Politics & Government

PQ Council Recap: Young Leaders, High-Speed Rail

The council heard from a Mt. Carmel High School student with political aspirations, and discussed whether to support the state's high-speed rail project.

The Rancho Peñasquitos Town Council held its monthly meeting on Thursday.

Here are some of the highlights:

  • Politician-in-the-Making: Mt. Carmel High School junior Anna Page, 16, talked about her experiences in the YMCA's Youth & Government Program, which teaches high schoolers about the legislative process and takes them to Sacramento for a week of hands-on experience. Participants, who pay $1,500 a year to be in the program, are able to create bills that actual lawmakers can move forward, such as the mandatory youth helmet law. Page said her group has worked on a bill, the Death and Dignity Act, that would legalize physician-assisted suicide. The council later approved a $300 grant for the program, which includes a handful of students from PQ.
  • No Say on High-Speed Rail: The council voted against sending a letter to state officials expressing tentative support for the high-speed rail project, which would eventually connect Southern California with the Bay Area. Part of the project plans call for the track to go along Interstate 15 here, possibly requiring dozens of homes to be seized by eminent domain. The project is decades away. The council had been asked by the Rancho Bernardo Community Council to join them in opposing the project. Instead, the PQ Council opted not to send a letter expressing any opinion at this point.
  • Staking a Claim on the Web: The council agreed to spend approximately $440 on eight different website domains to create a stronger Web presence and claim websites related to the group, such as rpcouncil.com and rpcouncil.org. The eight different domains have not been finalized.
  • Grant for Grad Nite: The Mount Carmel High School Grad Nite program was awarded a $300 grant to be used for five $60 scholarships to attend the celebration, scheduled to be held at the MCAS Miramar Officer's Club.
  • Public Safety: San Diego Police Officer Susan Steffen talked about the Neighborhood Watch information meeting on Wednesday () and the lockdown at Mesa Verde Middle School on Wednesday, sparked by a 14-year-old girl who was not supposed to be on campus. Students were locked down for about 20-30 minutes before the girl was taken into custody. No one was in danger and the lockdown was instituted as a precaution, police said. Steffen also denied rumors that the girl had a knife or other weapon.
  • Candidates forum?: Michelle O’Connor-Ratcliff, who represents District 2 (Canyon View), said she will be meeting with Rancho Bernardo councilmembers later this month to discuss possibly holding a mayoral candidates forum.

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