Podiatrist in Poway, CA

March 3-4: One person’s junk is another person’s treasure. Attendees at The Great Junk Hunt can find farmhouse, handmade, industrial, up-cycled and repurposed goods and décor for their homes from more than 130 vendors. Tickets: $20 “first pick” (good for both days), 4 p.m. entry Friday; $15 early bird (good for both days), 6 p.m. entry Friday; $12 early bird Saturday, 9 a.m. entry; $8 general admission Saturday; free children 12 and under; $15 parking. When: 4-9 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Where: Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Information: thegreatjunkhunt.com/markets/del-mar-ca-vintage-market.

March 8: At the Point Loma Garden Club meeting, Master Gardener Karan <cq> Greenwald will discuss the history of heirloom tomatoes and provide tips on growing, fertilizing and cooking them. Cost: free. When: 9:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. Where: Portuguese Hall, 2818 Avenida De Portugal, San Diego. Information: plgc.org/event-5003460.

March 8: How to attract pollinators to your garden will be discussed at the Poway Valley Garden Club monthly meeting. Cost: free. ⋅When: 9 a.m. to noon. Where: Templars Hall in Old Poway Park, 14134 Midland Road, Poway. Information: powayvalleygardenclub.org/meetings.

March 11-12: Looking for décor and design ideas for a possible granny flat on your property? At “The Tiny Home San Diego Festival,” participants can talk with homeowners who embrace the lifestyle, hear expert speaker presentations and tour tiny houses on wheels as well as backyard cottages, shipping-container homes, vans and bus conversions. Tickets: $15 in advance, $20 at the door; $10 parking. When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: Exhibit Hall, Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Blvd., Del Mar. Information: tinyfest.events/coming-soon-california-san-diego-2023/.

March 11-April 9: The “World of Orchids” exhibit at the San Diego Botanic Garden will feature different arrangements of the delicate flower each week. On select weekends, vendors will sell unusual and unique orchids as well as potting soil and other merchandise. Cost: $18 adults, $12 seniors, $10 children 3-17. When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Where: San Diego Botanic Garden, 300 Quail Gardens Drive, Encinitas. Information: (760) 436-3036 or sdbg.org/world-of-orchids/.

March 18: Female designers and landscape architects will talk about their profession during a panel in the Friends of San Diego Architecture Lecture Series. Cost: free students; $5 suggested donation. When: 9:30 a.m. Where: NewSchool of Architecture & Design, 1249 F St., San Diego. Information: (619) 224-8584 or friendsofsdarch.com/fsda-lectures/.

March 25: The Solana Center for Environmental Innovation will open its doors for a Green Living Tour, showing off worm bins, grey water systems, a water-wise garden and more. Participants can pick up skills and products needed to make their home more sustainable. Cost: free, $15 suggested donation. When: 10-11 a.m. Where: Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, 137 N. El Camino Real, Encinitas. Information: (760) 436-7986, ext. 700, or solanacenter.org/inspire_events/march-green-living-tour/.

March 26: This year’s San Diego County Adobe Home Tour will showcase four private, modern adobe homes in south Escondido and north Poway as well as the Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead. Participants in the self-guided tour will exchange their tickets at the farmstead for a program with home addresses reachable by car. Tickets: $31.71 with fees. When: 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Where: Start at Sikes Adobe Historic Farmstead, 12655 Sunset Drive, Escondido. Information: adobehometour.com/.

April 1-2: The 30-plus gardens and parks in California Native Plant Society San Diego’s Ninth annual Native Garden Tour will be segmented by location, making it easier for tourgoers to see gardens they are most interested in. Two highlights this year include a native-landscaped HOA park and a Mediterranean botanical garden designed by Nan Sterman, KPBS TV host of “A Growing Passion.” Homes in San Marcos and Escondido will be open April 1, while gardens in Encinitas will be available April 2. Tickets (good for both days): $35 through March 30; free children under 17. When: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Where: Ticket holders will be mailed a booklet with garden addresses. Information: cnpssd.org/native-garden-tour-2023.

Reining in Energy Costs

Community Contributor

By Assemblymember Marie Waldron

For years California has had the nation’s highest energy costs. Recent price increases for natural gas have added to the misery, and have led to renewed interest in the California Public Utilities Commission, which has held hearings on the price increases under its authority to regulate and oversee utilities.

The CPUC was created in 1911 when voters approved a constitutional amendment to reorganize the Railroad Commission. Commission authority was expanded in 1912 to cover utilities such as gas, electric and telephone companies, and in 1946, voters approved renaming the Railroad Commission the California Public Utilities Commission. The CPUC’s commissioners are appointed by the Governor and approved by the Senate. All five current commissioners were appointed by Governor Newsom.

The CPUC has sole authority to establish rates charged by investor-owned utilities through its “revenue requirement,” based on the costs of maintaining, operating and financing utility operations. This requirement is the basis for determining rates paid by customers. However, decisions by the Governor and other policymakers outside the CPUC can have a huge impact on utility costs. For example, between 1985 and 2021, California’s natural gas production decreased by 72%. We now import over 90% of our natural gas, making us vulnerable to price spikes that result from decreased national production, pipeline interruptions, weather fluctuations, and federal policies that export gas overseas, despite current shortages.

California has vast reserves of natural gas and oil, mostly in the Central Valley. Over the years, state policymakers have limited exploitation of those resources, policies that have accelerated in recent years. Shortages and cost increases are the inevitable result.

Find out what's happening in Powaywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Obviously, we need to protect the environment. But we can do that without cutting local production that results in self-induced shortages. It makes no sense to reduce production here, limiting supplies and driving up costs, only to purchase more expensive oil and gas that we must have, elsewhere. California’s hard-pressed ratepayers can’t be squeezed any more.

Assemblymember Marie Waldron, R- Valley Center, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the cities of Poway, Santee, portions of the City of San Diego, and most of rural eastern and northern San Diego County.

SAN MARCOS —

Carlsbad junior Mason Walsh nearly saw the defense of his crown go down in the first moments of his 182-pound final at Saturday’s San Diego Section Masters Wrestling Championships at Mission Hills High.

Barely 10 seconds into his match against Ryder Dearborn of West Hills, Walsh found himself airborne and straight to his back, victim of a Dearborn head-and-arm.

The top-seeded Walsh scrambled and fought back.

“I got a bit sloppy and he threw me,” said Walsh, usually known more for his running from scrimmage after scoring 18 TDs and accounting for 1,544 total yards offense for the Lancers, an Open finalist. “I knew it was early and I had plenty of time to come back.”

He did, but it got close. Late in the third period, the No. 8-ranked 184-pounder in the state knotted the score at 6-6. Looking like overtime, Walsh (37-4) scored the winning takedown with nine seconds left in the match and pinned Dearborn with three ticks left with a power half.

While that was the most exciting match of the final; the team title again was claimed by Poway.

The Titans sent 10 wrestlers into the finals, winning seven. All 14 earned spots in next week’s state tournament in Bakersfield as the other four all finished third.

Poway finished with 377.5 team points, ahead of runner-up Granite Hills with 252.

It seems sometimes for Poway the internal battles between each other are as big as the ones on the mat.

Two of their defending champions weren’t just battling each other for most wins, it seemed they were trying to see who could wrestle less.

Entering into their finals, 145-pounder Laird Root (39-4) had pinned his opponents in 12 seconds, 1:00 and 3:13. His teammmate Luke Condon (36-1), at 170, dispatched his first three foes in 51 seconds, 32 seconds and 1:09.

Root overcame his initial deficit to Condon, pinning Rancho Bernardo’s Marcus Caro in 57 seconds, while Eastlake’s David Mitrovich made Condon work a bit longer before being victim of a 26-11 tech fall.

“We really like to one-up each other,” said Root.

Other Titans claiming titles were Edwin Sierra at 113, Elias Navida at 126, Paul Kelly at 138, Angelo Posada at 160 and Adam Farha at 285.

Granite Hills had a good showing, putting five in the finals and nine advancing to state.

Abram Cline at 103 got the finals off to a good start for the Eagles against the Titans, registering a 9-3 decision over Devin Bobzien.

“It feels so awesome to finally win this,” said Cline, a junior transfer from Olympian this year after he feel to Poway’s Sierra in last year’s Masters final. “My ultimate goal, of course, is to win state.”

Cline (27-3) is currently the No. 1-ranked 103-pounder in California.

“Nobody really cares about the ranking during the year,” said Cline. “But I’ve doing all the right things and working hard.”

Joining Cline on top of the podium for the Eagles was 152-pound champion Colin Guffey (45-2). His pin of Tyler Brown of Mission Hills in 4:44 sends him back to Bakersfield after finishing fifth at 132 last year.

Rancho Bernardo’s Air Force Academy bound Jacob Jones (36-3), ranked No. 5 at 126, and No. 10 ranked Brandon Eusebio (41-5) also were victorious for the Broncos.

Brawley’s Robert Platt, ranked No. 6 in the state, improved to 34-3 after receiving a medical forfeit in the final.

Patrick Henry’s Eljay Vinoray improved to 33-4 with a first period pin at 220.

Farmer is a freelance writer.

The Torrey Pines High girls water polo team beats Mt. Carmel 8-5 to earn the Southern California Regional Division III crown

By GLAE THIEN

After Torrey Pines missed out on girls water polo playoffs last season, newcomers Finley McNamara and Campbell Bush helped a youthful team claim two postseason championships this year.

The Falcons followed up winning the San Diego Section Division II title by taking the Southern California Regional Division III crown with an 8-5 victory over Mt. Carmel 8-5 at Rancho Bernardo High on Saturday afternoon.

McNamara used the last two of her three goals to account for the only fourth-quarter scoring, while Bush made four of her 10 saves to close out the all-local match-up that started with steam coming off the pool on a cold and mostly rainy day.

“It’s awesome,’’ said McNamara, who also had a team-high six goals in 16-3 road victory over No. 1 Pasadena Poly in the semifinals. “It’s a good way to start my four years.’’

Fourth-seeded Torrey Pines (24-9) also avenged a 9-8 loss to the No. 2 Sundevils (28-6) in the only regular-season meeting between schools, who each practice at Mt. Carmel.

“I was a little nervous (to start the game), but it was fun, and I was excited,’’ said Bush, a sophomore. “We just did it for each other and definitely exceeded expectations this season.’’

Freshman Layla Weiss recorded her fourth goal with 1:41 left in the third quarter to even the score 5-5 for the Sundevils, who won this season’s Division III section title. But just 27 seconds later, Martie Cohen converted to put Torrey Pines ahead to stay.

Earlier, neither team led by more than a goal until Falcons junior Anisa Anaya scored back-to-back goals in the final minute of the first half to account for a 5-3 advantage.

“I’m super excited, and I’m excited for next year as well,’’ said Anaya, a third-year varsity player on a team with no seniors. “We had the dedication and motivation from our coaches to really push through and make this year better than any before.’’

Second-year coach Brandon Carman guided Torrey Pines, which hadn’t won a section title until this season.

“We were a little ahead of schedule as far as our growth this season,’’ Carman said. “It’s been an amazing effort. These girls have gone into every game without fear.’’

Mt. Carmel also stepped up after losing in the Division III section quarterfinals a year ago.

“It’s been a progressive, dynamic team, not relying on one person,’’ Sundevils coach Bryanna Burns said.

“Everyone has contributed, and they’ve just been growing this entire season. ...”

Goals rained in the first quarter as Torrey Pines took a 4-3 lead before the defenses took hold.

Sundevils goalie Isabella Walker finished with seven saves after entering the game in the second period.

Torrey Pines becomes the third local team to win the regional crown in Division III, which was launched in 2019.

Previous champions included Poway (2019) and Mar Vista (2020).

The Falcons also received goals from Leah Adler and Ryland Smith.

Thien is a freelance writer.

Censorship efforts continue across the country. Here is a look at some recent stories about book challenges and the ongoing fight for intellectual freedom.

Banned Book Library Opens in St. Petersburg, FL, Following School Book Challenges, ABC News Local businesses created a free library of books that are either banned or challenged in area schools.

Sheboygan, WI, High School Removed Three LGBTQ+ Memoirs from Library. Here's how people responded. Sheboygan Press Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic and Are You My Mother? were removed for illustrations that depicted sex acts.

Kutztown, PA, One Book, One School Literacy Program Halted After Outcry Over Book’s Focus on Climate Change, Reading Eagle A school board member complained that Alan Gratz's Two Degrees was "fear-driven" and pushed a political agenda.

Roberto Clemente Book Removed from Florida Public Schools Pending Review Over Discrimination References, NBC News A biography of the baseball great known for his philanthropic efforts was removed for review.

Hundreds Pack League City, TX, Meeting as City Leaders Vote on New Panel to Review "Obscene" Books, Houston Chronicle The city council weighed creating a citizen-led panel to decide what public library books were "obscene."

Poway, CA, Unified Committee Votes To Keep Two LGBTQ-Themed Books in Libraries, San Diego Union-Tribune Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir and Alison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic will remain on the shelves.

Oklahoma School Library Book-Rating System Clears Committee, Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs Access to school library books would be limited to "age-appropriate material" if this bill passes.