Last week, a brush fire in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve burned 23 acres, injuring two firefighters and forcing 2,500 people to evacuate their homes.
There may be more lasting damage: Our MacKenzie Elmer spoke with a botanist who has spent decades studying the Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension. In 32 years, he has never seen it catch fire.
The area supports hundreds of recorded plant species, and new species are constantly being discovered. Elmer writes that 85 new plant species were discovered in 2023 alone. Much of that plant life is extremely rare in Southern California, including Torrey pines themselves. Invasive weeds could already be on their way in.
Near the water, with the marine layer and just the right geography, the reserve is such a rare habitat that if the fire itself didn’t destroy some of the plants and trees, the disturbance could have lasting impacts on the area.
It’s now up to the California State Parks department to take stock of which plants and trees were lost.
Related: The fire in Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve Extension marks one of the first big fires in urban areas this year, the Union-Tribune reported, and it could be a sign of the fire season that’s in store.
A general warming trend caused by climate change, as well as the abundance of vegetation caused by a very wet winter means it could be a tough year for wildfires.
Cal Fire San Diego has so far logged 146 wildland fires in the county, burning 681 acres. By this time last year, Cal Fire had logged 30 wildfires with 116 acres burned, the U-T reported.
Residents Push Back on County Plans for Green Oak Ranch Property in Vista
A community forum in Vista over the weekend drew a crowd of concerned residents eager to hear more details about San Diego County’s plans for the Green Oak Ranch property in Vista, the Union-Tribune reported.
North County Supervisor Jim Desmond explained what county leaders could do with 110 of Green Oak’s 138 acres if the county is selected as the buyer. Vista-based nonprofit Solutions for Change and the city of Vista are also bidding for the property.
Desmond said the property would serve as a substance use and mental health treatment facility. He said the facilities could include a 15-bed drug and alcohol detox program that lasts about a week, followed by a 45-bed residential treatment program that lasts 30 days. Finally, a 60-bed sober living program could provide 90 to 180 days of temporary housing and case management. He also said the county wants to include a 75-bed board and care facility for people with severe mental health care needs.
A county spokesperson declined to confirm the specific bed totals Desmond’s office described and said county staff would make more specific plans if the county ends up buying the site. For now, negotiations continue.
Some Vista residents said they were concerned about this kind of facility being located so close to homes and schools, especially ones that would bring in patients from all over the county. Others said they would rather keep the property under local control.
Related: San Diego to Streamline Behavioral Health Facilities
The San Diego City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve a series of zoning code updates, including one to streamline the permitting process to deliver new behavioral health facilities. The Union-Tribune has more details on these changes and others.
Lisa Halverstadt has previously written about the challenges addiction treatment providers have faced as they desperately try to add more beds.
Your regular reminder: Despite the region’s ongoing overdose crisis, addiction treatment is rarely available on demand for low-income and homeless residents and the region also has a shortage of long-term living options for people with serious mental illnesses. The demand for these services is only expected to increase when the county implements a new conservatorship expansion law in January.
In Other News
- In his latest newsletter, Mayor Todd Gloria wrote that his team will ask City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera to schedule a City Council vote on a proposed mega-shelter lease later this month. The request follows four closed-door meetings on lease terms. Our Lisa Halverstadt previously wrote about the Gloria administration’s vision for the 1,000 bed shelter it’s now dubbing the Hope @ Vine Campus.
- The amount of profanity, outbursts and threats during public comment portions of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors meetings has skyrocketed since 2021. During a three-month period in the fall of 2009, KPBS found two incidents of incivility. Last year within that same time frame, there were 167. (KPBS)
- The family of a man who died after police tased him five times in 40 seconds has settled their lawsuit with the National City Police Department after five years. The man’s name was Anthony Wilson, and he was 61 years old. (CBS 8)
- The founder of San Diego-based firm Pierce Education Properties, Frederick Pierce, passed away. Pierce Education Properties is one of the largest developers and managers of student housing in the nation. For several, sometimes tense years, Pierce was a prominent volunteer trustee of the city of San Diego’s pension fund. (Student Housing Business)
The Morning Report was written by Tigist Layne and Lisa Halverstadt. It was edited by Scott Lewis.