New Grocery Store Opens in Local Area
Plus: Coffee with a Cop Announcement, LV New Briefs, School Standardized Test Scores, Commentary on Bike Lane Pylons, District 7 Local Luminary Recognized, Ketch Grill and Taps Review
The Linda Vista Update
In case you haven’t heard, there is a new grocery store that recently opened in the space previously occupied by the Rite Aid at the corner of Genesee and Balboa Avenue (5270 Balboa Avenue). This location is right outside the northern border of Linda Vista. The store is open 9 AM to 9 PM daily. Aldi is a chain of grocery stores that started in Germany and is quickly spreading all over the world. It is one of America’s fastest growing retailers according to the website with nearly 2,000 stores in 36 states, 10,000 stores in 20 countries.
We recently paid a visit to the newest Aldi to see for ourselves what makes it so popular. To start with, to get a grocery cart which are chained together, you place a quarter in a slot. The cart is released and when you return the cart, you insert the chain in the back of the slot and the quarter is returned. This way, the grocery carts remain near the front entrance and not all over the parking lot and no one has to retrieve them. Keeps everything looking neat. When you go into the store you will notice a difference right away from places like Ralphs or Vons. The products are mostly in boxes rather than taken out of the boxes and stacked on shelves. You will also notice the store is much smaller than the major chain supermarkets and has wider aisles. I like this because by the time I’m finished in a large store, I feel like I’ve walked a marathon. They select a smaller number of high quality products at lower prices, which saves you time and money.
Aldi carries a large number of products for its size. From dairy and eggs, to fresh produce, fresh meats and seafood, deli frozen food, bakery and bread, snacks, pantry products, personal care items, household products, beverages, alcohol and pet products, you should be able to meet all your needs here. There may seem to be an absence of big time brand items, but Aldi has curated a number of exclusive brands of products, and you would be hard pressed to find better options. They are available at a lower cost than national name brands. In addition to the day to day essentials, you will find specials such as holiday products, game day favorites, charcuterie and more. They even have apparel and toys and many European themed treats.
Check out their website and their sales circulars. You might want to bring your own bags or you can buy paper bags at checkout. I know we will go back there and learn our way around better. If you shop there, let us know what you think and what items impressed you with quality and price.
Community Event Today
We hope to see many of our LV Update readers at this morning’s Coffee with a Cop event. See the below flyer for details. Come for the coffee and donuts….stay for the conversation.
LV News Briefs
—USD Soccer: We wish to congratulate the University of San Diego men’s soccer team for reaching the Sweet Sixteen stage of the NCAA championship tournament bracket. During the tournament, the team scored victories over UC Davis and Duke University. Unfortunately, this past Sunday night the team suffered a 1-0 overtime defeat to the University of Vermont. The USD Toreros finished the season with a 15-3-2 record.
—Participate in the Environmental Justice Partnership: The Environmental Justice Partnership (EJP) is looking for Linda Vista residents living in the 92111 zip code to participate in a program. The EJP is a two-year collaborative effort between the San Diego Air Pollution Control District’s Office of Environmental Justice, County of San Diego’s Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice (OSEJ), California Air Resources Board (CARB), community-based organizations (CBOs) like Bayside Community Center, and individual community members to reduce air pollution and improve air quality in some of the communities that are most impacted by air pollution. Community members participating in the EJP will take part in community education, air quality monitoring, identifying air quality issues in their neighborhood, and developing strategies to reduce air pollution. The EJP program will have five (5) community workshops and one (1) regional convening. Each workshop will be two (2) hours long. Workshops will begin February 2025 and be spaced out over 18 months. In addition to workshops, there will be opportunities for community participants to install sensor-based air quality monitors and meet with public agencies to discuss and advance solutions to improve air quality in their communities.
Participation includes:
Stipends of $75 per workshop attended
One indoor air purifier for each participant to use in their home
Food and childcare provided during each workshop
Language interpretation and materials translation for each community workshop
Interested residents can click HERE to apply for the program.
—Christmas Bags of Hope: The non-profit group, Sports4Kids, led by Francis Parker student Arden Pala, will hold its annual Bags of Hope assembly event on Saturday December 14 (from 10:00 am to 11:30 am.) The event, held at Perkins Elementary School in Barrio Logan, aims to pack over 750 bags of essentials for low-income students and the homeless in San Diego. This family-friendly volunteer event is open to kids of all ages, making it a perfect opportunity for a meaningful and joyful family morning. If you are interested in signing up to volunteer at this event, please click HERE.
Review of Local School Test Results
School Standardized Test Scores Released
The California state standardized tests taken each year by students in grades 3 through 8 and 11 are designed to let all public school stakeholders, including all taxpayers, know how students and schools are doing academically. The testing program is known as the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP). Test scores for math and English provide a sort of report card for schools and districts. If analyzed correctly, these test scores possess the potential to help a school identify what is working/not working in the classroom, and then help school staff members make necessary changes to lesson planning, class schedules, classroom teaching strategies, and intervention/support programs. Schools with top or improving scores are expected to share what they have been doing so that others can learn and possibly adopt those strategies/activities. Schools interested in making breakthroughs in student learning will try out some of these shared strategies to see if they are applicable to their respective campuses. These test scores are not the only way of measuring a school’s success, though they are the most publicly acknowledged.
Test scores for school year 2023-2024 were recently released, and as publishers of a local newsletter we wanted to take this opportunity to examine how local schools fared. Readers can take a look themselves by clicking HERE at the California Department of Education web site, but for now we want to report that, in our opinion, English scores for one local school stood out as worth mentioning.
First, let’s take a look at scores at state and district levels as a way of making comparisons. State-wide, an average of 47% of all students met or exceeded the state standards in English, with 36% of students doing so in math. In the San Diego Unified School District an average of 54% of students met or exceeded standards for English. An average of 44% did so in math. The high school in the district with the top scores--Scripps Ranch High had the following test results: 84% pass rates in English and 73% in math.
In Linda Vista, we found the following CAASSP statistics:
-Linda Vista Elementary 19% (English) 15% (Math)
-Carson Elementary 18% (English) 25% (Math)
-Chesterton Elementary 54% (English) 60% (Math)
-Empower Language Academy 37% (English) 24% (Math)
-San Diego Cooperative Charter 42% (English) 34% (Math)
-Montgomery Middle 32% (English) 19% (Math)
-Kearny High Digital Media/Design 75% (English) 20% (Math)
-Kearny High Bio Sci/Tech 67% (English) 39% (Math)
-Kearny High College Connections 70% (English) 34% (Math)
-Kearny Innov and Design 81% (English) 32% (Math)
We thought the English test scores at all Kearny Educational Complex campuses were impressive, comparing favorably with schools like Patrick Henry High (74%), Mira Mesa High (79%), and University City High (74%).
Of course, one will often find a strong correlation between test score results and school demographics. For example, a high number of English Language Learners at a school will usually mean relatively lower English test scores. Furthermore, schools with a high number of students enrolled in the Federal free/reduced lunch program will often correlate with lower English and math test scores. Such hard facts as family income levels, parent education levels, and family fluency in English are some of the factors that make for daily challenges for teachers in the classroom. What each school hopes to do is meet these challenges with steady, incremental improvements in test scores that extend from year to year.
We commend all teachers in the local area for the job they do, and we salute all the teachers at the Kearny Educational Complex who contributed to the students’ literacy skills. We wish all schools good luck in analyzing their scores and pursuing that steady, incremental improvement.
Commentary
We Prefer Pretty Pristine Pylons
There are several means by which this community maintains its neat, clean appearance. A combination of city employees and local volunteer organizations and individuals maintain a fairly constant vigil to make sure Linda Vista rids itself of any eyesores, litter, or unsanitary conditions on streets and common areas. However, I have noticed one unique area in Linda Vista that needs to be addressed in regard to its appearance. The area I want attention focused upon involves the bike lane pylons that stretch up Linda Vista Road from Napa Street in the Morena area to the Genesee Avenue intersection. In case you haven’t noticed, many of these pylons are beginning to look a bit ragged.
Say what you will about the need for bike lanes, when these once immaculate looking pylons were first installed, they impressed everyone with their sharp looking appearance. Installed in straight lines up and down Linda Vista Road, the pylons looked like a long formation of orderly, crisply attired soldiers standing at attention, ready to guard cyclists. But lately I have noticed that some of the pylons are looking like they have suffered the effects of weather and/or violent confrontations with car tires. Not only are some of the pylons looking dirty, bruised and frayed—many with their strips of reflective material torn asunder—but several pylons are also missing, apparently ripped away from their base by errant drivers, or pedestrian hooligans.
I haven’t heard from the City about any type of official City Pylon Replacement Program. And with the City’s budget already stretched so far, I doubt if replenishing damaged/missing bike lane pylons is on top of any City priority funding list. Accordingly, I believe we should start planning now for viable citizenry volunteer options that allow our bike lanes to remain looking spiffy. Here are four possible steps that can be taken:
#1: Form a “Friends of Linda Vista Bike Pylons Advisory Committee”. This volunteer, non-profit group will meet once a month and plan community fundraisers to buy new pylons. The committee members will also be responsible for monitoring the condition of each individual bike pylon and setting up a system for volunteer bike pylon maintenance/replacement. Imagine a “Pancakes for Pylons” fundraiser breakfast. Or maybe a “Purchase a Pumpkin or Pecan Pie for Pylons” fundraiser.
#2: “The LV Adopt a Bike Pylon Program”: For $150.00 individual community members can “adopt” their very own individual bike lane pylon. Upon paying a $150.00 adoption fee, community members will have a small plaque attached to the pylon that includes the words “I was adopted by (community member’s name).” For an additional $50.00, you can also “name” your pylon (I plan on calling my pylon Percy). The money can go toward replacing the bike lane pylon at any time in the future. Furthermore, once the adoption process is completed, individual pylon adopters will be responsible for cleaning/repairing their adopted pylons; this should appeal to the pride of adopters, since everyone who walks or rides by a pylon will know who the pylon belongs to, and of course nobody wants to be personally associated with a scruffy looking, publicly displayed pylon.
#3: Enlisting local school support: Since most local elementary/middle schools in LV are STEAM curriculum driven, students could be enlisted to make replacement bike lane pylons via school-owned 3D printers. Students would get credit for making these replacement pylons. This should be very cost effective because I don’t think kids in 3rd or 4th grade currently fall under any state minimum wage laws. And don’t worry…for safety sake, we will have adults wearing yellow safety vests go out to the bike lane and install these student-made bike pylons.
#4: Create a “Pylie the Pylon Mascot”: Recommend the community design a charming, costumed character named “Pylie the Pylon” who will periodically stand at various street corners along Linda Vista Road. During afternoon rush hour, “Pylie” will hold a tin can and a sign that says “Keep Linda Vista Looking Clean. Save the Pylons. Coins, Bills, and Venmo Accepted.” All monies collected will go to maintaining, cleaning, and replacing pylons. For a reasonable donation amount, Pylie the Pylon will also be available for school visits, kids birthday parties, and the Linda Vista Multi-Cultural Parade.
So think about all of the above suggestions, my fellow Linda Vista residents. Let’s do what we can to keep Linda Vista looking sharp. Many of us may take the lowly bike lane pylon for granted, but these little plastic structures need our attention, for there is a fine line between a pylon and street debris.
District 7 Local Luminary is from Linda Vista
The office of District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo periodically recognizes residents living within the district boundaries as Local Luminaries. These residents are usually selected for their significant contributions to the community. We are happy to report that Councilmember Campillo’s most recent Local Luminary is Bree Partington. Her recognition was featured in the latest issue of the Councilmember Campillo’s District 7 Dispatch newsletter.
If you have been reading the Linda Vista Update for the past couple years, you will know that Bree, a resident of the Mission Heights neighborhood of Linda Vista, frequently hosts community events designed to entertain families and help build a sense of community. We have written, for example, about her annual Easter Egg Hunts and her Valentine Day Card Making family events at Mission Heights Park, to name just a few.
We commend Ms. Partington for her efforts to support our local community and help make it a more friendly place.
If you wish to get on the mailing list for Councilmember Campillo’s District 7 Dispatch, please click HERE.
KETCH GRILL AND TAPS
We didn’t get to a local restaurant this week. It was Steve’s birthday and we had received a $15.00 off coupon from the Brigantine for Ketch Grill and Taps in Point Loma so we went there instead. Nevertheless, in spite of our trek over to Point Loma, we remained somewhat true to our Linda Vista roots, as there is a strong connection between Ketch Grill and Taps in Point Loma, and one of the local brew pubs in the Linda Vista area.
In regard to the $15.00 off coupon, it’s a good deal to sign up for those restaurant loyalty clubs, though on your birthday you may find yourself with an overwhelming number of choices to eat, such as a free grand slam from Denny’s, a free cookie from Panera, a free slice of cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory and a free appetizer from Red Lobster, just to name a few. This year we decided to do the Brigantine since we love their food.
Ketch Grill and Taps was bought by Brigantine and we previously reviewed its sister location, Ketch Brewing, in Kearny Mesa which we wrote about back in April of this year. In that article we complimented the restaurant on its great beer and very tasty seafood dishes. The one in Point Loma (Shelter Island), locate across the street from the Brigantine, is much larger and classier. We had reservations and they seated us by the water and gave us a nice heater by our table. The restaurant is very beautiful and was doing a very healthy business both at the tables and the bar.]
We had perused the menu on line and pretty much knew what we wanted. I got clam chowder and a spinach salad with feta. Both were delicious. The prices were good and the portions very adequate. I had to leave some of the salad. Steve got IPA battered fish and chips and said it was the best fish and chips he ever had. Must have been the beer.
We were very impressed by the restaurant’s interior design/style/atmosphere. There is adequate parking right across the street. Not only were we able to use the $15.00 coupon, they gave us a free dessert for Steve’s birthday, so he proved to be a cheap date.
I know it is not Linda Vista, but we recommend giving it a try if you are in the Point Loma area. We think you will like it – and if you don’t feel like driving all the way to Point Loma, you can always go to their establishment in Kearny Mesa. Just don’t expect a water view like the one you’ll get from the Ketch Grill in Point Loma.
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