CAMP PENDLETON - Camp Pendleton artillery units will be conducting a ceremonial 21-gun salute in observance of Memorial Day at the 11 Area parade field on Monday, May 27 at noon.The 11 Area parade field is located in the southeastern portion of base and borders the cities of Fallbrook and Oceanside.Depending on atmospheric conditions, the sound may be amplified and heard up to 50 miles away.

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors will approve the countys fiscal year 2013-14 budget in June. On May 7, the supervisors heard the county chief administrative officers presentation of the 2013-14 budget while setting a June 10 date to begin public hearings on the budget.The proposed $4.97 billion budget is an increase of 2.5 percent, or $122 million, from the 2012-13 budget while the operational plans 16,601 staff years for 2013-14 constitute an increase of 3.7 percent or 590 staff years.Todays operational plan has been built on the policies of fiscal discipline, said Helen Robbins-Meyer, the countys chief administrative officer.The largest percentage increase for the countys five groups is the 13.5 percent increase for the Finance and General Government Group which is due primarily to one-time spending for information technology projects. Factors such as hiring staff for the new womens detention facility and the realignment of responsibility for incarceration for non-violent offenders from the state to the county resulted in a 4.4 percent increase in the Public Safety Group budget. The Health and Human Services Group is slated for a 3.6 percent increase. The Land Use and Environment Group includes the Department of Public Works and the Department of Parks and Recreation, and one-time funding for projects is part of the reason for a 1.8 percent increase. Although 2012-13 one-time projects created a 1.7 percent decrease for the Community Services Group, County Library hours will vary only because of holiday schedules and the budget calls for an increase in the purchase of library books and other materials.The Department of Parks and Recreation itself is expecting a 3.4 percent increase while staffing hours will be unchanged from the 175 of 2012-13 and no budget-related park closures or reduced hours (other than temporary impacts due to construction projects) are expected.County Library staffing will also remain unchanged while the holiday calendar will result in branch libraries being open approximately five hours more during 2013-14 than in 2012-13. The budget for library services and supplies is scheduled to increase by $2 million over 2012-13 including $1 million for books and other materials and $800,000 for major maintenance projects at six North County branches including Fallbrook.The $57.8 million capital budget is a decrease of 38.6 percent, or $36.4 million, from the 2012-13 amount although capital budgets can vary significantly from year to year based on the size and scope of capital projects. The $94.2 million capital budget for 2012-13 included $35.4 million for the Cedar and Kettner development and $27.6 million for the East Mesa detention re-entry and rehabilitation facility.The 2012-13 budget also included $10,000,000 for Multiple Species Conservation Program land acquisition; the same amount for that program is the largest capital expenditure in the 2013-14 budget followed by $9,811,301 for the new Alpine branch library and $8,420,000 for the Imperial Beach branch library. The 2012-13 capital budget also includes $3,065,000 for San Luis Rey River Park land acquisition.It is a balanced budget, said Supervisor Dianne Jacob. We do not spend more than we take in.Robbins-Meyer used the analogy of a three-legged stool in which the taxpayers, the recipients of service, and the county employees each constitute a leg. We are maximizing what we can do for each leg to keep our stool balanced, she said.Since the 2012-13 budget was passed Robbins-Meyer has replaced Walt Ekard as the countys chief administrative officer while Don Steuer replaced Robbins-Meyer as the assistant CAO and Tracy Sandoval replaced Steuer as the countys chief financial officer. The county also has additional new department heads, and Dave Roberts has replaced Pam Slater-Price on the Board of Supervisors.Robbins-Meyer noted that the countys risks from the state include whether long-term funding will be provided for offender realignment and other potential state cuts. Federal-based risks include sequestration and other budget cuts and a likely increased workload due to the health care legislation. The federal changes ahead dwarf those state impacts, Robbins-Meyer said. We could face fiscal impacts of tens of millions of dollars.Unfunded mandates, especially on the state level, are also a concern to the county supervisors. In 2011, the Regional Water Quality Control Board implemented bacteria total maximum daily load regulations requiring impacts to be reversed to pristine pre-development levels by 2021 during dry weather conditions and by 2031 for wet weather conditions, but the state did not provide local governments with any funding to comply with those limits. The estimated compliance cost for the countys 21 agencies, including the Port District and the Airport Authority as well as the county and the 18 incorporated cities, is between $2.2 billion and $4.2 billion and the countys estimated share is between $286 million and $567 million. It would wipe out half of our discretionary money. It would be absolutely devastating, Jacob said.Health and human services and public safety are far more important than these new rules, said Supervisor Bill Horn. This is going too far.If compliance levels are not met the county could face fines of up to $10,000 per day per occurrence and the RWQCB could also require improvements to be made under threat of substantial fines and with reimbursement of RWQCB staff for oversight.This is a penalty-driven agency. They do not have a budget unless they issue you a ticket, Horn said. They keep changing the rules so they can get more money.The county and other affected agencies are performing a multi-year scientific study to assess the merit of the numerical limits to provide a basis for more reasonable goals based on sound science. I think it is up to us to put up a concerted fight, Horn said.The county supervisors will begin actual budget deliberations on June 25.

After 15 months of studying alternative routes to extend Fallbrook Street to the east, representatives from the San Diego County Dept. of Public Works (DPW) announced last week that a decision had been made to abort the project entirely, calling it unnecessary for the next 15 to 20 years. The road extension is simply not warranted for the next 15 to 20 years, based on the capacity [of traffic] expected; the DPW is going to stop looking into the Fallbrook Street extension project, said DPW civil engineer Matt Widelski at the May 14 meeting of the Circulation Committee within the Fallbrook Community Planning Group.Representatives of the DPW met with residents of E. Fallbrook Street during a Fallbrook Community Planning Group Circulation Committee meeting in February of 2012. They heard the concerns many property owners had about the possible route of the proposed extension, along with a suggestion that in lieu of the extension, improvements should be made to Stage Coach Lane and Reche Road to alleviate traffic congestion. Area residents said traffic backup is particularly cumbersome during elementary school drop-off and pick-up times.At the May 14 meeting, the DPW representatives acknowledged that improving the intersection was a better solution for the short term. We think that minor improvements to the intersection of Stage Coach and Reche could be done in order to increase traffic capacity for about five years, said Widelski. It would also be a smaller, more affordable project to stay ahead of the problem. Unfortunately, later in the discussion, Widelski admitted that given the time it takes to design the intersection improvements and seek the necessary funding for the project, it would most likely be five years before construction on any improvements could begin.Widelski explained the next step in the process. The County will start the design process and necessary studies and then bring a proposed plan for the improvement to the Fallbrook planning group for input. Talk then evolved into the possibility of widening Stage Coach Lane and Reche Road into four-lane streets. Ultimately, four lanes could possibly be needed, but thats a very preliminary thought, said Widelski. Confusion began when an attendee of the meeting asked if the Fallbrook Street Extension project would then be removed from the Countys General Plan. Terry Rayback, land use and environmental group program manager for capital improvement projects, said it wouldnt, explaining that it would remain on the General Plan in the event that growth or surrounding change necessitated the project be revisited. The County would monitor growth and traffic conditions over the next 15 years, said Rayback.Some property owners in attendance said they felt the extension should be completed removed from the General Plan, citing that it can encumber a future sale of their property due to mandated disclosures in real estate transactions. DPW representatives indicated it would not be removed.

FALLBROOK Plans are well under way for the San Luis Rey Chapter of National Charity Leagues 40th birthday celebration luncheon on Sunday, August 4 at Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook. This special event is open to all past and current mothers and daughters who graduated from the six-year philanthropic and educational program.Invitations have been mailed for the event and early bird RSVPs are due by May 30. A second RSVP date of July 15 is also offered at a slightly higher price. The chapter has worked diligently to collect contact of all past mothers from the chapters 40-year history to which the invitations are being mailed. Those who have not received an invitation are asked to email NCLRubyJubilee@gmail.com.The Ruby Jubilee is being organized to bring together all the current and past Patronesses (mothers) and Ticktockers (daughters) to enjoy and rekindle friendships, to share in the history of the local San Luis Rey chapter and to honor the founders of this local chapter. Founded in 1973 in Fallbrook by Ann Daniel and a group of like-minded women from the area, the chapter has since graduated more than 400 young women through its six-year program focusing on community, leadership and culture.

Authorities reported that a 26-year-old Fallbrook man was arrested Wed., May 15, on charges of indecent exposure dating back to an incident that occurred Feb. 27.Sgt. Patrick Yates said detectives arrested Christopher Harvey in connection with the incident. Harvey was booked into the Vista jail.Yates said, at approximately 10 a.m. on Feb. 27, Deputies received a radio call to investigate a report of indecent exposure at South Mission Road and Winterhaven Road in Fallbrook.The 16-year-old female victim stated that she was dropped off at the bus stop on the corner of South Mission Road and Winterhaven Road to go to school. She noticed a white Mercedes-Benz make a u-turn into the residential area and park in a red zone across the street. As she walked eastbound on Winterhaven Road towards Ivy High School, the male in the vehicle started to drive slowly next to her and eventually stopped his vehicle next to her.The victim said when she looked over at him his pants were off and she saw his exposed [genitals]. The victim stated that the suspect was touching himself and looking at her. Yates said, When she grabbed her phone to call the police, he left.During the investigation conducted by Detective Dan Laibach, a suspect by the name of Patrick Christopher Harvey, age 26 was identified as a potential suspect, said Yates. An arrest warrant for Section 314 of the Penal Code, Indecent Exposure was issued.