SD Councilman Wants Spanish Influence Removed From City Seal

METRO SAN DIEGO — San Diego Councilman Joe LaCava says he wants the city to redesign its seal to remove elements that pay homage to "Spanish conquistadors," according to a report from the Times of San Diego.

LaCava specifically wants the silhouette of the Spanish ship San Salvador, which was sailed by Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo in 1542 when he discovered San Diego Bay, and a bell tower representing California’s Spanish mission removed. Instead, he wants the city seal to pay homage to San Diego's indigenous population instead glorifying the people who stole it, Chris Jennewein reports in his story.

He also criticized the seal for being more of a tribute to San Diego's past rather than reflecting the area's diversity and "unique connection to the [Mexican] border."

The seal was designed by Carleton Monroe Winslow, an architect who designed buildings for the Panama–California Exposition in the 1910s, and it was adopted by the city in 1914, according to the Times of San Diego.

Beach Glow-Up

The San Diego coastline might be lit up in neon blue in the coming days as bioluminescence has been spotted up the coast recently in Orange County.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that the light phenomenon was even spotted in the La Jolla area three weeks ago. The light is caused by blooms of plankton that produce chemicals causing a light-generating reaction in the water, according to the paper.

Metro San Diego Headlines

• SDUSD Superintendent Gets Grilled In Congress: San Diego Unified School District Superintendent Cindy Marten fielded questions during her Senate confirmation hearing on Wednesday to become the new deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.
• Postal Worker Sentenced: A U.S. Postal Service clerk in San Diego was ordered to pay more than $20,000 in restitution after pleading guilty to mail theft last year.
• COVID-19 Variant Reaches SD County: Health officials announced Wednesday that a variant strain of the coronavirus initially discovered in Brazil has been found for the first time in a local resident.
• When Pigs Fly: Oceanside's Flying Pig Pub & Kitchen is relocating from its longtime home at 626 S. Tremont St. to less than a mile down the road at 509 Mission Ave.

"They’re not animals, they’re human beings, and they’re somebody’s family members. ... They are in there and they need to take care of them."

— Mary Estrada, about the lack of adequate health care inmates such as her husband receive at Donovan State Prison. The prison has experienced a deadly COVID-19 outbreak among its population, with more than 1,000 inmates testing positive.

SPORTS TALK: John Featherstone, who was named San Diego State's most valuable player in the 1969 Pasadena Bowl, died Saturday at the age of 71 after a battle with Alzheimer's.

After playing college football, Featherstone went on to join the university's coaching staff, according to The Daily Breeze. He then coached at Grossmont, San Diego Mesa and Santa Ana colleges.

Featherstone was head coach of El Camino College's football team for 30 years before retiring in 2015, according to the paper.

WEATHER IN A WORD: Cloudy.

LET'S MAKE PLANS: The San Diego North County Blue Star Mothers will hold a donation drive-thru Saturday to gather care package items for soldiers stationed overseas. The group is looking for individually packaged food items such as trail mix, gum and beef jerky and travel-size hygiene items such as shampoo, soap, toothbrushes and sunscreen.

The event will be held at the American Legion in Escondido, 230 E. Park Ave., from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The group can be contacted at 925-640-9248 or sdncbluestarmothers@yahoo.com for more information.

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