A Starbucks employee confirmed that the downtown store will be closing at the end of May—the rent is going up by $5000—unless… It is not clear unless what, but residents are trying to figure out how to keep Starbucks in town. Really, the question is how will that closing, if it happens, affect the downtown business community. Starbucks can be profitable inland because of lower rents. The employee said many come to the Del Mar location to be near the beach. And probably, those who come for coffee add to the economy shopping at local stores. Other city store fronts are up for lease, including a store front at the plaza on the lower level.
Certificate of Excellence awarded to the city of Del Mar for financial reporting. This is the highest level of recognition in government
Off-leash dog hours for Shores Park have been approved by the City Council. delmar.ca.us
Project Clean Water challenge: redirect rain gutters and downspouts to your landscape: projectcleanwater.org
Photo taken from the bridge getting to dog beach, looking east to the lagoon. Photo by Julie Maxey-Allison.
Homeless Destination: California
In December, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development released its annual report on homelessness. California has the most homeless individuals in the U.S. (181,399/653,100 or 28% of the U.S. total) and the most unsheltered individuals (123,423/256,610 or 48% of the U.S. total). Recent news reports that “half of the homeless live in California” miss this distinction, but neither figure is anything to be proud about.
COVID vs. FLU Death Rate
The CDC Report for deaths due to COVID infection versus Influenza during 2023 shows that for most of the year, COVID infections were 10-20x more lethal than the flu. This gap in lethality narrowed during flu outbreaks in late December and early January, when lethality due to both infections increased and deaths due to COVID were 4-6x higher than those due to flu. These data should put to rest the common notion that COVID is no more dangerous than the flu.
Talk to SANDAG
SANDAG has added another way for citizens to get information and make comments regarding realignment of rail tracks away from the bluffs. Virtual office hours to interact with project planners can be accessed on their website: sandag.mysocialpinpoint.com.
Metal Mining
Discoveries vary. The range is from bicycle part bits to fancy rings. What comes up when depends on the whims of the currents.