Riverwalk's Sunset Grille Offers Great Food
Plus: LV Maintenance Assessment District, Upcoming Change to Downtown Linda Vista, LV News Briefs and Commenting on SD Heat, Humidity and Sports
Everyday on our way to the YMCA we pass the Riverwalk Golf Course on Friars Road. As seen from Friars Road, it used to be so beautiful with the manicured greens, and it was fun to see golfers enjoying themselves in their strangely colored golf clothes. Sadly, it is not the same now that construction (or should I say destruction) has begun on the new development that will take the place of the golf course. Though we don’t golf, many times Steve and I, or other friends, have gone to the Sunset Grille at the Golf Course Club House for breakfast or lunch, and sat outside with the wonderful view of the golf course and the stylish bridge (see photo below). Well, we decided to go there for lunch and say goodbye to what we thought would be the closing of the restaurant to make way for progress.
We turned into Riverwalk off Friars Road across from the shopping center and right away noticed golfers on the driving range practicing their swings. The parking lot was not full, but not empty. We went to the Club House and into the Sunset Grille. When seated, we spoke with Madison, our server. I asked how much longer the restaurant would be there and she said probably 5 years. Well, that made me feel really good. Apparently the development started with one 9 hole course, then will do the second, and finally the third. She is hopeful that it will take about 5 years.
Feeling good about that, I decided to have my old Sunset Grille standby - a tuna salad sandwich. It was not on the menu, but Madison said she would see that I got my deli tuna sandwich. Steve looked over the extensive breakfast and lunch menu (breakfast served all day) and ordered a Supreme Quesadilla, which consisted of shrimp, black beans, fried peppers, onions, and corn in a large flour tortilla, served with salsa, guacamole and sour cream. The four large pieces were too much for Steve and he took home enough for another meal. My tuna sandwich on toasted sourdough was a very large sandwich with lettuce, tomato, onions, and a large helping of tuna salad. I also took half of the sandwich home for another meal. Mine came with french-fries, which I ate completely.
The Carnivore Sidekick decided that a Cuban sandwich sounded good. Why have just one kind of meat when you can have two, right? His Cuban consisted of hickory smoked ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, mustard and pickles on toasted Ciabatta. He got a side order of fresh fruit. He said it was very filling and tasty and that he could almost picture Ernest Hemingway in Havana drinking a Scotch and Soda and enjoying this sandwich. And did I mention “it was awesome”?
They have a great selection of burgers, deli sandwiches, fish and chips, stir fry dishes, and many salads. The breakfast menu includes breakfast burritos, chorizo and eggs, huevos rancheros, several kinds of Eggs Benedict, scrambles, pancakes, omelets and more. You can check out the menu here. There is also a full service bar which offers a rotating selection of local craft beer.
The service was very good and the view out the window was beautiful. It was too hot to sit outside the day we were there, but the golf course scenery and the hills on the other side of Mission Valley provided a great view.
In addition, there is a snack bar on the outside of the building where you order at a window either from the full menu, or a special daily menu that is posted.
So, don’t let all the construction work deceive you; there’s still plenty of time to enjoy breakfast or lunch at the Sunset Grille at Riverwalk Golf Club. Their hours are from 6:30 AM to 5 PM daily.
Learning About the LV Maintenance Assessment District
For so many years I have vaguely noticed that the City of San Diego taxes me an additional assessment of $18 each year. Added to my annual property tax bill (in the fine print) has been a tax for something referred to as the Maintenance Assessment District tax. I never gave this tax much thought—similar to how I typically react to all the fine print billing associated with my cable and phone bills. However, while recently crossing a Linda Vista street I happened to encounter an often overlooked sign posted in the middle of the tree-lined median that reads “Courtesy of your Maintenance Assessment District.” This discovery finally prompted me to conduct some research. I realized my findings about the LV Maintenance Assessment District--or MAD--might be of interest to local residents, especially to those property owners wondering if their tax monies are being effectively spent.
Many of our readers are familiar with the official boundaries that make up the community of Linda Vista. We addressed these boundaries and the 16 LV neighborhoods in a previous issue of the Linda Vista Update. But what many readers may not know is if they live within the boundaries of the Linda Vista MAD. These boundaries are established by the City of San Diego. There is a total of 55 MADs (of varying sizes) located in San Diego. You can click here to see the boundaries of the LV MAD, as well as other MADs in San Diego.
The LV MAD happens to play an impactful role in the community, not only because it requires LV property owners living within the LV MAD boundaries to pay a certain amount in yearly taxes but also because it helps to pay for the beautification of the area. Despite this significance, chances are good the majority of residents may not be aware of what the Linda Vista Maintenance Assessment District is all about.
According to the City’s web site, “A Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) is a legal mechanism by which property owners can vote to assess themselves to pay and receive services above-and-beyond what the City of San Diego normally provides. This above-and-beyond service level is called a “special benefit.” What the City normally provides is called the “general benefit.”
As further explained, “MADs provide higher levels of maintenance services on property owned by the City (including public rights-of-way, City-owned open space, and City-owned parkland) or on property with access rights granted to the City (including landscape easements, open space easements, or public access easements in favor of the City).”
And what are these special benefits? Money collected from tax assessments is used for such things as Landscape Maintenance (including maintenance of medians, rights of way/parkway landscaping strips, slopes, green belts, mini-parks and undeveloped areas), Hardscape Maintenance, (to include sweeping and weeding of hardscape, such as curbs and gutters, medians, plazas, sidewalks and other paved areas, and Open Space Maintenance (to include safety tree trimming and removal, and litter removal).
MADs are usually formed either when a new subdivision is built, or if the community is already developed when the MAD is proposed to be formed then the proposal for a MAD is placed on a ballot for property owners in the community to decide. The dollar amount to be assessed for property owners is based on the scope of benefits rendered and the features of one’s property.
Click here to read an informative 2017 article from the San Diego Reader about a San Diego community wishing to form a MAD as a way of beautifying their neighborhood streets. The article points out that supporters of MADs contend that “the districts empower community members by giving them control over what improvements will be made.” While opponents claim “the assessment districts are nothing but taxes passed without a public vote” and further say “the taxes are a ruse used by the city to help pay for services that they already pay for on property-tax bills.”
In the case of the Linda Vista MAD, community representation/management consists of a seven-member committee of the Linda Vista Community Planning Group (a group of LV volunteers). The MAD committee is led by a chairperson and periodically meets along with city officials and companies contracted by the City to discuss budget items and tasks. As pointed out by current LV MAD chairperson, Alberto Ochoa, “Over the past three years, the LV MAD committee has been working on refurbishing the plants and trees in medians of the MAD area that consists of over 2800 feet (Genesee and Linda Vista Road combined). The improvements involve four phases. Phase I Genesee to Fulton, Phase 2 Fulton to Ulric, Phase 3 Ulric to Comstock to Tait, and Phase 4 Tait to Kramer. This project will be completed in 2022-23.
Most recently, improvements were made to the medians along such places as Linda Vista Road and Genesee Avenue. “The San Diego Rotary Breakfast Club donated funds to improve the Linda Vista Community MAD by planting trees that will contribute to the SD City Climate Action Plan,” explained Ochoa. “Eleven 24” box trees were bought and planted using the Rotary Club donation. As trees need to be replaced the LV MAD committee will continue to seek out such resources to improve its MAD pathways. All eleven trees have been planted.
You can see annotated photos of recent improvements made around the MAD area by clicking here. You can make your own determination from the photos as to whether your tax dollars are being spent wisely, but I find it hard not to argue that my $18.00, along with the money collected from other Linda Vista property owners is indeed helping to beautify the community.
Upcoming Change to Linda Vista Landscape
Beautiful downtown Linda Vista is already undergoing dramatic change with the construction of a multi-story apartment complex on Ulric Street (at the old Bank of America building site). But there now seems to be more change on the horizon.
A sign posted at 2301 Ulric Street, adjacent to the previously mentioned construction, indicates that the current single-story apartment complex will be demolished and replaced with a four story (24 unit) building.
According to the “Posted Notice of Future Decision”, the developer—DBRDS—must get a Neighborhood Development Permit approved to begin the construction.
As indicated on the posted sign, Linda Vista residents who have any questions or input regarding this development’s application process should submit their comments to the Linda Vista Community Planning Group.
LV News Briefs
—Farmers Market: If it’s Thursday, it must be Love, Linda Vista Farmers Markey day! The Love, Linda Vista Farmers Market will be open today (September 15) from 2:00 pm to 7:00pm in the Linda Vista Plaza Shopping Center. Get your fresh fruits and vegetables. A new vendor—Sweet Whisking by Mhanette—featuring Asian fusion desserts, will make their first appearance. Come out to enjoy the good food and spend some time socializing with your fellow residents.
—Linda Vista Town Council: The monthly meeting of the Linda Vista Town Council (LVTC) will take place this coming Wednesday (September 21) at the Baha’i Center (6545 Alcala Knolls Drive). Social hour will begin at 6:00 pm, followed by the formal part of the agenda at 6:30 pm. During the meeting, voting will take place to fill LVTC board positions. You must be a member of the LVTC to vote. The public is invited to attend the meeting. If you are interested in becoming a member of the LVTC, please come to the meeting and fill out an application. Joining the LVTC is a great way to network with fellow Linda Vista residents, and a fun way to become familiar with what is going on in the community.
—Linda Vista Community Recreation Group: The Linda Vista Community Recreation Group is looking for volunteers to fill positions on its board. The Group oversees the work of the Linda Vista Parks and Recreation staff and offers suggestions on park programs and facilities. All kinds of great things are happening at the Linda Vista parks. Check out one of the wonderful programs offered for Linda Vista youth at the Recreation Center (enrollment is still available) in the flyer below. If you want to play a role in contributing to the community, you might want to think about volunteering for the board. The Linda Vista Recreation Group meets the second Tuesday of each month (5:00 pm) at the Linda Vista Community Recreation Center. If you have any questions about volunteering, please contact srodriguez2@san.rr.com.
Commentary
Heat, Humidity and SD Sports Means Difficult Time
Do you sense a bit of tension in the air? Maybe an uncomfortable feeling of unease? I’ve noticed that Linda Vista residents have been acting a bit moodier, perhaps a little crankier in the past couple weeks.
I don’t think it’s just my imagination. In fact, if you’ve lived here in San Diego for the past five or six years, you probably already realize this is a tough time of year for Linda Vista residents, and San Diegans in general. I contend that what I refer to as “The Late Summer, Early Fall Heat, Humidity and Sports Doldrums,” a relatively recent phenomenon for this area, is responsible for irritating the heck out of us San Diegans, and what is most disturbing about this phenomenon is that it just might be growing worse as each year rolls by.
What accounts for this strange atmosphere inflicted upon our population? I contend it’s a frustrating combination of circumstances, made up of both the oppressive heat and humidity caused by climate change, and the unique nature of San Diego sports. This toxic combination is by no means fatal, but it does lead the majority of San Diegans to experience a sense of annoying hopelessness, if only for a few weeks out of the year. During this time, we are forced to abandon our usual fun, laid-back San Diego spirit in favor of succumbing to a feeling of dejection and despair. Let me explain why.
First, it should come as no surprise to San Diegans that we feel a bit out-of-joint this time of year. After all, since the last week of August the dastardly combination of heat and humidity has worn us down. We expect to have our normal beautiful San Diego weather hover year-round. But recent Augusts and Septembers have taken away our ocean breezes and perpetual 72-degree weather. Unfortunately, we are still adjusting to the fact that climate change has made San Diego’s late summer period feel as hot and sticky as a summer day in New Orleans or Bangkok. Instead of enjoying the outdoor sunshine, we stay inside or seek shelter in the shade, wipe the constant sweat from our brows, and bemoan our current state of weather affairs.
But that’s only part of the story. On top of the weather, this time of the year has also recently caused much frustration for our many dedicated San Diego sports fans. If you are a football fan, this is the time of year—the beginning of the NFL season-- when we are once again cruelly reminded that our fair city has no professional football team. We are forced to hear about the Los Angeles Chargers, just a couple hours away in geographic terms, but a million miles away in terms of maintaining a connection with San Diego. This makes us so sad and angry. And this sadness and anger is only amplified by the heat and humidity.
Even worse, if you are a baseball fan, this time of year brings great anxiety in regard to sweating out the playoff fate of the Padres. As the end of the season nears, we find ourselves obsessing over the wild card team standings, optimistically hoping the Padres will eventually eke out a playoff berth, while the thought of last year’s end of season collapse continues to dwell in our heads like the memory of a really disturbing nightmare. The heat and humidity combined with an erratic bullpen delivers a constant stream of worry that the playoffs will remain out of reach.
I believe “The Late Summer, Early Fall Heat, Humidity and Sports Doldrums” is not just a myth or hearsay. We saw the ultimate proof of this phenomenon a couple weeks ago when 100-degree weather spoiled the inaugural game played at the new Snapdragon Stadium. The horrible heat and humidity experienced by local fans sitting in the mid-day sun, combined with the gloom incurred by an opening day SDSU Aztec loss to the University of Arizona, may be what is in store for San Diegan in years to come.
As the effects of climate change worsen, and the plight of San Diego sports wavers on the familiar precipice of potential success while looking down at the apparently-never-going-away abyss of Spanos family-inflicted misery and Fernando Tatis ringworm-like failure, I guess we will just have to get used to these challenging August and September days.
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