Best of Mission Times Courier prize drawing winners

Next month the Mission Times Courier will be publishing its annual Best of Mission Times Courier issue, celebrating the local businesses who have caught the attention of our readers.

Readers who cast ballots for the Best of Mission Times Courier, either online or by mail, were entered into a drawing for prizes donated by local businesses. We are happy to announce the winners are:

David Morrison won a barbeque gift basket courtesy of Jeff Rosa Realty.

Anette Blatt won a $25 gift card to Windmill Farms.

Alexis Popko won a $50 gift card to Mono’s Italian Restaurant.

Shari Rodriguez won a facial, manicure and beauty products from Pizazz Hair and Nail Salon, valued at $100.

Rebecca Loomis won a $25 gift card to SD Flowers.

Suzanne Koski won a $100 gift card for five classes at Trinity Yoga.

Sue Gervase won two custom-made pillows from Mattress Makers.

Maria Hopkins won a teeth whitening treatment from Mission Trails Dentistry.

Joshua Edwards won a $50 gift card to Grocery Outlet, courtesy of Home Street Bank.

Edward Federman won a one month free membership to TruSelf Sporting Club.

Stuart Benjamin won two free pies from Marie Callender’s.

Pat Walker won a $50 gift card to Longhorn Bar & Grill.

Keri C won a $50 gift card to Elam’s Hallmark.

Vivian Marquez won a $40 gift card to Troy’s Greek Restaurant.

We’d like to thank all our readers who voted for this years’ Best of Mission Times Courier winners and we hope you will vote again in our Best of 2020 contest, and maybe you too will win a prize from our supporting businesses!

Clásico de golf de rehabilitación de SoCal

On Sept. 26, Alvarado Hospital will hold the SoCal Rehab Golf Classic — a tournament that promotes golf for seniors and people with disabilities.

Money raised from the tournament will support Alvarado Hospital Auxiliary, a nonprofit service organization which has raised money to support health education and patient care projects such as Program for Active Living and Support — a group of post-treatment programs for the benefit of individuals with disabilities and seniors.

The none-hole tournament will be a four-player scramble format and all teams will have at least one individual with a physical challenge.

The SoCal Rehab Golf Tournament will be held at Riverwalk Golf Club, 1150 Fashion Valley Road. Registration begins at noon, followed by a 32 p.m. shotgun start and an awards dinner following the tournament.

Tournament registrations includes greens fee, cart, range balls, polo shirt and more. Prizes and awards include $1,000 for a hole-in-one, and awards for low net team, longest drive, closest to the pin, putting and closest to the line.

Early bird registration fees are $45 for physically challenged golfer and $140 for partner golfers. After Aug. 23, fees are $60 for physically challenged golfers and $160 for playing partners. Register at bit.ly/2OIS8Wn. For information, call 619-229-7362.

County looks to refund unclaimed money

It’s the most wonderful time of the year for San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Dan McAllister: refund season! The Treasurer-Tax Collector’s Office (TTC) is trying to reunite $703,000 in county refunds with its rightful owners. See if your name is on the list at sdttc.com.

The TTC has 1,928 refunds broken into two lists – countywide unclaimed money and unclaimed property tax refunds.

If you are owed money, follow the instructions on our website to file a refund claim by Sept. 6, before the money is rolled into the county’s general fund. You can email your claim to [email protected].

“In the past, sadly, most refunds were never claimed,” said McAllister, “so we’re trying a new strategy to let people know about this money. For the first time, we’re mailing 2,407 postcards to people who may be owed a refund, encouraging them to file a claim through our website.”

While at sdttc.com, anyone can sign up to receive emails when new unclaimed money lists are posted.

Every year, the TTC makes a strong effort to reunite San Diegans with money they have overpaid on taxes or fees. In the past five years, the TTC has refunded nearly $480,000.

Current state law says countywide money that is unclaimed for three years and property tax refunds that are unclaimed for four years must be turned over to the county’s general fund. This year, the TTC has unclaimed refunds totaling $703,000. Unclaimed property tax refunds make up $290,000 of that amount, and $413,000 is from other county departments.

The smallest refund amount available is $10, and the largest refund amount is $14,333.79, owed to the heirs of Mary Stone.

SDUSD extends contract for Marten

The San Diego Unified School District Board of Education voted to extend the contract for Superintendent Cindy Marten and approve a new teachers contract, which includes a 3.7 percent pay increase. The teachers contract was ratified with 99 percent of the vote by the members of the San Diego Education Association.

The contract extension for Marten means she will continue to lead the state’s second-largest school district through the 2022-23 school year.

“The key to the ongoing ability of students in the district to succeed and thrive is around stability – not just stability for the sake of stability, but stability around a very clear strategy that has been designed to help each and every one of our students achieve to their fullest potential,” said Trustee Richard Barrera.

Al explicar sus votos, los miembros de la Junta de Educación hablaron sobre el progreso académico de los estudiantes del Distrito Unificado de San Diego. Las escuelas del Distrito Unificado de San Diego fueron reconocidas el año pasado por superar a otros distritos de grandes ciudades de la nación en la Evaluación Nacional del Progreso Educativo (NAEP), conocida como la Boleta de Calificaciones de la Nación.

La extensión aprobada para el contrato de Marten mantiene al líder educativo en el cargo por otros cuatro años, la duración máxima permitida por el código de educación estatal. La junta votó sobre la extensión 3-1 con el apoyo de los Fideicomisarios Barrera, John Lee Evans y Kevin Beiser. La Dra. Sharon Whitehurst-Payne se opuso y el Dr. Mike McQuary estuvo ausente.
Después de la reunión, Marten agradeció a la junta por su continuo apoyo al trabajo que se lleva a cabo en todo el distrito. La maestra de 17 años dijo que sigue tan entusiasmada con el potencial de los estudiantes de San Diego como cuando asumió por primera vez el cargo de superintendente en 2013.