​This time of year, many folks take time to give back to those who may be less fortunate. Some volunteer for a food pantry or mentor at an elementary school. Others donate to charities that target the causes they really care about. Nobody chooses to get scammed. But tricksters have figured out how to impersonate real charities to swindle money from caring people. In recent years, scammers have been caught impersonating charities online, calling people pretending to work for reputable charities, and even knocking on people’s doors in a big effort to con people out of money.

Major earthquakes can cause unprecedented catastrophes. With earthquakes as an inevitable part of our future, businesses should make plans and take actions to ensure that disasters do not become catastrophes. What we do now, will determine what our lives will be like afterwards. With this in mind, the Earthquake Country Alliance (www.earthquakecountry.org) created the Great California ShakeOut, an earthquake drill and preparedness activity in which everyone can participate, which has now spread to many other states and regions. To register as a participant for a ShakeOut drill in your area visit www.shakeout.org. Businesses of all sizes can also use the drill to get their employees, business partners, and even their clients and customers, involved and prepared for a big earthquake. Furthermore, the level of your staffs’ own personal and family preparedness will be key to their availability to support your company’s response and recovery efforts after a disaster.

Contrary to what you might believe, homeownership in San Diego is not out of the realm of possibility. While San Diego remains one of the higher priced areas in the nation for housing, North County has continued to remain in the range where the average couple living and working in San Diego can make a mortgage payment for the median home price of $530,000.

On Tuesday, Supervisors Jim Desmond and Kristin Gaspar hosted a veterans forum, with the focus being on military spouses and their families. Over 100 people attended the event at the North Inland Live Well Center in Escondido. ​

You don’t need an SDG&E account to sign up for Power Shutoff notifications – learn more!

Looking for a new place to take your pup and run off that extra energy? North River Farms will have a Dog Pawk located within the community! The fun, paw-shaped park will be for all dogs to enjoy and have separate areas for small and larger dogs. Even better, certain areas will feature obstacles for your dog to run to give them a little challenge. ​

​SACRAMENTO – Senator Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) issued the following statement today after Governor Gavin Newsom announced new leadership at the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the release of the “DMV Strike Team” report.

The City of Oceanside is pleased to announce the release of its 2018 Water Quality Report.  This report shows that the City system continues to meet or exceed all state and federal drinking water standards. City staff collects water quality samples to test for over 90 different substances throughout the year to ensure that the City’s drinking water meets the highest standards for quality and safety.  Samples from drinking water plants and in the City’s distribution system were analyzed and reported in the 2018 Water Quality Report.  “Oceanside’s drinking water is closely monitored to ensure the highest quality of water is delivered to our customers,” said Water Utilities Director Cari Dale.  “Our highest priority is delivering safe and reliable water.” ​

The City of Oceanside is pleased to announce that it will receive $1.5 Million in funding from the Bureau of Reclamation’s WaterSMART Water and Energy Efficiency Grant, subject to Federal appropriations.  The funding will be used to construct Phase 1 of a new Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) network, including retrofitting 21,689 existing meters and integrating the AMI system with the existing customer interface platform.  Once the project is complete, 49% of the City’s meters will be connected to the AMI network.  The AMI system will provide real-time information to customers about leaks, breaks, and other unusual consumption patterns. ​

Janet and Conrad Beck are the City of Oceanside’s 2019 winners of the WaterSmart Landscape Contest, an annual competition recognizing exceptional water-wise landscapes in San Diego County based on overall attractiveness, design, appropriate plant selection, and water efficient irrigation.