

Reporter
Karen Billing
Karen Billing is a journalism graduate of Marquette University and has worked in community news since 2003. She has worked for the newspaper group since 2006 and has long covered the local news, people and schools in Carmel Valley, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Rancho Santa Fe and Encinitas.
All Stories

The results are in for the Rancho Santa Fe Association’s 2025 board of directors election as Covenant voters decided to welcome back the incumbent Courtney LeBeau, along with new board...

Rancho Santa Fe School board honors the memory of Rosemarie Rohatgi
Former Rancho Santa Fe School District board member Rosemarie Rohatgi died on June 6 from colon cancer at the age of 53. At the June 10 meeting, the board took...

Ashley Falls students design campus beautification project
Ashley Falls School sixth graders recently completed a legacy project on the Carmel Valley campus, leaving their imprint before they fly off to middle school. On a 13-foot tall wall...

San Diego Mustangs win Rugby High School National Championship
The San Diego Mustangs Youth Rugby Club’s U18 squad is the number one team in the country after taking home the Rugby High School National Championship on May 24. At...

State requires RSF School District to take action on chronic absenteeism
The Rancho Santa Fe School District will be taking steps to address its ongoing issues with chronic absenteeism, after being notified by the state that they now qualify for the...

School board listens to Carmel Del Mar parents’ pleas for a bigger multi-use room
The modernization of Carmel Del Mar School is expected to begin next summer and the community is hoping to have more of a say in the future of the revitalized...

Del Mar Union School District board targeting new superintendent by July
The Del Mar Union School District has wrapped up the community engagement phase in its search for its next superintendent. Rising to the top of the most wanted characteristics for...

Tresers vandalize San Dieguito Dam infrastructure in Rancho Santa Fe
Santa Fe Irrigation District infrastructure at the San Dieguito Reservoir and Pump Station was recently vandalized by tresers. While the damage to the Rancho Santa Fe facility was minimal and...

Local student’s History Day project shines light on ‘First Chinese American’
Henry Hou, a sophomore at the Bishop’s School, was a first place winner at the San Diego County National History Day competition this spring, going on to compete as a...

Local author Minh Lê shares his love of books with Solana Vista School students
Solana Vista School played host to a special VIP guest on May 20 when author Minh Lê stopped in for a school-wide assembly led by the school’s third-grade Student Council....

Local author Minh Lê shares his love of books with Solana Solana Fe School students
Solana Santa Fe School played host to a special VIP guest on May 22 when children’s book author Minh Lê stopped in for a school-wide assembly. Throughout the school year,...

R. Roger Rowe’s middle school schedule will shift next year
Several changes are coming to the middle school at R. Roger Rowe School in the 2025-26 school year, geared toward making the most of the instructional day and strengthening student-teacher...

Keep Smiling: Rowe student leaders help build positive school culture
With summer in sight, R. Roger Rowe School fifth grade leadership students created an inspirational campus art installation to showcase their positive theme they shared throughout this past school year:...

Jan’s Health Bar set to open in One Paseo next month
A new spot offering people a healthy dining choice is expected to arrive in One Paseo the first week of June. Jan’s Health Bar, a concept that has been around...

Encinitas district celebrates its teacher, employee of the year
The Encinitas Union School District is honoring a pair of valuable of their education community. Paul Ecke Central School second grade teacher Brooke Klein has been named the district’s...

May 22 issue: Crime Log
SOLANA BEACH May 11 Assault with a deadly weapon, not firearm-800 block of Stevens Avenue, 1 a.m. May 15 Vehicle break-in/theft-800 block of S. Cedros Avenue, 2 p.m. DEL MAR...

Del Mar Heights garden grows on new campus
In its first year, the new Del Mar Heights School garden has bloomed into a little haven for hands-on learning and environmental stewardship, giving kids a chance to take a...

Rowe School holds another successful jogathon ing Honor Flight
R. Roger Rowe School held its annual jogathon on May 16, the third year in a row that proceeds from the student’s running feet will benefit Honor Flight San Diego,...

RSF Association board discusses Osuna options at special meeting
When talking about the fate of Rancho Santa Fe’s Osuna Ranch, locals ittedly have a lot of opinions, ion and emotions. The Rancho Santa Fe Association board held a special...

Overnight success: Canyon Crest Academy business Oatley wins Junior Achievement Company of the Year
Oatley, an overnight oats business created by Canyon Crest Academy students, was recently named the Junior Achievement of San Diego County’s Company of the Year. Oatley’s founders Acun Kaya, Cala...

Torrey Pines boys swim team wins 10th straight CIF title
The Torrey Pines High School swimming program continued its winning ways as the boys team won its 10th straight CIF title at the section championships at Granite Hills High School...

Longest Day pickleball event s Alzheimer’s Association
Rancho Santa Fe resident Muffy Walker put together the Longest Day Alzheimer’s Association Pickleball tournament at the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club on May 13, using her ion for pickleball...

Del Mar starts the search for a new superintendent
The Del Mar Union School District is beginning its superintendent search to find its next leader. The new superintendent will replace Holly McClurg, who announced her plans to retire at...

Osuna Ranch, Silvergate are hot topics at RSF Association candidate forum
The ballots are out for the 2025 Rancho Santa Fe Association board election. A candidate forum and social hour was held on May 8 at the Rancho Santa Fe Golf...

Artist Lab features talented young artists in show ing Friends of PHR Library
The Artist Lab San Diego recently hosted an art exhibit at the Pacific Highlands Ranch Library in Carmel Valley. The May 3 event highlighted the creative work of 30 young...

‘Save our station’: Community rallies, voices concerns at budget hearing
About 150 Carmel Valley area residents took to the streets for a rally on May 4, marching from Torrey Pines High School to the Northwestern Division station on El Camino...

Local’s app, Owaves, helps people reset their body clock
With Owaves, Carmel Valley’s Royan Kamyar has created an app that helps people build healthier daily routines aligned with their natural body clocks. The app’s physician-designed calendar incorporates a ’s...

Del Mar National competition is a HIT for local Horsepark
This spring the HITS Del Mar Horsepark was once again the setting for the 76th annual Del Mar National Horse Show. Del Mar National is one of the West Coast’s...

‘Guesthouse, Hotel at La Valle’ set to open in Rancho Santa Fe this summer
The new 77-room boutique hotel that is taking shape in Rancho Santa Fe now has a name. Currently under construction, the new “Guesthouse The Hotel at La Valle” is set...

Drop-ins now welcome at Carmel Valley’s Culinary Dropout
Culinary Dropout just might become the Carmel Valley area’s new favorite hangout. The new restaurant opened April 30 in Del Mar Highlands Town Center, a place for classic comfort food,...

Senior spring: Torrey Pines lacrosse, volleyball honors class of ’25
The Torrey Pines High School lacrosse and volleyball programs celebrated their senior student athletes in April. The Falcons’ class of 2025 is preparing to soar to the playoffs and beyond...

City snips the ribbon on new access ramp at Torrey Pines State Beach
On a sunny spring day at the beach, the city of San Diego celebrated the completion of an infrastructure project that will keep people better connected to a most “magnificent”...

San Dieguito district honors employees of the year
The San Dieguito Union High School District honored its employees of the year and their commitment to the community’s students and families at the April 23 board meeting. Kathryn Stevens...

San Diegans encouraged to Bike Anywhere on May 15
In celebration of National Bike Month, SANDAG invites the community to participate in Bike Anywhere Day from 6:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 15. SANDAG has hosted the annual...

New traffic signal goes live at Del Mar Heights intersection
The city of San Diego has finally flipped the switch on the new traffic signal at the Mercado Drive and Del Mar Heights Road intersection. On the morning of April...

Planning Commission permits beer, wine service at A Little Moore Cafe
The revived A Little Moore Cafe was recently granted a liquor license to serve beer and wine by the Encinitas Planning Commission. Open since February, the cafe on the corner...

Encinitas’ Ella McCaffray begins WSL Qualifying Series season ranked second
With two strong competition finishes, Encinitas surfer Ella McCaffray will be starting off the new World Surf League Qualifying Series season later this summer in the number two spot. After...

San Dieguito lacrosse program’s Pull-Up for Hunger s SD Food Bank
The San Dieguito Academy High School boys lacrosse teams held Pull-Up For Hunger on March 24, an exercise-focused event that got players and their families working hard to raise money...

Carmel Del Mar parents speak up about school’s modernization needs
As the Del Mar Union School District moves forward with modernization of its 33-year-old Carmel Del Mar School campus, they face questions from parents about transparency, unfairness of of...

Police chief, council president face Carmel Valley board on Northwestern station closure
“Is there a chance to save our station?” Following the surprise revelation in the mayor’s proposed 2026 budget that Carmel Valley’s Northwestern Division would be closed, residents were able to...

RSF Association’s May 8 annual meeting to feature candidate forum, social
The Rancho Santa Fe Association board’s spring election season is underway, with a chance for the community to hear the four candidates’ takes on local issues at the annual meeting...

Ocean Knoll puts on Zero Waste Festival at school farm
“The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.” The quote by British explorer Robert Swan was clipped to one of many flourishing vegetable...

CCA scientists win big at California Science and Engineering Fair
Young Canyon Crest Academy scientists took top honors at the 74th California Science and Engineering Fair, considered the oldest science fair west of the Mississippi River and the highest level...

Tanya Koshy to resign from Solana Beach School District board in June
Solana Beach School District board member Tanya Koshy will resign from the board effective June 12. Representing Area 5 and Carmel Valley on the board, Koshy is a longtime school...

Rancho Santa Fe Fire District adds new engine, off-terrain vehicle
The Rancho Santa Fe Fire Protection District has added new vehicles to its fleet to better serve the community. A new Type 6 fire engine was put into service a...

April 24 issue: Crime log
SOLANA BEACH April 14 Disorderly conduct, under the influence of drugs- 400 block of Marview Drive, 8:07 a.m. April 17 Commercial burglary-900 block of Lomas Santa Fe Drive, 3:12 a.m....

For the love of the game: Girl pitcher tries out for Torrey Pines boys baseball team
A young girl pitcher, Connelly Bohan, tossed the first pitch on Del Mar Little League’s Opening Day in March at Sage Canyon Park. Weeks earlier, Connelly fought for the chance...

On a high note: Young Carmel Valley singer crushing National Anthems, opera arias
At just 12 years old, Carmel Valley’s Eva Mather has become a National Anthem specialist. Eva has lost count of the number of “Star Spangled Banners” she has belted before...

Local student’s nonprofit s female education, healthcare in India
Carmel Valley teenager Devina Keswani is doing her small part to transform the world, one girl at a time with her nonprofit the Futore Foundation, dedicated to keeping girls in...

A reminder: e-bikes not allowed on RSF Association trails
The Rancho Santa Fe Association is the latest local community to tackle the topic of e-bikes. In neighboring Del Mar, the city council recently ed an ordinance to regulate the...

Rancho Santa Fe’s newest shopping destination: Palma Boutique
The new playful and posh Palma Boutique has opened in Rancho Santa Fe’s Del Rayo Village Shopping Center. The new luxury fashion spot will feature a selection of high-end women’s...

Pizza Port, Karl Strauss breweries bring back Nectaron of the Gods
North County’s Pizza Port Brewing Company and Karl Strauss Brewing Company have re-released their fan-favorite collaboration Nectaron of the Gods IPA. A portion of the proceeds from the tropical West...

Mayor’s budget proposes shuttering Northwestern police station in Carmel Valley
One of the proposals to help solve the city’s $258 million budget deficit is to close the San Diego Police Department’s Northwestern Division station in Carmel Valley. Per Mayor Todd...

RSF Association board to consider lot split, sale of Osuna Ranch property
This month, the Rancho Santa Fe Association board directed staff to explore a potential lot split and sale of the 25-acre Association-owned Osuna Ranch property, the home of a historic...

RSF Association thanks CHP for , including recent motorcycle takeover
The Rancho Santa Fe Association board recognized the California Highway Patrol for their service to the Rancho Santa Fe community at its April meeting. For over 20 years, the Association...

Local golfer created an app that makes it easier to find tee times
Cardiff resident and avid golfer Ryan Walsh has launched a new app that makes it easier for golfers to snag a tee time. Walsh’s Fairway Finder simplifies the somewhat cumbersome...

RSF School board aims to tackle chronic absenteeism at R. Roger Rowe
Students in the Rancho Santa Fe School District have been racking up unexcused absences over the last few school years—time out of the classroom for family vacations, trips to Disneyland...

Local’s BoxxyBall game is fun for all at World Down Syndrome Day in Encinitas
Over 400 people ed to attend this year’s World Down Syndrome Day, a celebration held in Encinitas Community Park on March 23. World Down Syndrome Day is dedicated to encouraging...

Encinitas Country Day jogathon raised $36,312 to heal children’s hearts
During the Encinitas Country Day jogathon, each student running laps around the grassy field carried a higher purpose, helping to heal little hearts. Through donations and lap pledges, the school’s...

Local art advisors launch pop up art exhibit in Rancho Santa Fe village
A pop-up art exhibition titled “This is Now” is bringing vitality to a Rancho Santa Fe village corner space that has been vacant for over 10 years. Curated by the...

Planning board considers proposed bike lane on Village Center Loop Drive
Should there be a bike lane on Village Center Loop Road in Pacific Highlands Ranch? Students in Canyon Crest Academy’s Humanities Conservatory believe there should be and are continuing their...

CCA student business upcycles glass bottles into bird feeders
With their student-created business Glass to Garden, a group of Canyon Crest Academy students is giving used glass bottles a second life as bird feeders, to promote sustainability and ...

Giving green: Community plant trees in Solana Highlands Park
The Carmel Valley community came together for a tree planting event at Solana Highlands Park on April 1. About 40 volunteers, including many Solana Highlands School students and their families,...

New Rancho Santa Fe wellness space promotes personal transformation, healing
Rancho Santa Fe native Lauren Fields recently opened a new wellness sanctuary in the Rancho Santa Fe village. With Fieldswell, Fields has created an environment within the coaching space for...

Four candidates to vie for three RSF Association board seats
Candidates in next month’s Rancho Santa Fe Association Board of Directors election have been posted, with four people seeking to fill the three available seats. Candidates include Steve Games, Joanne...

RSF resident hopes to stir up the cognac industry with new flavored liqueurs
Rancho Santa Fe’s Cecile Giraud grew up in the town of Bourges, , a tiny place with a lot of tradition. One treasured childhood memory is of her grandfather Hugo,...

Longtime local soccer club DMCV Sharks rebrands as Legends FC SD-Del Mar
The Del Mar/Carmel Valley Sharks soccer league is now Legends FC SD-Del Mar. They may have a new name with new branding and new black and gold uniform colors, but...

A variety of Easter egg hunts being held in local communities
Search for eggs at Ocean Air Recreation Center on April 12 The Ocean Air Recreation Center will put on a Spring Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 12 from 9 a.m....

Carmel Valley woman advocates for migraine sufferers with Headache on the Hill
On March 18, Carmel Valley’s Beate Illek represented California during Headache on the Hill, taking part in the Alliance for Headache Disorders Advocacy’s efforts to make life better for the...

Milk on a mission: Rancho Santa Fe entrepreneur introduces buckwheat milk to America on ‘Shark Tank’
Rancho Santa Fe’s Paige Hansen recently appeared on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” pitching her growing company BAM, America’s first-ever buckwheat milk. With her time in the tank, Hansen hoped to showcase...

Chef Chris Bianco visits Rancho Valencia on April 24 for culinary series
Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa will host the next installment of its guest chef culinary series on Thursday, April 24 with James Beard Award-winning chef Chris Bianco. The chef behind the...

Cathedral Catholic High School stages ‘inspirational’ TEDx Youth event
Cathedral Catholic High School rolled out the red carpet for its third annual TEDx Youth at Cathedral Catholic High School on March 21. The official TEDx community event featured a...

Solana Beach School District adds to istrative team
The Solana Beach School District has named Ken Wall as its new director of capital facilities and technology after the board approved his contract at the March 13 meeting. Wall...

Springtime in Carmel Valley: Locals celebrate Holi holiday
Good Vibes Carmel Valley, a multi-generational monthly meetup group, gathered for Holi on March 23 at Ashley Falls Park. For the Hindu Festival of Colors, local families came together for...

Home field advantage: Horizon Prep’s new athletic complex features beach volleyball, golf
Horizon Prep is preparing to open its new athletic complex, a $4 million undertaking funded entirely by donations from the church and school community in Rancho Santa Fe. Horizon will...

SD City Council president talks trash, road repairs at local town hall
San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava hosted a town hall at the new Pacific Highlands Ranch Library on March 19, an open community conversation that centered on streets, safety...

City council approves El Camino Real Assisted Living development
After a three-week continuance, San Diego City Council unanimously approved the new El Camino Real Assisted Living project in Carmel Valley on March 17. The new facility is proposed on...

Muralist adds color, local pride to Solana Beach Post Office
When local artist Kevin Anderson was commissioned to paint murals inside the Solana Beach Post Office he worried at first that it might get boring, being cooped up inside all...

Carmel Creek celebrates completed school modernization project
Since opening in Carmel Valley over 30 years ago, Carmel Creek School has been a special place, known for its cozy community feel. As Principal John Galipault pointed out, it...

March 27 issue: Crime log
SOLANA BEACH March 16 Vandalism-900 block of Lomas Santa Fe Drive, 12 p.m. March 19 Vehicle break-in/theft-2900 block of Avocado Point, 12 p.m. DEL MAR March 18 Assault with a...

RSF School District working on new strategic plan, defined vision
The Rancho Santa Fe School District is crafting a new mission and vision statement, to provide a clear sense of purpose and shared goals that will guide future decision-making and...

Torrey Hills neighbors question use at Torrey Heights office complex
The Ravads were relaxing in their Torrey Hills backyard hot tub last fall when they heard the traditional Bar Mitzvah tune “Hava Nagila” coming from the Torrey Heights complex across...

Solana Highlands students experiment, play at STREAM Expo
Solana Highlands School students flexed their creativity and curiosity at a STREAM Expo on March 12. The expo was a first for Suzanne Miller, a former Solana Highlands parent who...

Camino Books is moving to Del Mar Plaza
Camino Books is moving from one Camino to another, from El Camino Real to Camino Del Mar. The bookstore opened at Del Mar Highlands Town Center as Diesel in 2019...

Veggie vibes: Encinitas students learn a bounty of lessons in Salad Wars at Farm Lab
All sixth graders from all nine schools in the Encinitas Union School District get to spend a week at the district’s Farm Lab taking part in Salad Wars, inventing their...

The secret’s out: Little Hidden Bakery is now open in Fairbanks Village Plaza
At the new Little Hidden Bakery in Rancho Santa Fe, you can find flaky and buttery croissants, sugary sweet rolls and fresh sourdough bread and baguettes baked up daily. Inside...

Del Mar’s Harlan Birch serves as youth ambassador for Surf Conservation
A Del Mar surfer is using his skills on the water and love of the ocean to make a difference as a teen ambassador for Surf Conservation Partnership. Harlan Birch,...

Adventurous Oceanside chef to take over Lilian’s at The Inn for a night
Chef Davin Waite of Oceanside restaurants The Plot, and Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub will be taking over Lilian’s at The Inn at Rancho Santa Fe for a night of “culinary...

Del Mar Union School District Superintendent Holly McClurg to retire
It’s the end of an era in the Del Mar Union School District as Superintendent Holly McClurg announced her plans to retire at the end of the school year, after...

Irish dancers to perform at Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch on March 15
Village at Pacific Highlands Ranch will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with an Irish dancing performance from Carmel Valley’s Doherty Petri School of Irish Dance on Saturday, March 15. Doherty Petri...

RSF School District approves general obligation bond refinancing
Rancho Santa Fe residents may see lower property tax bills next year due to the Rancho Santa Fe School District’s bond refinancing efforts. Since January, the board has been exploring...

Torrey Pines lacrosse coach enters 15th season, shooting for seventh straight title
In the last 15 years, Coach Jono Zissi has built the Torrey Pines High School men’s lacrosse program into a San Diego section heavyweight, a favorite. With Coach Z at...

Watch horses dance in HITS Del Mar Horsepark’s spring dressage series
It’s time for dressage season once again at HITS Del Mar Horsepark. The six-show 2025 dressage season started last month, promising to be even bigger and better in its second...

Osuna Ranch zone change fails, board delays survey on future property use
A dog park at the Rancho Santa Fe Association-owned Osuna Ranch is no longer moving forward as there was not enough interest from surrounding neighbors of the Via de Santa...

RSF Golf Club moves ahead with club-funded snack bar remodel
The Rancho Santa Fe Golf Club is progressing in its plans to update the course snack bar. At the Rancho Santa Fe Association’s March 6 meeting, the board approved a...

RSF Association board denies petition for special meeting on Ranch Clubhouse
The Rancho Santa Fe Association board opted against convening a special meeting to take an advisory vote on the Ranch Clubhouse restaurant renovation and its financing, a request made by...

Three Canyon Crest Academy students earn $20,000 scholarships from Coca-Cola
Three Canyon Crest Academy seniors have been selected as 2025 Coca-Cola Scholars. Students Sarah Gao, Amina Abysheva and Hayden Crocker are among just 150 students across the country picked from...

Coconut dessert, cheese tea and Madison Reed among incoming Del Mar Highlands tenants
Several changes are underway for the tenant lineup at Carmel Valley’s Del Mar Highlands Town Center. Madison Reed, a San Francisco-based hair care company, will open its new hair coloring...

Locals conquer Kilimanjaro to San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy
A group of local adventurers recently climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro as part of a fundraising effort to the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy. After a seven-day...

City Council delays decision on El Camino Real Assisted Living project
San Diego City Council’s review of the proposed El Camino Real Assisted Living development was postponed on Feb. 24 after President Joe LaCava requested a continuance to Monday, March 17....