Escondido Sunrise Rotary; Meeting to Serve our Community in Person and via Zoom; & “Sergeant Chris Lesso talking about E-Bike Laws & More”
March 2, 2023
As we all try to conduct our professional pursuits in new ways, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves of who we are as a Serving Organization… Our accomplishments, our fellowship and the reminder of our many successes is valuable as we seek new opportunities to serve…
We met again in person at the Chamber of Commerce… Great to enjoy the fellowship again and see all your smiling faces…
As a Club, we honored our nation with a salute to our Flag and, an invocation was offered ….
Guests and Visitors:
Judy Fitzgerald introduced her guest Mei Bautista, entrepreneur and owner of
Daydream and Reverie in downtown Escondido, and an additional storefront on Grand Avenue. She will be sharing her success story with the SRC in April, and will speak about having a heart for mentoring and giving other young adults and potential
entrepreneurs a leg up in achieving their goals.
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
Rotarians Having Fun and Serving…
All kinds of fun and service and fun…
Pictures are worth a thousand words…
Inside Edition “We’re Running Out of Food”:
Jon and Donna Boyce’s son Dustin and his
wife Megan were snowed in at their Arrowhead cabin after a snowstorm. Their story was an exclusive report on Inside Edition. What was going to be a 2 day weekend outing turned into a 7 day ordeal with limited food and supplies. While emergency workers had to prioritize At-Risk elderly in need of medical help and supplies, neighboring good Samaritans braved their way through the snow on foot to bring stranded families needed supplies. We are happy to hear that all families in the area were eventually reached and roads were cleared allowing access to get supplies or head down the mountain and away from the snow.
High 5 and Announcements - There is so much to celebrate, look forward to, and be grateful for!
Whiskey Tasting Update: Rich Aeling reported that the outing is still scheduled for
Friday, March 10th at 6:30pm and costs are $13.50 per person. Due to some issues and
limitations in the ESR’s foundation by-laws and their non-profit foundation by-laws,
some slight adjustments were made to the structure of the event. Please send a
confirmation of attendance to Kim Henson. You can expect to have a great time with
your fellow Rotarians. We will be in a private no-host bar room and have access to a
food truck.
Fisher House: George Beitner reminded the ESR that donations are still being accepted
to support Fisher House on Camp Pendleton. There was a slight change in the date and
the drop off will now take place on Wednesday, March 15th . Please plan on meeting at George’s office at 9am if you wish to carpool and for easier access onto Camp Pendleton.
Mexicali Build:
Respect to Mark Hoekstra for keeping his update brief and brilliant…well, definitely brief.
Tina Pope: “Mark, do you have something to report on the Mexicali build?”
Mark: “No.”
Tina Pope: “No?”
Mark: “Nothing. That’s all I have to report. Nothing.”
Tina Pope: “Okay. Well, thanks for nothing.”
RYLA: Tina Pope reported that the RYLA camp was still scheduled for April 14th–16th.
SRC’s St Patty’s Day Celebration, 3/16: Barry has planned a fun morning with games
and fellowship. Remember to wear your favorite St Patty’s Day green!
Special Announcements: Joe Schwartz announced that new member Ann Stefari has
joined the ESR after 5 years of being with the Escondido Rotary Club.
Guatemala School Sponsorship Update:
Mike Dunlap shared an email he received
from the Guatemala school our club supports. He gave an update regarding class
sessions starting in Feb and going through October or November. He was happy to report that because of increased rotary participation, there are now 270 new students enrolling, and 930 students are currently being served through the RISE program. A link will be shared via email for those who wish to send a message of
encouragement to the students and to also make donations.
Open House/Ribbon Cutting Invitation: Judy Fitzgerald invited the club to the Ribbon
Cutting at AAS Calibrations. The owner is Connor Henson, son of Kirk and Kim
Henson. Please RSVP via the email that will be sent out.
Paul Harris Fellow: Joe Schwartz and Tina Pope both received recognition pins for their
3rd consecutive Paul Harris Fellow donation of $1,000.
Military Honors:
Our Incoming President Mark Maus attended a Naval ceremony where Capt. Royce
Williams received the Medal of Honor. He was a Korean War fighter pilot ace whose
achievements were not recognized until recently. He will also be receiving the
Congressional Medal of Honor for his secret missions regarding sensitive Russian
maneuver. He was responsible or shooting down 6 MIGS R/H, and was the Admiral Box
1st CMDR of Top Gun.
City Report:
Mayor Dane White’s First Town Hall Meeting: Dane shared that the event was well attended and asked the Escondido Sunrise Club for suggestions on topics for future presentations.
Program:
Sgt. Chris Lesso provided clarity on the complicated topic of laws pertaining to E-
Bikes, E-Scooters and Skateboards. He reported a documented spike in fatal accidents involving E-Transportation in our Southern California Region. The most current data reports that in 2020, there were 25,500 injuries and deaths – a significant increase from 2017 where 7,700 injuries and deaths were reported. San Diego County was found to lead the state in these categories.
In response to this, and the increase of similar accidents throughout California, the
state added several new vehicle code laws that hold the operator of any form of E-
Transportation to a higher level of responsibility and liability. Unfortunately, the new laws do not adequately provide the necessary requirements that would better ensure the safety of the operators and
others impacted by the increased use of
E-Transportation.
A frustrating component to all in Sgt. Lesso’s position is the inconsistencies and
illogical reasoning behind the new California Vehicle Codes (CVC). For instance, a
person must be 18 years or older and possess a valid driver’s license in order to operate a E-Scooter, however, being UNDER 16 years of age is all that is required to operate a Class 1 and Class 2 E-Bikes. These bikes have gas pedals and can reach speeds of up to 20mph, and the new Class 3 series can reach speeds of up to 28mph!
Another great challenge is having the operators/drivers wear the required safety
helmets. Sgt. Lesso reports that the middle school students seem to be the most reachable and teachable during the training he gives at the city schools. The high school aged students are a challenge because of the social pressures to be “cool”.
Another challenge is getting the parents to support law enforcement by having their children comply to the new laws.
Sgt. Lesso and his colleagues are hopeful that the language in the new CVC laws will be updated to reflect more appropriate requirements, including age and speed of
the transportation of choice.
In the meantime, Sgt. Lesso has employed the power behind having a hero in a
cause. He shares with students the success story of legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk –
a poster hero for helmet safety. It is a well known story that Tony’s father, a strict naval
officer, required Tony to wear a safety helmet as well as both knee and elbow pads in order for Tony to participate in the sport. As other competitive skateboarders didn’t wear safety gear and regularly received injuries as a result, Tony grew in talent and won more competitions. He outlasted the others as the result of always wearing his safety gear. Who wouldn’t want to be like Tony Hawk?
Sgt. Lesso has also started a “Protect The Brain” campaign. He offers both students and their parents an opportunity to purchase a helmet for only $30. If families have very limited resources, then the helmet is offered free of charge.
Sgt. Lesso opened the discussion to suggestions on how to encourage the E-Bike
scooter, and skateboard operators to wear the safety helmets. A suggestion was made by ESR guest Mei Bautista that an opportunity for the youth to decorate and personalize their helmets might bring awareness and make the youth more likely to wear the helmets.
Tina Pope suggested a Student Helmet Design and Handout on Grand Ave during Friday Night on Grand. Mayor Dane White and Sgt. Lesso joined their ideas and came up
with the “Skate with the Mayor & Sgt. Lesso Day!”
So many great ideas! Thank you Sgt. Lesso for your heart in what you do to serve
and protect us all, and keep our youth safe through education and awareness. We all look forward to coming alongside you to make these ideas a reality.
Next Week’s Meeting:
Will be in person and online at the Chamber of Commerce at 7:30 AM on March 9, 2023….
Thanks for Attending Today’s Meeting….
Support for our Escondido Community …
Our great community and the success of its businesses is all of our responsibilities… Support the businesses that are doing all they can to survive during this challenging time… Take out some chow… Be ready to support them when the economy begins working again…
The ‘Giving Arch’ on Grand Avenue and Centre City Parkway reminds us that Escondido is a caring, giving community…
To all; be safe and be well…. God Bless those men and women that carry the load at our medical facilities, and God Bless our first responders… May our governmental leaders be wise, thoughtful and smart as this pandemic is overtaken by our hard work and collective support…
Online Meetings:
Technical Support for Online Meetings:
Our meetings will begin as a hybrid setting with in-person and on-line opportunities…The meetings will be technically managed by Past President Richard Agnew… Thanks for that Richard… And, Richard is prepared to support all of our attempts at joining the on-line meetings… Look for his email with details and links to log on to the upcoming Zoom meetings…
Watch for emails defining the next meeting. The system works fine, dependent upon your technical support available through your PC or laptop…
SEE YOU SOON…… In Person or ONLINE… Next meeting; March 9th, 7:30 AM at the Chamber of Commerce…
Check President Tina’s email for the reminder…
