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The Tijuana River Valley: An Interview with SD County Supervisor Greg Cox

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By Barbara Zaragoza / Part four of four

Visit the Tijuana River Valley and the area feels serene. Perhaps it’s even forgotten, with a total population of 42.

But attend a community meeting with groups such as the Tijuana River Valley Equestrian Association or WildCoast and you’ll experience the passionate pleas of equestrians, hikers, mountain bikers and conservationists who have a vision for this area.

Then take a look at a map of the Tijuana River Valley and you’ll notice a head-spinning checkerboard of government agencies that own this land alongside a few private ranchers. The County of San Diego since the 1990s has become a primary land owner.   [Read more…]

North of the Fence: Sex Parties and Lawsuits

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By Barbara Zaragoza / South Bay Compass

Last week I focused on the U.S.-Mexico border after former Arkansas governor, Mike Huckabee, visited. I thought that would be the end of it–time to turn our focus on Chula Vista’s lawsuits. But nope. The border continues to be in the news this week, this time with the Union-Tribune reporting that employees, including a supervisor, in the San Diego sector of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) allegedly used government time to recruit workers for swinger parties. (What in the world?)

The headlines about alleged sex parties overshadowed an interesting KPBS report that migration from Mexico to the U.S. slowed to 164,621, down more than 41% from the previous year. Their source is the highly regarded organization El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF).   [Read more…]

South Bay’s Future Greenbelt: An Interview with San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox

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By Barbara Zaragoza / Part Three of Four

The big new items that Supervisor Cox shared with me during his interview were three visions for the South Bay’s future:

  • A “barrio to barrio” bike path, which will link the Virginia Avenue Pedestrian entrance at the border (due to open in 2016) to the Bayshore Bikeway;
  • The Bayshore Bikeway completion within the next 5 years. This will become the major artery through the South Bay, linking North and South, East and West, to the Pacific Ocean to Otay Ranch. It will also link into the California Coastal Trail that spans up to the Oregon border;
  • The Sweetwater Reservoir will eventually have a completed loop for hikers, bikers and, most importantly, equestrians.

  [Read more…]

Otay Ranch: An Interview with San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox

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By Barbara Zaragoza / Part Two of Four

The largest reserve for open space in the South Bay will certainly become a vast area located in Otay Ranch. In Part 2 of my interview with San Diego County Board Supervisor, Greg Cox, he explains that the County hopes over 9,000 acres will be dedicated to open spaces in Chula Vista.

In particular, the Otay Valley Regional Park will eventually connect to the Otay Lakes County Park, which is located right next to the Olympic Training Center. That means residents and visitors will be able to hike or ride from the Bayshore Bikeway all the way to the Otay reservoir and dam. A vast stretch of open space for outdoor activities, this is particularly important to residents who are experiencing unprecedented residential expansion.

Supervisor Cox explains, “It’s one of the largest planned communities in California, if not the country.”   [Read more…]

South Bay Rising: An Interview with San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox

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By Barbara Zaragoza / Part One of Four

Media outlets are still buzzing with the news about Gross Domestic Product growth in the South Bay jumping by 37.6 % between 2010 to 2013. (That’s compared to 12.9 % for the entire County.) Community members within the region, however, might start to feel uneasy. Nobody wants to see unchecked growth, skyrocketing housing prices, increased traffic congestion and no place to breathe in fresh air.

This week I focus on parks and recreation within the South Bay. It’s not as sexy as, let’s say, craft beer or the Charger’s stadium. But parks and recreation touch upon issues of climate change, pollution, habitat preservation and neighborhood livability–to name only a few.

Turns out, the South Bay–within the next decade or so–will have some of the largest acreage dedicated to parks throughout San Diego. A primary reason is thanks to the efforts of the County government, which continues to buy land and dedicate space to habitat preservation as well as public recreation.   [Read more…]

North Of The Fence: It’s All About The San Diego-Tijuana Border

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By Barbara Zaragoza/ SouthBayCompass

The Times of San Diego reported that former Arkansas governor and Presidential hopeful, Mike Huckabee, visited Border Field State Park on Saturday, October 10th. Standing alongside former congressman, Duncan Lee Hunter, Huckabee talked about illegal border crossers, saying: “They’re not coming to make beds and pick tomatoes. They’re coming to sell drugs. They’re coming to commit crime and to bring the mayhem that they have in their hearts upon the American people.”

Huckabee didn’t cite his sources. The statement was interesting because more than 68% of the 1.6 million people living in Tijuana legally cross the border at least once a year (sometimes once a week); they have in their hearts a desire — to shop. They spend at least $6 billion a year, or more than $1 of every $8 in retail sales in San Diego. (Check page 7 of the linked report.) That means legal, peaceful Tijuanese put a heck of a lot of sales tax dollars into our economy each year.   [Read more…]

North Of The Fence: South Bay GDP Growth Nearly 25 Percent More Than County

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By Barbara Zaragoza / South Bay Compass

Incredibly good news for the South Bay this week. According to a report by the National University System Institute for Policy Research, GDP growth in the South Bay from 2010 to 2013 was 37.6 %, compared to 12.9 % for the entire County. Click on the article to see the increases.

We South Bay’ers can get awfully patriotic about our little neck of the woods. Although we’d like to be seen as an integrated part of both Tijuana and San Diego, some ‘outsiders’ would rather call us the Third Nation. Ok then, I guess, you can start calling us the Third Nation rising.   [Read more…]

North Of The Fence: South Bay Politics and Events

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By Barbara Zaragoza

Immigration and Crime

  • You might be surprised to learn that border cities continue to be among the safest in the country. Imperial Beach was ranked the second safest city in San Diego County.(Poway came in first.)
  • Also, you are least likely to be murdered in the two border cities of El Paso, TX and San Diego in comparison to 23 other cities in the U.S. Take a look at the FBI data that ranks cities by murder rate.
  • The Pew Research Center found that Asians have supplanted Hispanics as the largest group of newcomers. The organization also reports that views of immigrants are largely split along party lines in America. 71% of Republicans say immigrants in the U.S. are making crime worse, compared with 35% of Democrats.

    •   [Read more…]

    North Of The Fence: South Bay Events & Politics

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    By Barbara Zaragoza / South Bay Compass

    Because there’s so much to do North of the fence…. but not much North of the I-54.

    This week, many activities feature awareness of our environment, including at Olivewood Gardens, Wild Willow Farm, Suzie’s Farm and the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve.

    Chula Vista has been in the news lately, with reporters taking a closer look at the massive development going on. Sometimes believed to be divided between the poor West and the rich East, the city council is trying to attract developers to the West. They’re also trying to create a “smart” Bayfront full of never-before-seen technology.   [Read more…]

    Politics & Events in the South Bay, September 4 to September 11

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    What Happened In The South Bay This Week?

    Barbara Zaragoza provides a comprehensive list of this week’s notable politics and events in the South Bay.   [Read more…]

    A Journey Through the Otay Valley Regional Park

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    By Barbara Zaragoza / South Bay Compass

    Hiking or biking in Otay Valley Regional Park is not only exercise, but an activist statement. We want parks for our communities. We want to repair our environment. We want a healthy place for our kids to live and play.

    Open spaces haven’t always been a priority in the South Bay.   [Read more…]

    Politics & Events in the South Bay, August 28th to September 4th

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    What Happened In The South Bay This Week?

    Barbara Zaragoza provides a comprehensive list of this week’s notable politics and events in the South Bay.
      [Read more…]

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