There’s a benefit for everyone when current Santa Fe project is completed
Thirty-five years ago, my husband and I decided to walk, with our newborn in the snuggly, along Santa Fe Dr. from our home in Encinitas Highlands to El Nopalito restaurant just east of the 5 freeway. We were new in town and glad we could grab some great Mexican food and enjoy a stroll along the way. I wish I could say we had enjoyed the walk. The first stretch included an uneven dirt path squished beside speeding cars. We then ventured under the freeway on a tiny, narrow sidewalk with more cars whooshing by. By the time we got home, we were completely frazzled.
Thankfully, times have changed. The Santa Fe corridor is like a long chain. We are improving it one link at a time. There are now sidewalks from Vulcan all the way to El Nopalito and further to the high school. CalTrans added dedicated lanes for bikes and peds after the tragic collision two decades ago that killed a San Dieguito Academy (SDA) student. But the project is far from done.
The current project, spanning from the freeway to just past SDA, provides one more link. And when it is completed, the city will also improve the remaining stretch to El Camino Real, where tragically another SDA student was more recently killed. These projects not only provide safe walking options, but they offer refuge for cyclists who don’t like riding side by side with vehicles. The projects purposely narrow the road to slow down the cars. Some say Santa Fe is an arterial to the freeway that should allow for high-speed access. Others that the high school was built decades before the freeway and the safety of the 2,000 students must be our highest priority. Encinitas Blvd. and Manchester are both wider and offer easier freeway access.
The current Santa Fe project is not complete. Once it’s done, cyclists will be able to traverse the road separate from cars. People parking on the south side of the street will have a dedicated crosswalk and signal midblock to allow safe age across Santa Fe. And there will be more parking than was previously available. There’s something for everyone.
I look forward to its completion.
Judy BerlfeinChair: Encinitas BikeWalk
Feb. 21 issue:
Parents and taxpayers question if ethnic studies is appropriate for 12-13-year-old children at SDUHSD
San Dieguito Union High School District (SDUHSD) is set to offer an Ethnic Studies course integrated into 9th grade English starting fall 2025 as optional.
Besides concerns over the dilution and distraction of their core, English curriculums, the pilot program has sparked controversy.
The course content includes potentially sensitive topics such as identifying students based on race, color, sexuality, and gender preferences. Unit one reportedly categorizes light-skinned students as “privileged, white supremacists” and “oppressors.” Darker-skinned students are “oppressed.”
Many also expressed concerns about: Negative portrayal of American history; Potential for creating division among students and teaching negative stereotypes to young teenagers.
The course’s fourth unit focuses on student activism, which raised more concerns.
While some view Ethnic Studies as promoting inclusivity and empathy, others worry it may shame certain students and create animosity in others.
8th grade parents: Your student must choose by March 2025 to either take a standalone 9th grade English course or English/Ethnic Studies combined.
Parents of non-white students have voiced apprehension about their children being labeled as “oppressed.”The San Dieguito Faculty Association’s union leadership s the course, but not all teachers agree with the controversial material.
Public viewings of the course content since September 2024 have been marked by opposition, heated debates and unanswered questions. Some parents even filed two formal complaints against district employees for allegedly bullying them over their concerns during the review of unit two.
SDUHSD isn’t alone. Contentious debates continue across California and the country. However, California is the first state to make Ethnic Studies mandatory if it gets funding from the state’s budget this June.
The future of this course, its content and funding remains uncertain as the district navigates these complex issues with community .
Marci Strange i
Chairwoman of Taxpayers Oversight for Parents and Students of SDUHSD.www.TOPS4SDUHSD.org
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