San Diego Magazine / April 2000 / Eye on San Diego

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Eye on San Diego

Edited By Ron Donoho

Has It Been 150 Years?

Step away from the car and put your hands on your head—the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department is 150 years old this year.

The year-long celebration heightens on April 1, with a reenactment in Old Town of the swearing-in of the county’s first sheriff. That event will involve Sheriff Bill Kolender dressed in an 1850s period uniform. The day will also include exhibitions by the force’s bomb squad, arson and K-9 units.

Later-in-the-year festivities will include open houses in all substations and jails. It was hoped the grand opening of a privately financed, $750,000 Old Town law-enforcement museum would coincide with the April 1 festivities, but delays have pushed that back to the summer. The 6,000-square-foot museum will include thousands of photos and memorabilia currently housed in an officially sanctioned, but tiny, understaffed site in Santee.

In honor of the department’s birthday, we’ve compiled the following facts that showcase the roots of local law enforcement and the growth it’s seen:

Then: In 1850, with just under 100 ballots cast, Agoston Haraszthy was elected the first sheriff of the brand-new San Diego County. A Hungarian count, Haraszthy served two years before venturing off to Europe. He returned with grape clippings in hand and amassed a fortune by introducing zinfandel to this country.
Now: Sheriff Bill Kolender beat out incumbent Jim Roache in 1994 with 260,179 votes (62 percent). He ran unopposed in 1998. Prior to his election in 1994, Kolender served as the city of San Diego’s appointed chief of police from 1976 to 1988.

Then: Haraszthy oversaw construction of the county’s first jail. Built with mortar and cobblestone, it fell apart in a heavy rainstorm. The deconstruction allowed a drunk to escape, and he wasted no time getting back to the nearest saloon. The jail also once held the infamous “hanging judge,” Roy Bean.
Now: San Diego County has seven jails that house 5,000 inmates. The largest opened downtown in May 1998. It’s a 17-story, 413,000-square-foot facility. The jail has a capacity for 940 inmates and is manned by a staff of 197.

Then: In 1913, Mrs. Olive Bell Chambers was appointed as a deputy sheriff, becoming the area’s first “lady with a badge.”
Now: Of the county’s staff of 3,400 (not including county marshals), 1,218 are female (35.6 percent). Among the 1,776 gun-carrying, sworn law-enforcement officers, there are 309 women (17.4 percent).

Then: Sheriff Bert Strand—who in 1941 was appointed, not elected, but served for 20 years—was paid $5,400 for each of his first 14 years of service. During that stretch, deputies earned $175 to $215 a month.
Now: Kolender makes $140,000 a year, plus a $674 monthly car allowance. A starting deputy sheriff is paid $34,056 a year.

Then: During the first half-century of the sheriff’s department’s history, Haraszthy and his successors used horses as the primary means of transportation. This was a particular strain on man-hours, since San Diego County then stretched east to Yuma.
Now: Squad cars rule the day. Patrolling deputies can also be backed up by SWAT vans and specially equipped helicopters.

Then: Horses gave way to automobiles, of course. And under Sheriff John Duffy (1970-90), squad cars were painted green and were embellished with silver stars.
Now: Roache (1991-94) changed the cars’ design to black-and-white with gold stars. Kolender recently decided the black-and-white color scheme would stay but is phasing back in Duffy’s silver stars.

The Eyes Have Had It

San Diego’s burgeoning high-tech industry is good for the pocketbook. But is it easy on the eyes? Encinitas optometrist Dr. Jeffrey Anshel, author of Visual Ergonomics in the Workplace, says dependence on computers has led to increasing eye discomfort.

“The computer itself doesn’t cause it as much as the fact that we do so much work on it,” he says. A survey by the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health says 88 percent of workers using a computer for three or more hours a day show symptoms of eyestrain.

Optometrists have a name for this phenomenon: computer vision syndrome. Symptoms can include headaches, blurred vision, dry and irritated eyes, neckaches and backache. According to Anshel, the problems are only going to get worse.

Why do computers cause complaints? First, says Anshel, “Computer images are poorer than images on paper.” Also, “Most offices are set up for paper use. Computers have different lighting needs.” Unfortunately, prescription eyeglasses can add to the problem. “When Ben Franklin invented the bifocal, he didn’t have computers in mind.” Anshel offers these three tips:

* Blink. People blink less when using a computer. Blinking alleviates dry eyes and irritation.
* Asked why ethics and morality aren’t taught in schools, San Diego Schools Superintendent Alan Bersin replied: “We can’t ask the schools to do it all. Student achievement is the star by which we navigate.”
* Breathe. Breathing aids blood and oxygen flow, as well as relieving muscle tension
* Break. Use the 20/20/20 rule—every 20 minutes, take 20 seconds and look 20 feet away. People often take breaks to read or surf the ’Net—defeating the purpose.

—Heather Hawley

The Dirty Dozen
The Ratings Game

If you’re a devotee of local TV news (or fond of sensationalized, tabloid-style teledreck), be sure to scan the following list of “special reports” you may have missed during February sweeps:
• Coronado’s Nude Dentists: Filling a Need?
• You Could Be Married to Multimillionaire Rick Rockwell and Not Even Know It
• Are San Diego’s Alien Exploding Stripper Grandmas Selling Crack to Your Kids?
• Brunches That Kill
• Can Our News Anchors Pose as Journalists for Two Whole Hours?
• The Jewel–Vince Foster–O.J.–Pete Rose–Marilyn Monroe–Jimmy Hoffa–Monica Lewinsky Connection
• Elvis and Mayor Susan Golding: Steamy Secrets?
• Bonsall’s Deadly Burritos
• Nazi Cloning Experiments in Rancho Bernardo?
• Death by Dockers: Why Your Pants May Be Unsafe
• Radioactive Shampoo: Is This Silent Killer Still Sold at Swap Meets?
• Your Cat May Be Planning To Kill You Tonight
—Bill Owens

A Tale of Three Temples

The Jewish holiday of Passover, celebrated this year from April 20 to 27, marks the exodus of Hebrew slaves from bondage in Egypt—and the start of their subsequent 40-year journey to the Promised Land. San Diego’s Congregation Beth Israel starts a different journey next year—from its 74-year-old downtown synagogue to a new home in the Golden Triangle.

Groundbreaking began in January. Once the new temple is ready, the move will be celebrated by a journey on foot—carrying the sacred Torah, Olympic-torch style—from its familiar sanctuary to the new campus.

It’s the third home in as many centuries for the oldest Jewish congregation in Southern California. Beth Israel was founded in 1861 in Old Town; early members met in houses until a temple was constructed in 1889. In 1926, the congregation moved to its present location at Third and Laurel.

Why move now? “This building was built for 60 families; we have 1,300 now,” says Stewart Simmons, executive director of Congregation Beth Israel. Also, the new location is a shorter drive for the growing number of North County members.

The Golden Triangle facility, designed by San Diego architectural firm Austin Veum Robbins Parshalle, includes a small chapel that incorporates elements from the 1926 building, including stained-glass windows found in the original sanctuary. “We want to maintain continuity with the past,” says Simmons. “The chapel will remind people of our historic site.”:
—Heather Hawley

Center of Attention

After a $15 million fund-raising campaign, more than a dozen years of planning and two years of construction, the new-and-improved Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center’s Jacobs Family Campus is ready for its debut.

Located in the Golden Triangle, the center was the beneficiary of several donations from members of Qualcomm’s first family. Irwin and Joan Jacobs chipped in $2 million; Jacobs’ son and daughter-in-law, Gary and Jerri-Ann Jacobs, contributed more than $1 million.

The facility celebrates its expansion from 32,000 to 97,000 square feet in a dedication ceremony April 9. A highlight of the revamped center is the 3,000-square-foot Jacobs Fitness Center. It’s part of a beefed-up sports, fitness and aquatics complex.

One area in the facility includes an early childhood development complex—with a preschool, rooms for arts and crafts, and a science lab. An arts-and-culture complex houses a 500-seat theater, an art gallery and a 3,000-square-foot library.

Like a YMCA—albeit the Ritz-Carlton of YMCAs—the center is open to people of all religious denominations, says marketing director Elizabeth Berg. A one-day pass is $5; a one-person annual membership ranges from $315 to $445; families can join for $675. Info: 858-457-3030.