Casa de Oro News – Casa de Oro Alliance

Chinese Healthcare in Casa de Oro

Weng’s Acupuncture and Herbs Clinic in Casa De Oro is another example of a business owned and operated by people who live and work in the Casa de Oro area. In 1994, Dr. Weng and two of her daughters built the Wellness Center at 9972 Campo Road. They still practice together there to this day.

Dr. Weng, who is originally from Taiwan, settled in Rancho San Diego and raised her three daughters there. After graduating from Valhalla High School, Dr. Audrey, became a chiropractor and acupuncturist, and Dr Vivian, now an acupuncturist, came to work with their mother. Glowing recommendations about these three great practitioners can be easily found online.

Because they healthcare is considered essential, the Wellness Center did not close down at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, a few changes to be in compliance with the new California regulations were made. For example, HEPA filters were installed and extra disinfecting protocols were implemented. The number of people allowed in the building at one time was also reduced. The changes allow the practice to continue to meet local healthcare needs

It is important we take care of ourselves during this difficult time. Many people find acupuncture and chiropractic therapy helps to relieve stress and the often associated pain.

“We feel privileged to serve our community during this time and feel extremely grateful for the support that we have received in return. Thank you for supporting our small business. Our intention is to continue to provide you with quality healthcare for decades to come. We are wishing that you and your family stay healthy and remain positive during this challenging time,” said Dr. Weng.

They also reminded us to check on the older members in our families and community. Due to social isolation there is an upsurge in anxiety.
Thank you doctors, for these good reminders. Let us remember to take care of ourselves and each other. Weng’s Acupuncture and Herbs Clinic offers another way to stay healthy while supporting one of our local businesses.

New 7-Eleven Refreshes Casa de Oro

Firas Hana and his family would like to welcome you to the new 7-Eleven on
the corner of Campo Rd. and Conrad Dr. in Casa De Oro.

This is not just any 7-Eleven. It has all the latest franchise equipment only found in a few other stores. For example the coffee station is plumbed for espresso coffee and the beans are ground freshly for each cup. The ability to offer fresh baked cookies made on site every day is only shared with one other store – their 7-Eleven in Chula Vista.

Casa de Oro is lucky the convenience of a cookie fix is now available whenever the urge hits. A lemonade slurpee, may hit the spot perfectly when the heat on and need something refreshing!

Firas and his family live in the area, very close to the store, and particularly
wanted to have a 7-Eleven in our neighborhood. Living in the area, Firas is a great believer in the potential for positive growth in Casa De Oro. He likes the good mix of business people and neighbors all stopping in at the store.

The whole family is involved in welcoming their customers, making
everyone feel safe and at home, and keeping the store spotlessly clean.
They want you to know they are in the neighborhood for the long haul.

The Casa De Oro Alliance would like to invite everyone to welcome them to the neighborhood!

Casa de Oro Specific Plan Project Moving Forward

County Needs More Community Feedback

County planners and consults are continuing to develop a Specific Plan for Casa de Oro but now need input from area businesses, landowners, and community members.

A county webpage dedicated to the CDO Specific Plan project was established to allow community review of the project deliverables at CDO Revitalization Project Plan. The site includes a conceptual plan developed by the Casa de Oro Alliance to identify issues and outlined a vision for community revitalization.

The project is divided into two phases so far. The first phase, included a professional study to further identify land use issues and challenges facing Casa de Oro. This study was largely used y the County to justify and request the SANDAG grant of $500,000 now funding the larger project itself.

The second phase included detailed analysis of the current Casa de Oro corridor building stock, infrastructure, lot sizes, and other land use components. Phase One also includes a financial analysis of potential development costs, an analysis of existing traffic and parking, as well as community feedback collected at the Casa de Oro Fall Festival last year and during a community workshop earlier this year.

Members of the Casa de Oro Alliance are concerned the visibility of the project is limited within the community. In addition, business owners and land owners need to become more aware of the project and its possible implications for Casa de Oro. As a result, county staff assured the CDO Alliance to soon return with a more detailed plan for Phase Three of the project, to include additional community input.

The Casa de Oro Alliance, government affairs committee will be organizing and facilitating more meetings with area community groups to make them more aware of the project and solicit more community feedback as the plan is developed and completed.

Watch for invitations to virtual events in the coming future to provide your opinions on how Casa de Oro is developed into the decades ahead. If you would like to become more involved in the development of a specific plan for Casa de Oro, please join our government affairs committee by contacting the Casa de Oro Alliance at casadeoroalliance@gmail.com.

Meet the New Casa de Oro Library Branch Manager

Devin McClain-Tran has been named the new Casa de Oro Library Branch Manager. Although no library branches in the county are open, the majority of employees are working from home, completing professional development training webinars and other projects.

***Devin McClain-Tran, Manager,Casa de Oro Branch Library***

All branch book drops are closed, and the due date for any previously checked-out material is April 30. No late fees will be assessed. The branch is getting a good cleaning while closed by the custodial staff, who are still on the job. County Officials will decide when the library will reopen.

Alliance Says Goodbye and Hello

The Casa de Oro Alliance would like to thank Brenda Simmons and Lieutenant Jerry Hartman for their service to our community.

Brenda Simmons, who provided critical professional skills and personal time and commitment during the infancy of the what is now the CDOA, until last year served on the CDOA Board of Directors. Brenda chaired the CDOA Advisory committee, until recently when she announced her decision to resign in order due to the demands of her new role as leader of the Institute of Public Strategies. Many members of the Board of Directors voiced their thanks for Brenda’s service to the Casa de Oro Community and wished her good fortune in her new position.

Lt. Hartman recently announced his retirement as a San Diego County Deputy Sheriff. While never formally a member of the CDOA Board of Directors, Lt. Hartman, a native of Casa de Oro, proved a consistent and engaged champion of CDOA. Lt. Harman encouraged Casa de Oro and area communities to work with law enforcement for positive change. His many years of experience working and communicating with the public were valuable assets he generously shared with CDOA. We wish “Jerry” a happy retirement, knowing he will be missed.

Thom Hiatt, the owner of a local marketing firm, was recently welcomed as the newest member of the CDOA Board of Directors. Thom became involved with CDOA giving his time and talents working with the community outreach and economic development committees.

Looking for Friends? CDO Library is too.

As a new, non-profit organization, Friends of the Casa de Oro Library needs new members. The organization’s main goal is to support the library’s many wonderful programs for children and adults. Your membership will help with that and give us library-loving citizens who can help inform the community of all that the library offers.

Friends of the Casa de Oro Library

When the quarantine is lifted, stop by the Casa de Oro Library at 9805 Campo Road and check out this great, local resource. While you’re there, find a book to borrow, sign up for a program, purchase a used book in our book sale area, and fill out a membership form.

Membership is inexpensive at $5 per individual, $10 per family, $15 for business and only $100 for a lifetime membership. You can leave a check or cash in the secure library lockbox, or mail a check to the following address:

Friends of the Casa de Oro Library
9805 Campo Road
Spring Valley, CA 91977

Decorations Appear on Kenwood Corner

Did you drive by the corner of Kenwood and Campo Road before the isolation order? Joan Forbes, a creative and talented carpenter, made the beautiful doves that were hung on the Kenwood corner fence this past December. CDO Alliance Beautification Committee members, in conjunction with their monthly trash clean-up, assisted in hanging the doves. It was great fun and the fence looked very festive.

Joan then made and donated wooden hearts for St. Valentine’s Day. Thanks to Ms. Kelli Pallitto, a teacher at Spring Valley Academy, students painted the hearts with incredible designs and hung them for the public’s pleasure in February. Partnering with the students inspired the Beautification Committee to continue to decorate the corner monthly. In March, Ms. Forbes generously provided shamrocks which the middle-schoolers decorated and hung. In April, painted eggs are now posted.

If you have not parked your car, walked the fence and looked at the students’ work, I urge you to do so. You will be impressed with our young artists, I am sure. When we asked the community whether we should leave the artwork up all month or take it down after each holiday, the overwhelming consensus was to leave it up. Comments from community members included the following:

“Keep them up!”
“Thank you for beautifying our neighborhood.”
“Keep them up for the month– it looks like a lot of hard work went into them.”
My son loves to drive by and see his work, keep them up!

With the COVID-19 outbreak, the community cleanups and the schedule for changing out the fence decor is suspended. Many members of the Beautification Committee are considered elderly, although we do not feel that way, but we are self-isolating and with the schools closed, we do not know what will happen in the months ahead. Rest assured, as soon as we can get back to a regular schedule, we will be out there with the students continuing this project. Until then, see updates on our Facebook page.

CDO Elementary Students Show Off Art in Balboa Park Museum Exhibit

Artist in Residence Program Bears Fruit

The auditorium at the San Diego Museum of Art (SDMA) in Balboa Park buzzed with excitement on Saturday, February 22, as an art exhibit reception for 4th and 5th graders from Casa de Oro Elementary was in full swing. It was the culmination of a unique six-week Artist in Residence program provided by the museum. Arts Education Council (AEC) members provided free bus transportation for students and their parents to the museum to view the exhibition, organized and showcased the artwork, and provided food for the reception. The students acted as tour guides for their families, sharing their personal art experience while proudly presenting their work —acrylic landscapes, colorful art tiles and ethnic masks.

The Artist in Residence program is an intensive arts education experience in which the students are encouraged to use creative thinking, imagination, and innovation in various projects using different mediums. The six, 1.5 hour weekly lessons at Casa de Oro Elementary were taught by Colette Tamayo, an enthusiastic, knowledgeable instructor with a degree in Fine Arts from San Diego State University. Ms. Tamayo was hired by SDMA and is funded by the SDMA Arts Education Council.

In addition to the art instruction and show, the program included an additional visit to the museum for the students to tour the gallery’s, to learn about artists, art history and museum programs, and to view exhibits. For many students, this was their first time in a museum. The program seeks to familiarize young people with the museum and encourages a lifelong interest in the arts.

The Arts Education Council is a voluntary organization whose primary mission is to provide comprehensive art education lessons for children in the Cajon Valley and La Mesa-Spring Valley School Districts. As well as supporting the artist in residence program, art-loving members of the AEC enjoy attending luncheons and exhibits, attending interesting art lectures, and visiting museums. The AEC is always looking for members that share a passion for art and kids’ education and would like to invite members of the Casa de Oro Alliance to join the organization.

If you are interested in providing art education to deserving young people from CDO and contiguous areas, contact Lydia Cee, a CDO Alliance member, at rentlamesa@aol.com.

New Bus Benches and Bins

After several months of interagency meetings and discussion, there are new, covered, solar-lighted bus benches on Campo Road. An evaluation of bench placements ensures accessibility for those with physical challenges, and the covers should make any waiting time more comfortable during hot or inclement weather.

Larger and more attractive trash receptacles were placed by the County, and Edco Disposal has made a commitment to empty them regularly. Since the monthly first Saturday community clean-ups won’t resume until the isolation order is lifted, let’s all make sure any trash you see is stashed in these new containers.

A special thank you goes out to Vince and Wannetta Sherrod for taking the lead on these projects.

Sheriff Storefronts Welcome – But 911 Still Best Bet for Emergency

The San Diego Sheriff’s storefronts are not what they seem to be, according to Lieutenant Jerry Harman, of the Rancho San Diego Station. The community shares two storefronts. One is located in the Spring Valley Center at 531 Sweetwater Road, while the other is in the Casa De Oro Plaza at 9736 Campo Road. Sometimes they are empty and therefore not very good places to report crime.

“The most important thing to remember with our storefronts is that we do not dispatch deputies from these locations. These locations were graciously provided to us by the then Houck Properties and now Pacific Properties and we fully appreciate the opportunity to be closer to our communities. Our deputies utilize the offices as a way to stay closer to their beats when doing reports, handling correspondences, taking a quick break, using the bathroom, cooling off or warming up depending on the season,” Hartman shared.

According to Lt. Hartman, deputies meet at the storefronts “to round table the handling of situations, training, debriefing incidents and enforcement strategies”. As a result, and for for security purposes the offices are not open to the public, and deputies are not always there. Sheriff staff is also not assigned to work at the storefronts.

Lt. Hartman asks the public not to drive to the storefront to report a crime. “If you see a patrol car there, then there is probably a deputy there,” he shared. Because a deputy may not always be at the storefront, if you are a victim of a crime, your best action is to call 911, and for a non-emergency call 858-5656-5200.

If you are visiting one of the storefront shopping centers and become the victim of a crime or if you witness a crime, knock on the storefront door if you believe a deputy is there, otherwise call 911.

“The most important thing to remember with our storefronts is that we do not dispatch deputies from these locations.”