Navajo Community Planners elections

At its Wednesday, March 14 meeting, the Navajo Community Planners, Inc. (NCPI) will hold its annual elections of the board of directors.

NCPI is the duly authorized planning group that reviews and provides recommendations on land-use issues within the Navajo neighborhoods region to the San Diego City Council. Although decisions made by local planning groups are non-binding, the recommendations are considered before the City Council makes any final decisions on issues, such as the size and scope of new building projects, where residential and commercial zones should be located, etc.

All residents, business owners and property owners in the communities of Allied Gardens, Del Cerro, Grantville and San Carlos are eligible to vote. People wishing to vote need to provide proof of residency, or proof of business or property ownership.

The elections will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the Tifereth Israel Synagogue, 6660 Cowles Mountain Blvd. For inquiries, email [email protected]; for more information on NCPI, visit navajoplanners.org.

 Local physician receives national volunteer award

Del Cerro resident Erik O. Gilbertson, M.D., who is chief of dermatology at Scripps Clinic Rancho San Diego in La Mesa, has received the Health Professional Volunteer of the Year award from the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF).

The NPF recognized Dr. Gilbertson for his work in helping psoriatic patients achieve better health outcomes, as well as for supporting the search for a cure for psoriasis. He was nominated by patients and colleagues and selected by a committee of NPF medical board members.

Dr. Gilbertson received the honor at a special NPF reception held in conjunction with the American Academy of Dermatology’s annual meeting in San Diego earlier this month.

Dr. Gilbertson has volunteered with the NPF for the past 22 years. His service includes speaking at free NPF educational events such as More Than Skin Deep, where patients learn about the latest research and treatment options.

Dr. Gilbertson also used his bilingual skills to contribute to the development and translation of NPF patient literature in Spanish. He also participates in various NPF fundraising events that support research, helps secure event sponsorships and encourages other physicians to get involved with the foundation.

As chief of dermatology at Scripps Clinic Rancho San Diego in La Mesa, Dr. Gilbertson diagnoses and treats skin cancer, acne, psoriasis, eczema, vitiligo and other skin disorders. He is also actively involved in clinical research studies for new psoriasis treatments.

Dr. Gilbertson also serves as director of the San Diego Hansen’s Disease (Leprosy) Clinic and is a past president of the San Diego Dermatological Society.

He earned his medical degree from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Gilbertson is board-certified by the American Board of Dermatology and is a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology.

G.A.G. Kiwanis founder remembered

Robert W. “Bobby” Frankhouser, one of the original members of the Grantville-Allied Gardens Kiwanis Club, died in Texas on Feb. 22, just a few weeks shy of his 96th birthday.

Frankhouser was at the official charter night meeting when the club formed in 1960. He was one of 37 original members and is credited for keeping the club going when it lost half its members in its first two years. Following the death of Carl Geissert in 2000, Frankhouser became the last surviving member of the “founding fathers” of the club.

Frankhouser served as president of the club in 1963 and was the first member ever to receive the Kiwanian of the Year Award in 1955. When the club celebrated its 50th anniversary in September of 2010, the City Council and then-Mayor Jerry Sanders proclaimed the date “Bob Frankhouser Day” in the city.

Kiwanis Club members remembered him in their publication “G.A.G. Rag” as a man who loved bowling, participating in the annual pancake breakfast, and “howling at the moon during ‘Home On The Range.’”

Frankhouser moved to Kerrville, Texas in 2016, just two years after his wife Gwen died. He is survived by his sons Brian and Jeffrey, three grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Four Navajo residents stripped of guns

On Feb. 16, City Attorney Mara W. Elliott announced that her office had obtained Gun Violence Restraining Orders against 10 gun owners who posed a serious danger to themselves and others.

The gun owners — some dealing with severe mental health problems — were each ordered by a judge to surrender or sell all firearms in their possession and to not acquire or possess firearms or ammunition for 12 months, the maximum allowable by law. Police and prosecutors seek the orders to prevent firearm-related tragedies.

San Diego is the first city in the state to adopt an aggressive strategy of filing charges and obtaining Gun Violence Restraining Orders against individuals who present serious risk of harm. The approach was developed by the Criminal Division of the City Attorney’s Office and by Chief David Nisleit on behalf of the San Diego Police Department.

“Our federal government is inexcusably ignoring the growing problem of gun violence in our schools and communities. The city of San Diego will not tolerate federal inaction. We’re doing everything in our power to respond to this epidemic of senseless killing by removing guns from the hands of unstable and irresponsible gun owners,” City Attorney Mara W. Elliott said in a press release.

Among the first 10 Gun Violence Restraining Orders obtained by the City Attorney’s Office were four gun owners from Navajo neighborhoods:

A 39-year-old San Carlos man who, while intoxicated (at three times the legal limit), believed he was shooting at raccoons and rats in his backyard. Terrified neighbors called police as bullets flew into their backyards.

A 53-year-old Allied Gardens man with significant mental health issues who used a firecracker to damage a neighbor’s front door. Neighbors called police after hearing what they thought were gun shots coming from his apartment. Officers seized a bayonetted rifle and two illegal high-capacity magazines from his apartment.

A 38-year-old Allied Gardens man who threatened to kill himself, his wife and their young child if she left him. His wife had overheard him distraught and crying in the bathroom, and cocking his .40 caliber pistol.

A 35-year-old Allied Gardens man with a small arsenal and a history of domestic violence, whose wife suffered a serious laceration to her forehead and feared he might kill her. The man owned a 9mm pistol, a Mosquito semi-automatic pistol, a Ruger .22, a Springfield .40 caliber pistol, a Ruger rifle, a Mossberg shotgun and an unmarked handgun.

Under the state law creating Gun Violence Restraining Orders, family members, housemates, and law enforcement officers may petition a court to deny a person’s access to firearms and ammunition if the person poses an imminent danger to self or to others. The orders last for 12 months, during which the individuals can seek counseling and treatment for their problems. The court may authorize an extension of the order in appropriate circumstances.

 City considering change to library overdue fees

The days of racking up late fees to the point of never stepping foot in the library again may soon be over.

In an effort to increase library access and create more opportunities for neighborhood residents, Mayor Kevin L. Faulconer has proposed eliminating overdue fees and adopting a model that encourages patrons to renew, return or replace materials they check out.

Library Director Misty Jones said the new model could potentially eliminate costs incurred for overdue materials at library locations throughout the city. The plan would eliminate all late fees and prioritize city resources on recovering materials for other patrons to use. For example, instead of racking up late fees that people can’t or won’t pay, the patron would only be required to return the item within a reasonable time period or pay the replacement cost to restore library privileges.

Currently, checked out materials can be automatically renewed up to five times. Under the new proposal, at the end of the final renewal period, patrons would be required to return any items or their library card would become invalid. If the patron does not return materials 30 days after the original overdue notification, they will receive a bill for the total amount of items still checked out. At 60 days, the account will be referred to the Office of City Treasurer.

The new model promotes a focus on materials recovery over collecting overdue fines for checked out materials which cost the city more to enforce than the actual money collected, and discourages continued library access in low-income communities.

“Overdue fines are creating unnecessary barriers to many of the people we’re trying to serve,” Jones said. “Too often I have heard librarians tell me stories about children who want to check-out books to take home, but whose parents are unable to pay overdue fines to make this possible.”

Analysis by ZIP code reveals the highest concentration of the public with overdue fines live in the city’s lowest socioeconomic communities. As a result, some patrons and their families elect to not use library services at all instead of paying the fine or returning overdue materials.

The new model will also be more cost effective. The city currently receives about $700,000 in overdue fines every year while expending more than $1 million in staff time and materials to collect them.

Crusaders Soccer Club news

On Saturday, March 3, Crusader Soccer Club coach Derek Aydelotte and his team of enthusiastic 9- and 10-year-old girls were the guests of the San Diego Sockers as part of fan appreciation night.

Crusaders Soccer Club is excited to announce that goalkeeper Alan Vasquez — Boys 2001 Red-Miramontes and Olympic Development Program member — was recognized as the 2018 Cal South Player of the Year.

Over 400 children ranging in age from 3 to 13, are currently participating in youth soccer throughout the Navajo Community as part of the Crusaders Soccer Club’s Spring season. Nearly 50 teams are playing games on the artificial turf fields at Pershing Middle School each Sunday afternoon, except Easter, through May 6.

For more information about Crusaders Soccer Club, visit sandiegocrudsaders.com.