New Year's Eve: Drinking? They'll drive...your car

Wow. I am super excited to see a service like this emerge. Drunk driving is such a horrible problem, and at the same time, I know that no one climbs drunk into the drivers seat thinking, “I’m going to go run over someone tonight!” It’s just that other concerns seem more pressing – like, how am I going to get my car back tomorrow morning if I take a cab home tonight? This article hits the nail on the head, and covers a really unique solution. What do you think – will a service like this make a difference?

Victor Gallet and Teresa Kennerknecht are co-owners of Rides By Request. — John R. McCutchen

If you’re planning to have a few drinks this New Year’s Eve, you might be interested in a startup San Diego service that says it can get you home safely without leaving your car behind.

Victor Gallet, co-founder of Rides By Request, wants to provide an alternative to taxis and help stop people from driving drunk. Online: [ridesbyrequest.com]

“What sets us apart is that we are taking people home in their own vehicles,” said Gallet, who graduated last year with an economics degree from the University of California San Diego. “You don’t have to worry about (your car) getting towed or ticketed.”

Clients sign up for the service, then use its iPhone app or send a text when they need a ride; no reservations are accepted. A two-person team shows up, and one person drives the client home in his or her own car. The other person follows behind in a “chase” vehicle.

Since the service is so new, it wasn’t clear whether any agency regulates services like these. A spokesman for the Public Utilities Commission, which regulates “passenger carriers” such as buses and shuttles, wasn’t familiar with the business model and was researching it this week.

Gallet and co-founder Teresa Kennerknecht, a 2009 San Diego State University graduate, said they got their city business tax certificate in September. They said that their attorney advised them that they do not need a PUC or taxi license because they’re not operating a company vehicle to transport anyone. They said that their drivers are covered by the “occasional driver” provision of their clients’ insurance plans.

Rides By Request, which has about 80 registered users so far, aims to be cheaper than two taxi rides with flat-fee rates. A ride of up to five miles is $30, from six to 10 miles is $40, and from 11 to 15 miles is $50. So far, they have eight drivers working with them, all independent contractors.

Similar services are common in Europe. A service called ScooterMAN, for example, operates in several regions of the United Kingdom, including London. Its drivers arrive on a foldable scooter, which can be loaded into the trunk of the client’s car. (Gallet is from France and Kennerknecht is from Germany.)

To educate consumers, Gallet and Kennerknecht have been making presentations at public meetings in North Park and Pacific Beach.

That’s how David Cohen, owner of North Park’s West Coast Tavern, heard about the service. He has been telling customers about it and even tried it himself.

“I think anything that gives people an opportunity to drink and not drive is a great service,” said Cohen, who is president of the business-improvement district for North Park Main Street. “We need more taxi service and more accessibility to (public) transportation.”

The Rides By Request concept is similar to a service that used to be available in San Diego called Safe Ride Solutions, which was developed by Gary Lawrence, a detective with the San Diego Police Department.

“That is a key, to get the car home,” Lawrence said. “People will drive because they don’t want to leave their car behind. People won’t admit it, but that’s one of the reasons they drive drunk.”

But the Safe Ride Solutions service ceased operating a few months ago because of the high insurance costs, Lawrence said. His company now does consulting work for organizations such as universities that want to offer safe-ride programs.

Rides By Request has general liability insurance, Kennerknecht said, and is in the process of obtaining additional “non-owned vehicle insurance” to protect the company, its drivers and clients in case of a major accident.

Safe Ride Solutions originated in 2006 as a pilot program for the San Diego Chargers, and grew to operate in 25 U.S. markets using law enforcement professional drivers, Lawrence said. The service was known for its partnerships with the National Football League but also served corporations and the public, he said. The nightly cost, on average, was several hundred dollars.

Eloisa Orozco, executive director of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) San Diego County, said the organization encourages people to plan for alternate transportation, but doesn’t endorse any specific one. People who plan to drink might consider using a driver service, taking the trolley or calling a cab, she said.

“The easiest option is always to pass the keys to a buddy who will be a sober driver,” she said.

Read more http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/29/drank-too-much-theyll-drive/?page=2#article

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Happy Holiday's!

Bay Vista Apartments would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays!

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Torero Tu Go Food Truck Caters Hungry USD Students

A pleasant surprise awaits hardworking students outside the USD Copley Library!

When Lindsay Butcher took a break from studying for final exams Wednesday night, she knew exactly where to go. Standing outside of the University of San Diego’s Copley Library, she was hungry and the Torero Tu Go food truck, which debuted only three hours prior to her visit, was there for her needs.

That’s the power of social media and word of mouth among students or, in Butcher’s case, her roommate, about the food truck, which is owned and operated by USD’s Dining Services.

“My roommate already tried the tacos and said they were very good,” said Butcher, a junior Communication Studies major. She didn’t exactly take her roommate’s advice when ordering, choosing the Banh Mi, Vietnamese chicken, for herself, but she did pick up skirt steak and chicken tacos for her roommate.

Or did she? “There might not be any tacos to bring back because they look so good,” she quipped.

The food truck idea went live at 5 p.m. Wednesday and closed at 1 a.m., marking the first of five evenings through Dec. 19 (closed on Dec. 17) it will operate in front of the library, which is open 24 hours a day through Dec. 20 for students during finals week. The food truck replaced last year’s coffee cart.

Judging by the smiles on students’ faces as they walked by or came out of the library to refuel, it was a hit. “I’m really impressed,” said one student. “This is a big deal.”

The truck, purchased from a local submarine sandwich shop, offers a wide variety of food choices for all customers. There are snack food items such as gluten-free fruit bars, potato chips, candy, coffee, lattes, bottled water, energy drinks and sodas, but most students were there to sample the main menu fare. And why not?

The menu, delivering what Auxiliary Services Executive Director André Mallié wants to capture — “the history of San Diego” — has multiple food choices the reflect the city’s beginnings with Native American, Portuguese, Mexican, Spanish, Italian and Asian influences as well as items that reflect San Diego’s ties to the ocean.

The very popular tacos are delivered two to a person on homemade tortillas with knob onions, roasted garlic guacamole and choice of salsa. Other tempting options include Chorizo or vegetarian empanadas with lime, coriander salsa and Peri-Peri sauce; chicken skewers with Portuguese mashed potatoes; grilled squash sandwich with spiced aioli, spinach, caramelized onions and goat cheese on foccacia bread; an Italian Muffaletta sandwich(pictured, right), buttered lobster roll, chili shrimp cake, steak salad and sushi.

When Mason Davis, a senior architecture major, heard that the food truck would be up and running, he knew exactly what he wanted — the grilled California prawn tacos. “I’m pretty excited to try them. I like this a lot because the food’s different than any other place on campus.”

Don’t forget dessert, either. Anthony Martin, a pastry chef from USD’s La Gran Terraza restaurant, put the dessert selections together. The choices are caramel custard, an Italian beignet with fresh strawberries, honey pudding with cheese and an Espresso chocolate brownie.

Ruth Neveu, manager of USD’s Dining Services and a campus food service employee for more than 30 years, said Torero Tu Go’s launch, driven by the recent popularity of food trucks, went as well as expected.

“Everyone came together to make this happen,” Neveu said of campus buy-in from USD administration, Facilities Management and Dining Services. “This is something new and it’s exciting for all of us. I’m really enjoying it.”

Neveu knows plenty about new student food experiences at USD. She opened — and still runs — La Paloma, the eatery that’s connected to the Joan. B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice. She also opened Bert’s Bistro within Mother Rosalie Hill Hall (School of Leadership and Education Sciences). She’s been at USD long enough to remember when the school’s main dining hall was located in Camino Hall, where the San Diego NROTC office currently resides.

Said her husband, Glenn, who works in Facilities Management and was on hand Wednesday to lend support and some free taco samples for students: “Ruth’s loving this kind of thing. She loves to do something new and loves to be interacting with the students.”

She spent much of her night supervising all aspects of the operation including personnel, the cash register to marketing and answering questions from the customers. The crew on hand is from different USD dining venues. Dean Kerchner, a chef who has been at USD only a few months, said he enjoyed the chance to make new items, including the tomatillo salsa that covers the various tacos available.

Neveu said some of the menu’s specialty items were recipes of La Paloma employees. It certainly made a favorable impression on students like Butcher.

“The menu is so diverse and that makes it so much better,” she said. “You can tell they put a lot of heart and soul into it.”

If the success of the first night is an indication, Neveu said, the food truck’s future is bright. Mallié anticipates having the food truck at USD sporting events, student and university events and in the San Diego community.

That the truck debuted during finals week, a time when students are craving comfort food, one might question if its presence makes it worth all the effort students put into these all-night study sessions?

“Almost,” Butcher said.

Read more http://www.sandiego.edu/insideusd/?p=21196

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San Diego Chargers and the Marines partner up in 'Toys for Tots' holiday drive

Thank you Chargers and marines for your holiday generosity!

Fans attending Sunday's game can bring joy to local youngsters this holiday season by donating a new, unwrapped toy to the 22nd annual Chargers "Toys for Tots" Toy Drive, presented by Cymer, at the Chargers-Bills game at Qualcomm Stadium on Sunday, Dec. 11.



Toys and cash donations will be collected at the gates by service men and women from the United States Marine Corps. The toys will be distributed to deserving children throughout San Diego in time for the holidays through various charitable organizations.


For more information about the Toy Drive or for additional locations where toys are being collected, log on to the official web site of the "Toys for Tots" Toy Drive, www.toydrive.com.

Read more http://www.scoopsandiego.com/news/san-diego-chargers-and-the-marines-partner-up-in-toys/article_b8917878-2139-11e1-a140-0019bb30f31a.html

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San Diego Landmark Could Disappear

If you haven't already been to Sunset Cliffs, make sure you go soon. It may be one of your last chances to see it.

Yahoo! News Wanderlust recently named Sunset Cliffs one of its Top 5 Disappearing Places. San Diego’s treasured cliffs were fourth on the list of places that could soon vanish because of natural and human causes.


Dr. Pat Abbott, a geology professor at San Diego State University, said there’s no way to pinpoint exactly when the cliffs will eventually disappear. “It’s hard to say because we don’t just let nature run its course out there,” he said.


Abbott said each portion of the cliffs erodes differently, depending on the waves and sea wall put in place for protection.


“Make no mistake—the walls do not stop the erosion,” he said. “They slow down the wave attack, but ultimately it will collapse.”


The rock behind the walls will deteriorate with time because of runoff. Once the barrier is gone, an already-weakened area is susceptible to further collapse.


While the runoff is certainly destructive to the picturesque area, Abbott maintained the natural erosion is much more severe.


“It doesn’t compare with the ocean waves beating against the cliffs,” he said.


Other places on the list included Glacier National Park in Montana and the Mesa Verde cliff dwellings in Colorado. Abbott was surprised to hear Sunset Cliffs made the top 5.


“Of all the places and with all the California coastline, who’d think it would be San Diego?” he said.

Read more http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/sunset-cliffs-disappear-san-diego-134852053.html

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