Play Christy for Me

Northern Exposure

DICK MURPHY, are you reading this? Given the acrimony of most political races, it was heartening to hear of the royal sendoff for departing Encinitas Mayor Christy Guerin. At the swearing-in ceremony for new councilmembers, Guerin, who had served two four-year-terms, stole the show. The County Board of Supervisors proclaimed it “Christy Guerin Day.” City officials presented Guerin with a replica of the turquoise vase Encinitas had given Japanese sister city Amakusa. A councilman read a praise-filled letter from Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. And the firefighters association gave her a red fire helmet. Guerin, who had chosen not to run for a third term, won’t be gone from the public eye, however—she’s joining Congressman Brian Bilbray’s district office.

SHARI BABY: Oceanside council meetings are a lot shorter now that Shari Mackin is out, City Hall insiders say. “It’s all hugs and smiles,” says one. The meetings used to run until about 10 p.m. or even later; with Mackin gone, they rarely go past 8. Mackin was defeated in her bid for reelection after airport boosters and pilots teamed up against her because she had voted to support a study into alternative uses for the Oceanside Municipal Airport site. Her opponents also played up the fact that Mackin overspent on her city-issued credit cards.

HEY, REMEMBER ME? When thieves broke into a San Marcos TV store filled with sports memorabilia, they lifted items signed by San Diego Charger Shawne Merriman and former Charger Junior Seau—but left behind items signed by former San Diego Padre Tony Gwynn.

THEY PAVED PARADISE: The majestic old Valley Drive-In in Oceanside will soon be razed to make room for, yes, another shopping center. The drive-in went dark in 1999, but its four huge screens have continued to cast a nostalgic shadow over the San Luis Rey River Valley north of Mission Avenue—while the grounds each weekend host the Oceanside Swap Meet. But now a Georgia outfit called Thomas Enterprises has drafted plans for a 90-acre shopping center, twice as big as any other in Oceanside, anchored by a discount store, most likely Target or Costco. Other tenants include a hotel, several restaurants, a grocery store and a cluster of high-end boutiques like the ones found at Carlsbad’s The Forum, which Thomas Enterprises also built. Expect construction to start this year, with an opening in fall 2008.

HOME TO ROOST: Several years ago, Chick-fil-A came to the West Coast after years of having been confined to the South, where the $2 billion fast-food chain and its trademark fried-chicken sandwich have been a favorite for more than 40 years. The latest addition to the 1,200-restaurant chain, which opened two months ago in San Marcos, is operated by 24-year-old Mark Cathy, grandson of Chick-fil-A founder Truett Cathy.

ANYONE SEEN COUSIN ED? Despite the much-ballyhooed slowdown in the San Diego housing markets, homes in coastal North County are still out of reach for many. Residents of north Carlsbad, where homes are spacious and lots are big, are griping that some recently sold homes are being quietly converted into de facto boarding houses, with the owners taking in up to three renters to make the mortgage payments. This, despite the fact that the neighborhoods are zoned for single families. City Hall insiders say zoning laws are fuzzy; according to the Carlsbad Municipal Code, “‘family’ means a reasonable number of persons who constitute a bona fide single housekeeping unit.” A check of other city codes around the county reveals such qualifiers as “related by blood, marriage or adoption” and caps of five or six for unrelated roomers.

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North County tips? News? Gossip? Thomas K. Arnold can be reached at tkarnold@sandiegomag.com.

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