they are available at City Hall and the Escondido Public Library.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

BY THE NUMBERS

 

Code Compliance:

Total Code Cases (Year to Date)

503

 

Public Works:

 

Graffiti Restitution:

 

POLICE DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

 

Traffic Stop Discovery

On May 4, an officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle for a suspended registration. The driver gave permission to search the vehicle. In the back seat, there was another adult male and a 15-year-old female. A loaded Glock style handgun was located on the floor behind the driver's seat. The driver was arrested for having a concealed weapon in a vehicle along with a child endangerment charge.

 

Naked Man at City Hall

On May 4, a City employee called to report that an adult male subject was naked near the fountain at City Hall. The suspect ran from officers but was eventually captured. The suspect had self-inflicted injuries as a result of climbing over fences. He admitted to taking methamphetamine earlier that morning and was transported to Palomar Medical Center for his injuries and was given a citation.

 

5150 Hold

An individual called Escondido Police Dispatch over 40 times within one week's time frame. On May 7, she called Dispatch at least ten times. Each time officers responded, she refused to answer the door. Finally, when she called again and stated she had a medical emergency, medics arrived to find her in her house sitting comfortably on her sofa with no injuries nor medical emergency. She was placed on a 5150 hold.

 

Did You Know?

According to California Legislative Information, each person, at the time he or she is first taken into custody under this section, shall be provided, by the person who takes him or her into custody, the following information orally in a language or modality accessible to the person. If the person cannot understand an oral advisement, the information shall be provided in writing. The information shall be in substantially the following form:

 

 

Community Resources:

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

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

 Helicopter Announcement Transcription:

 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

California Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony

On May 2, Chief Varso, Officer Omar Mondragon, and Officer Adam Ayers attended the California Peace Officer Memorial Ceremony in Sacramento. Thirty-six officers were added to the memorial. This was the first ceremony since 2019 due to the pandemic. Law enforcement personnel from across the state attended the event.

 

SWAT Academy Graduation

Congratulations to Officer Paul Azzam, Officer Austin Bennett, and Officer Chandler Hoppal on their completion of the Riverside County Sheriff's SWAT Academy. During this two-week academy, the officers received specialized training in firearms, tactics, chemical agents, and other relevant topics.

 

 

 

 

 

April Abandoned Vehicle Data

 

 

FIRE DEPARTMENT UPDATES:

 

On May 1, Escondido Firefighters were returning to Fire Station #7 from another incident and noticed smoke in the area of the 2400 block of Auto Park Way. The crew diligently investigated the area finding and reporting a large commercial building with heavy smoke coming from the roofline at 2415 Auto Park Way. Escondido Police and Fire Communication Center dispatched a full commercial structure fire response. The first arriving captain reported that the building was filled with cold smoke down to the floor. Due to the potential for the fire to spread and the size of the building, a second alarm was also requested but soon cancelled as the incident stabilized. Aggressive action by firefighters located, contained and controlled a large lithium ion battery pack that was on fire, minimizing structural damage and any spread to adjacent occupancies. The smoldering fire produced thick toxic smoke which activated the smoke alarm but did not cause the sprinkler system to discharge. Firefighters removed the battery pack from the building and cleared the smoke from the building ensuring that the fire was completely extinguished and no other damage occurred. In all, 9 Fire Engines, 2 Truck Companies, 2 Rescue Ambulances, 3 Battalion Chiefs responded to the fire and Escondido Police units provided road closures. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

On May 4, the Escondido Police & Fire Communication Center received a report of a structure fire at Grape Day Park. The fire was a small pile of burning debris on the wooden access ramp to one of the historic homes. Prior to the arrival of fire crews, the fire was extinguished with water from a cooler by a Public Works employee. Firefighters ensured that the fire was completely contained and that there was no spread in to the area under the porch. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

Also, on May 4, the Escondido Police and Fire Communication Center received a report of a fire starting from the outside yard, spreading into a single-family home, located at 964 Gamble Lane. When the first fire engine arrived, smoke and flames were found on the first-floor porch area with some smoke and fire extension into the living area and attic space of the house. Firefighters contained the fire in approximately 15 minutes, preventing significant intrusion into the living area of the house. However, overhaul work was required to confirm the fire was completely extinguished in the walls and attic. There were no injuries to firefighters or civilians. In all, sixteen firefighters and two fire prevention specialists responded to the fire. San Diego Sherriff Office provided scene safety and road closures. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

 

 

On May 6, Firefighters from Station 7 and Fire Prevention attended Cruising Grand providing attendees with information about the fire engine and fire safety.

 

 

Over the course of several days last week, fire agencies from around north county participated in a cooperative drill, training with our backup radio communication system for structure fire operations. The drill strengthens the capabilities and confidence of Firefighters in the use of VHF radios.

 

On May 14, the Escondido Fire Department had four new Firefighter Paramedics (Tanner Roa, Luke Kreizinger, Jason Villa, and Matt Barber) complete the three-week fire orientation academy. The four-week academy consisted of basic firefighter skills such as hose deployment, ladder placement, search and rescue, a controlled burn in our training tower. One of the firefighters has previously serviced as a Paramedic Three of the new firefighters will begin EMS training and mentorship before going to their station assignment for probation.

 

 

 

 

 

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT & ENGINEERING

 

Permits and Inspections:

 

Building Division:

1. The counter staff conducted in-person meetings with 106 applicants, processed 73 applications, and issued 55 permits.

2. The total permit valuation for the week was $636,513.

3. Building inspectors completed 245 inspections.

 

Field Engineering Division:

1. Field Engineering processed 38 permits

2. Field Engineering inspectors completed 191 inspections

3. Field Engineering has 246 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.