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by David Axelson

Politics played at the regional level isn’t for the squeamish, a concept confirmed Friday, Sept. 6, 2019, at the meeting of the Board of Directors of the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). Specifically, the issue was the State of California’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) Cycle 6 Plan, which dictates how many new, affordable homes must be built in each of the 18 cities in San Diego County and in unincorporated San Diego County. The overall concept is handed down from the California State Legislature, to the State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD), with the finer details arrived upon at the regional level, in this case SANDAG.

Going into the Sept. 6 meeting, the City of Coronado was faced with a 2,000 percent increase in their housing allotment for Cycle 6, as the SANDAG RHNA Sub-Committee had determined the city’s targeted goal was 1,001 new housing units, to be constructed in the time span of 2021-2029. In hard numbers, the new-unit construction goal in Cycles 4 and 5 were 50 and 64 respectively. Despite lobbying from Mayor Richard Bailey, who was a member of the RHNA Sub-committee, the new housing units number dipped at one point, but was reinstated to the four-digit range.

by Kelly Purvis, City of Coronado, Sr. Management Analyst/Arts and Culture

Coronado has a new piece of public art in the community, and she arrived quietly last week in Tideland’s Park. The Port of San Diego Waterfront Arts & Activation department has been working diligently for the last two years to find an appropriate home for Penelope, a brass sculpture by Fallbrook artist Michael Stutz. Penelope is the wife of Odysseus in Homer’s epic The Odyssey. The Odyssey is the sequel to Homer’s first epic, the Iliad, the oldest existing work of Western literature. The Odyssey is the story of the Greek hero Odysseus, king of Ithaca, and his circuitous ten-year journey home after the defeat of Troy. The long journey coupled with the ten-year Trojan War keeps Odysseus away from home for two decades. Yet Penelope waits. Along with her son Telemachus, they negotiate with a group of rowdy suitors who compete to marry Penelope. However, Penelope is patient, hopeful, cunning, and wise. For 20 years she holds off the would-be suitors and waits for Odysseus. The story ends with the return of her husband and the passing of a test of her loyalty.

Just in case you would like to know more about the story and in anticipation of the celebration of Penelope, the Coronado Public Library is hosting a free lecture by author Dr. Laurel Corona. Corona’s novel Penelope’s Daughter (Penguin/Berkeley 2010) re-envisioned Penelope as the true hero of the Odyssey. She will share her exploration of women of the Bronze Age and her thoughts about the hidden story behind Homer’s epic. The lecture is Wednesday, September 11 at 12:30 in the Winn Room. A light Greek lunch will be served.

A Dog and His Dream: Adopt Tucker!

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Nado Natterings by David Axelson

Boys and Girls Cross Country Head Coach George Green provides the results and updates for his team from last week. “We took nearly the full Boys and Girls Cross Country teams to the Bronco Round-Up, hosted by Rancho Bernardo High School at Kit Carson Park last Saturday.

“The Round-Up is the last of the short cross-country races of the season and is used by most of the top teams to assess the fitness of their runners. The distance is only two miles, but there isn’t a flat stretch anywhere on the course. After the first rolling mile, the course rises nearly 90 feet over the next quarter of a mile in a series of ups and downs with a grade of 15 per cent in some places. Our first Boy finisher was Cole Mullins, who completed the course with a time of 10:34. Casey Harris was next with 11:03 followed by Landon Mullins (11:08), Aiden Baumann (11:52), Gio Navarro (12:03), Cole Hutcherson (12:12), Nolan Reuter (12:16), Micah Arnott (12:20), Tim Shumaker (12:22), Will Leonard (12:30), Conor Youngblood, and Soren Donahue. I’m looking forward to seeing who will be on the Varsity seven-runner team at CIF, as there are several contenders after the first five runners.

by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan

Costa Azul, the beloved Mexican restaurant frequented by locals and tourists alike will reopen at the Ferry Landing after it closed last November from its former location on Orange Avenue.

After a long search for a new place to reopen, owner Brant Sarber has found a location for Costa Azul. It is the former home of Candelas, and later El Roy’s, which recently closed. Sarber said he had been in negotiations for that location for a while and finally an agreement was finalized and the lease from the Port of San Diego came through. Sarber has a five-year lease on the property.

The Coronado Eagle & Journal’s e-blast, the Eagle Weekender, randomly selects a weekly winner on their subscribers list to receive 2 free tickets to the Coronado Village Theater. This has been a huge success due to the support and donation of tickets from the Coronado Village Theater.