LV Library Upgrade Funded
Plus: Panini Kabob Grill in Mission Valley, Highly Successful "Do Your Homework at the Library" Program, LV News Briefs, and LV Update Reader Shares Stories
A Tuesday morning press conference in Linda Vista was the setting for the celebration of a significant infusion of Federal monies to provide an upgrade of the Linda Vista Library. Congresswoman Sara Jacobs, Mayor Todd Gloria, District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo, and City of San Diego Library Director Misty Jones were on hand to announce that $500,000 has been allocated for the library’s upgrade project in the Federal Government’s Fiscal Year 2022 budget.
This upgrade will involve expanding the outdoor children’s area and homework center at the Linda Vista Branch Library, and include the creation of an outdoor Early Learning Patio for young people. As illustrated in the above photo, the new patio will have a shaded structure, a chalkboard for instruction, concrete counters, art pieces, and additional plants.
In explaining the importance of the library upgrade and what it means to the community, Congresswoman Jacobs commented, “When we invest in early childhood education, the ripple effect goes well beyond the child and their parents.”
Mayor Gloria further explained, “This project will provide new opportunities for the children of Linda Vista — a place to connect, a place to grow, a place to expand opportunity.”
And as one Linda Vista resident emphasized, “The Linda Vista Library plays such a big role in our community. It’s great to see that so much money has been devoted to improving it.”
Congresswoman Jacobs was able to secure a total of 2 million dollars in FY2022 Community Project Funding for three local projects in the City of San Diego. The two other projects included 1 million dollars for the City Heights Multimedia Performance Annex and $500,000 for Balboa Starlight Bowl ADA enhancements.
Panini Kabob Grill In Mission Valley
The three of us (Steve, Carnivore Sidekick, and myself) were recently sitting around talking about the sweltering heat and reminiscing about the Carnivore’s USD semester abroad in Athens and our visit there with him last school year. The talk went to the beautiful Mediterranean weather, lovely breezes, cool evenings, and especially the delicious food. We eventually decided to try and replicate the food by finding a good Mediterranean style restaurant we had not previously tried. We happened upon the Panini Kabob Grill, a relatively new restaurant in nearby Mission Valley (it replaced the Fuddruckers Restaurant about a year ago); the restaurant is located in the same shopping center as Trader Joe’s, DSW and the Coffee Bean.
In looking at their website, we knew they had food that the vegetarians among us, as well as the Carnivore, would be satisfied with.
PKG (as we like to call it) has a very extensive menu, consisting of Mediterranean appetizers such as hummus, tzatziki, falafel, and more. They have soups and salads including lentil soup, Caesar and Greek salads. Their entrees include Kabobs such as salmon, lamb, shrimp, steak, and combo. They have boxes which include appetizer and entrée, vegetarian entrees including falafel platter, mushroom kabob and more. They have recently added pastas to their menu, and of course, grilled panini sandwiches. The panini include caprese, chicken pesto, chicken brie, steak, and salmon. Also they have some interesting wraps and a kids’ menu, desserts, wine and beer and other beverages.
We decided to go for lunch. The parking lot is very large and there were plenty of spaces. There is a nice outside patio but since the temperature was about 1,000 degrees, we opted for inside dining. The dining room is very spacious and the tables are spaced nicely. Service was quick and very good.
Since we had studied the menu on line, we knew what we wanted. I got the Caprese Panini which included buffalo mozzarella, roma tomatoes, fresh basil and homemade pesto. I got a Greek Salad as a side. The sandwich was delicious. There was a large slice of fresh mozzarella, excellent pesto and grilled just right on thick slices of bread. The salad was chock full of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, and an excellent dressing.
Steve ordered a mushroom kabab which included charbroiled white elder mushrooms, roma tomatoes, onions and bell peppers. It was served with brown rice and a side of hummus. He also had a Greek salad. He loved the kabob and is a fan of brown rice so he enjoyed his meal. I tasted his hummus and it was very creamy and delicious.
The Carnivore recently graduated from college and is now a working man minding his budget, so he is always happy to get a free meal and usually orders the most expensive item on the menu. I am happy to report that he did not do that this time – but not for lack of trying. He ordered the steak panini which included Cedar River Farms all natural antibiotic and hormone free flat iron steak with sautéed mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. It was topped with smoked mozzarella and Persian pickles. He also got the Greek salad. He declared the meal “awesome” and said it tasted like a “Philadelphia Cheese Steak in a panini”, which I consider pretty high praise since I’m a Pennsylvanian. It was a really full sandwich, so much that he could only eat half. He found himself saving the other half for dinner. I know – hard to believe, right?
The meals are not cheap – in the $12 to $20 range, but there is substantial food and it is very fresh tasting/looking. The Greek salads were almost as good as the ones we had in Greece, and for a bit we forgot about the heat – until we opened the door to leave.
I think you will enjoy this restaurant, especially if you are in a Mediterranean mood. Give it a try. It is open 10:30 am to 10:00 pm, and is located at 1570 Camino de la Reina, SD 92108. For takeout or delivery, call 619-491-0279.
Homework Concerns? No Problem. Go to the LV Library!
Homework. No student likes to hear this particular word, but it’s an inevitable part of school life. Just like when many of our readers went to school, the word “Homework” still summons a note of dread to many a current student. In this sense, it’s not hard to feel empathy for today’s students. Think back to all those school days when we hated having to plow through confusing homework assignments, wondering if we were accomplishing the tasks in a correct manner, often unable to receive help from our parents who would often examine difficult homework assignments while attempting to help, then shrug their shoulders and respond with a discouraging “Sorry, I can’t help you. This new math stuff just confuses me” or the classic “If you paid better attention in class, then everything would make more sense to you.”
Fortunately, Linda Vista students today don’t have to worry about whether they can get help with their homework assignments. If they need a little assistance in clearing things up regarding a confusing academic concept or task, or if they need some help in researching a topic, all they have to do is make their way over to the Linda Vista Library, where they can participate in the City’s “Do Your Homework @ the Library” program. As advertised on the library’s web site, the program involves Homework Coaches helping and guiding students through school assignments. Students are given access to learning materials, computers, online research tools and other digital resources available at the library.
The program operates from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm, Monday through Thursday, in the library’s community room and is available for students from kindergarten through 8th grade. The program has existed at the Linda Vista Library since 2017. Last year, the Homework Coaches saw “10 to 15 students on a good day,” though that was lower than the average of 30 a day they experienced in the pre-COVID days. Nevertheless, Head Librarian Jeffrey Davis claims that the Linda Vista Library’s program is the best attended in the city.
As explained by Jo Ann Olson--one of the Linda Vista Library Homework Coaches--the program “Provides help with homework. It’s especially helpful in the event parents can’t provide help, or for those students who just need a quiet place to study.” She added, “We want to help all students in need. This is a great place to get in- person, individualized attention. We get to build a relationship with the students who regularly visit, and get to see how they grow over the year.”
This individualized attention comes from Homework Coaches who are paid city employees with experience in assisting young people. In the case of Ms Olson, she is a retired elementary school teacher who also has experience as an instructor for Read San Diego, an adult literacy program. The other Homework Coach—Sandra Stevenson—has a similar background.
The Homework Coaches would like to see more students at the homework sessions. Ms. Olson hopes the word about the Homework program is spread throughout the Linda Vista community to parents and schools (we hope that after reading this article, LV Update readers can do their word to help spread the word). And she advises that adults who are interested in working with school age kids or with adult literacy can apply for a job with the City of San Diego. You can click here to view the job announcement, which will remain open until September 19.
LV News Briefs
Farmers Market: The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will be open today (Thursday) from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. Get your fresh fruits and vegetables from certified farmers. Everyone is encouraged to come out and support this community event!
Kearny High football: This Friday, September 9 at 7:00 pm, the 3-0 Komets play an away game against Maranatha Christian High School. The Komets hope to keep their winning streak alive with a fourth consecutive victory.
LV Update Reader Shares Stories
We at the Linda Vista Update always enjoy hearing from readers when they have interesting story suggestions or actual stories to recommend for publication in our newsletter. Accordingly, we were glad to hear from LV Update reader Juan Lozano, a San Diego resident, who informed us of two sports-related stories he had recently written for the online publication—La Esquina. This online publication focuses on sports and pop culture journalism that celebrates the Latino story.
In addition to being related to Latino culture, Lozano’s two articles also have connections to the Linda Vista community.
In the first story, Lozano (who, in addition to being a sports journalist, is also an attorney who represents coaches and sports executives), writes about Al Gamez, a “cut man” in the boxing world. Lozano writes about what it takes to successfully work in the corner for professional boxers, preparing the boxers prior to the fight, a task which includes wrapping the boxer’s hands, and then treating the bloody and bruised boxers in between rounds of the fight.
As Lozano pointed out to us, Al Gamez happens to have grown up in Linda Vista, and got his start years ago working the local boxing circuit here in San Diego. You can read the entire article here.
In the second article, Lozano writes about Edgar “El Gordo” Razo and his Micheladas drink business. As explained in the story, Micheladas are “a Mexican drink that has beer as its base with assorted sauces, spices, and chili peppers mixed in or on the rim of the glass or cup.” Lozano details how Razo overcame some dire circumstances to succeed in the business world while making his products extremely popular. In the article, Lozano mentions how Razo’s products are sold at the Del Mesa liquor store in Linda Vista. You can read the entire article here.
We highly recommend taking the time to read both of Lozano’s entertaining stories.
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The Linda Vista Update is a weekly digital newsletter that publishes informative, interesting and fun news about Linda Vista and its neighboring communities.
Dear Linda Vista Update, if possible we'd love to be able to have our events shared on your Substack Newsletter. We are Holy Cross/Peace Lutheran Church in Linda Vista. Our next event is our Community Parking lot sale on Sept 24 from 8am-12pm (6749 Tait St). Folks can email us for more information at holycrossword@gmail.com. Thank you!