By TR Robertson
Tuesday morning in the Ballroom of the Student Union Building on the Cal State San Marcos campus was the scene for the gathering of just over 350 business and governmental personnel as well as a number of dignitaries and members of the public to hear presentations from the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce and from San Marcos Mayor Rebecca Jones delivering her State of the City Address. It was also the scene of a number of interruptions from individuals, 8-10 in attendance, protesting the ongoing war in the Gaza strip, their call for an immediate cease fire and their demand for the San Marcos City Council to sign a resolution asking for a cease fire in this conflict. Many of those protesting raised cardboard signs as they stood for most of the program until they were eventually asked to leave during Mayor Jones’s presentation.
Rick Rungaitis, CEO of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce, began the program, also marred by shouting from the protest group. At one-point Rungaitis read a statement in support of freedom of speech, but also asking for respect in the morning events. He led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, several shouts could be heard during the Pledge. Brian Jones from The Hills Community Church conducted the Invocation, also with several comments from the protest group.
For the next part of the morning event, the agenda went as listed in the program, up until the Mayor of San Marcos’s adress. Rungaitia introduced a large number of level sponsors. The Platinum Sponsors are Cal State University San Marcos, Kaiser Permanente, Palomar Health, North City and The Hill District at North City. He introduced Jessica Berger, Vice President of University Advancement for Cal State San Marcos. Jessica spoke about the collaborative work between the Chamber and the University, and the importance of the work being done to ensure growth in the community. The next speaker was Varinda Missett, Interfaith Community Services and Board Chair. Varinda said the San Marcos Chamber currently has 350 members and is growing. She pointed out the sense of community in San Marcos and the many changes underway in the city. Her State of the Chamber said everything is pointing to a better future for all citizens and she encouraged everyone to continue to support the Chamber.
Next added and off program, Rungaitis introduced a member of the protest group who was given a 3-minute limit for public comment. The statements concerned the continuing war, the amount of suffering and damage being done in the area and the need for a cease fire in Gaza. He said a city resolution supporting this cease fire was requested from the City Council of San Marcos, but he was “told the City Council doesn’t want to deal with this issue”. When his allotted time expired, the morning event continued. Speaking next was Richard Marks, Leadership Chair from RDM Management Group. Richard outlined the company’s Leadership Program, he said was critical for any company’s success. The company offers professional development services that covers all phases of developing effective leaders.
Speaking next was Dr. Tina Recalde, Vice President of Instruction from Palomar College. Dr. Recalde said Palomar currently serves 27,000 students and will soon be graduating 4,600 students. She said they recently began a workforce development committee and are developing a focus group to determine how Palomar can assist placement of students from the college. Following Dr. Recalde, Rick Rungaitis spoke about the Rising Star Program San Marcos Chamber has started, similar to other North County cities. He said the Chamber was able this year to give out 14 scholarships to graduating seniors. Rick encouraged others to take part in donating to the Chamber for the Rising Star Program. He introduced the Superintendent of San Marcos Unified School District, Dr. Andy Johnson who talked about the importance of the collaboration with the Chamber and the school district. Speaking at today’s State of the City was a senior from Mission Hills High School, Irene Irwin, who is one of the recipients of a scholarship from the Chamber. Irene spoke about the adversary she had overcome growing up and how she had to deal with a number of changes in her life. She thanked the Chamber and everyone in attendance for the help they had given her and others to achieve their dreams.
Next on the program was introducing the two winners of San Marcos Chamber Service Awards. The first recipient was Cathy Baur, the San Marcos Chamber’s Legacy of Service Award 2024. Cathy was congratulated for her work with the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos. The next award was to Jim Ambrose, the San Marcos Chamber’s Community Impact Award 2024. Jim is the General Manager of EDCO and was honored for his compassion, dedication and commitment.
The final speaker, delivering the State of the City Address, was Mayor Rebecca Jones. Her introduction stirred up the group of protestors, as they yelled out “Sign the Resolution”, “Cease Fire in Gaza” and numerous other comments directed to Mayor Jones and the City Council. This continued through the majority of her presentation and only ended when the Mayor stopped the presentation, spoke with some officials and told the protestors they had had their opportunity to express their opinions and now they needed to stop and allow those in attendance to hear her address. She told them they would be removed if they could not do this. Several of the Sheriff officers slowly began to move toward the group. The group could be seen speaking to one another, then they suddenly, peacefully walked single file outside of the Ballroom where they began their remarks again. The collapsable walls of the Ballroom were closed and the Mayor’s address continued.
During Mayor Jones address she had introduced some of the governmental and agency representatives in attendance. The Mayor had a power point presentation that included information about the decrease in crime in San Marcos – down 27%. She thanked the Sheriff’s Department for this accomplishment. Mayor Jones said San Marcos was recently awarded the ranking of 12th safest city in California. She said the Fire Department had also scored extremely high for their efficiency. It was pointed out the economy in San Marcos was booming and the large variety of businesses is the reason. Over 4,000 licensed businesses are in the city. The large student body at both Palomar College and Cal State San Marcos have boosted the surge in the economy. Along with this St. Augustine University, several other local schools and the nineteen schools of the San Marcos Unified School District play a part in providing a varied education system and numerous jobs for the city. The various health services agencies offer a variety of services. The Mayor also referenced the infrastructure improvements that have been ongoing including sidewalks, flood control area, bike parks, trails and much more. The increase of developments in North City has not only included businesses but a variety of condos, apartments and homes. Mayor Jones wrapped up the address thanking those in attendance for “hanging in there” and staying to hear what is happening in San Marcos.
