Deadline to request mail ballot for June 8 election is June 1

Voters wanting to cast their ballots in the comfort of their own home
have until Tuesday, June 1, to request a mail ballot for the
Gubernatorial Primary Election on June 8. There are several ways to
apply:
   • Complete the application on the back of the sample ballot and voter information pamphlet mailed to each registered voter.
   • Download an application from the Registrar of Voters’ website at www.sdvote.com.
  
• Fax or mail a note to the Registrar of Voters. The request must
include the voter’s name, residence address, name and date of the
election for which a ballot is requested, the address where the ballot
is to be mailed, and the voter’s signature.
   Applications and
notes may be faxed to 858-694-2955 or sent to the Registrar of Voters
at P.O. Box 85520, San Diego, CA 92186-5520.

Bulldog cindermen post top relay times at CIF meet

   Both Ramona High School boys track and field relay teams had the top
Division II times at the CIF preliminary meet May 22 at Mount Carmel
High School while Ramona senior Tyler Jordan cleared 7’0” in the high
jump to post the best performance of a section high jumper in either
division.
   The Bulldogs qualified nine athletes or relay teams for “A” races or
field events in the CIF finals May 29 at Mount Carmel while 10 Ramona
athletes earned berths in “B” events. The scoring at the finals is
based on times or distances in both competitions among schools within
each division, although only “A” race or flight qualifiers are eligible
for the state meet which takes the top three finishers for each event.
   “We did well. We qualified pretty much everybody we thought was going to qualify,” said Ramona head coach Steve Albanese.

Josh Sammons wins CIF diving championship

 Ramona High School sophomore Josh Sammons won the CIF Division II boys
diving championship May 21 at Mesa College while Ramona’s boys swim
team set two school records during the CIF meet May 20 and May 22 at
Coronado High School.
   Sammons’ 241.25 points on six dives not only earned him the CIF
championship in a field otherwise paced by second-place Nico Espinosa
of St. Augustine, who scored 230 points, but also broke the CIF meet
Division II record for six dives.
   “He dove very well.  He had some really difficult dives and he scored very high,” said Ramona coach Frank Yturralde.
   Sammons won last year’s CIF Division II diving meet with 207.10
points. The CIF switched from an 11-dive to a six-dive format for the
finals in 2007.  Trevor Knorr of Valhalla held the previous CIF meet
six-dive Division II record with 221.85 points.
   “His dives are getting more difficult, and he’s doing them very,
very well,” Yturralde said of Sammons. “Very proud of his
accomplishments.”

Bulldog baseball wins Valley League

   The Ramona Bulldog baseball team needed to win one of its last two
games to win the 2010 Valley League pennant. They did, but it wasn’t
easy.
   Oceanside High School needed to win two games to overtake the
Bulldogs and win the title. The two teams locked up in classic duel
that lasted almost four hours and went 12innings. The game had it all —
pitching, hitting, power hitting and defense. In the end Ramona’s
leading hitter drove in the winning run with two out in the bottom of
the 12th inning to give the Bulldogs its fourth Valley League title in
Dean Welch’s tenure as coach. Oceanside scored first in the top of the
third inning when Justin Hawkins singled and was driven in by King
Holder with a two out double.

Girls swim is third at CIF meet and wins 200 freestyle relay

 Ramona High School’s girls swim team placed third among Division II
schools at the CIF swim meet May 22 at Coronado High School.
   The Bulldogs finished two points behind second-place Valhalla.
Ramona’s 200-yard freestyle relay team won its race while earning an
All-American consideration time and setting a school record, and three
other school records were broken during the CIF finals or during the
CIF preliminaries May 20 at Coronado.
   “Great meet,” said Ramona coach Jolyn Yanez.
   Cathedral Catholic won the Division II championship, and the battle
for second place came down to the meet’s final event, the 400-yard
freestyle relay. Valhalla finished second in that race while Ramona was
third despite setting a school record. 
   “It was very close,” Yanez said.

Goodbye Valley League, hello Palomar League

“So goodbye yellow brick road where the dogs of society howl. You can’t plant me in your penthouse. I’m going back to my plough.”

   Elton John’s song applies well to Ramona High School’s departure
from the Valley League. The Valley League was very kind to the
Bulldogs. After the Dawgs left the old Mountain League and small-time
high school sports for the big time, the Dawgs didn’t do too well in
the Costal League, Avocado East League or the Avocado League. Boys
track won one championship, boys’ soccer won seven league titles, but
the other sports struggled to compete.

Vikings stop Bulldogs in volleyball semifinal

   The end of the on-court season for Ramona High School’s boys
volleyball team occurred May 19 when La Jolla High School swept the
Bulldogs in the CIF Division III semifinal match at La Jolla.
   The Vikings’ 25-18, 25-18, 25-21 win sent La Jolla to the CIF finals against Cathedral Catholic. 
   “I think our guys played at a high level throughout,” said La Jolla
coach Dave Jones. “Our guys really stepped up from our match against
Mar Vista.”
(La Jolla defeated Mar Vista in four games during those two teams’ quarterfinal match.)
   “Ramona has some really good individual players,” Jones said. “Our
team is our strength.  We’re a little more solid all the way around.”
   Ramona coach Jeff Klauda doesn’t contest that remark. 

Softball team ends season with 12-16

   If the New York Yankees are the Bronx Bombers, then the Ramona High
School softball team became the Blond Bombers in the final week of the
regular season.
   The Lady Dawgs ripped three home runs and belted 20 hits as they
lost to Westview High School and beat Oceanside High School. The Lady
Dawgs finished the regular season with a 12-16 record and completed
Valley League action with a 6-6 record.
   Ramona jumped out to a 2-0 lead against Westview High School and led
3-1 going into the final inning. Westview scored three unearned runs in
the seventh inning to come from behind to beat the Lady Dawgs. It was
the final home game of the season for the Lady Bulldogs.
   Ally Harvey pitched well as she gave up one earned run on and
scattered five hits. She struck out two and only issued one base on
balls.

One man’s look at sheriff’s race

 With much of our attention focused on the national scene, we sometimes
forget that some local elections can have profound effects on our
lives. One such race is the race for San Diego County sheriff. I have
followed all three candidates closely, some for over five years and
would like to share with you what I have gleaned from debates, their
records, and talks I have had with each one individually. Among
important issues are the issuance of concealed carry permits, funding
for a department already stretched for funds, and the personal attitude
the sheriff has to whether his allegiance is to the County Board of
Supervisors or the people who elect him.

The power of ‘No’

   Since Ramona TEA’d (www.ramonatead.com) is devoting Saturday
afternoon’s town hall meeting at Ramona Mainstage to the topic of
“Judicial Tyranny” from Washington, let’s examine the powerful history
of “the power of no” as the people’s resistance to the rise of
oppressive total government throughout modern history.
Before providing some examples, however, let me comment on some of the
most “far out” and wildly inaccurate condemnations being leveled at
some of my tea party friends, who are now simply  warning your readers
about the tell-tale smell of growing danger to our personal liberties.
When such critics condemn us as being in favor of essentially NO
government or NO taxes, they could hardly be serious, because our
published statements and the “position paper” on our website make
extremely clear that we (1) love our country, (2) see the need for
limited government and (3) believe in lower taxes — far indeed from a
ridiculous opposition to ALL taxes and ANY government! Let us not be
absurdly inaccurate here. Disagree with us, yes, but wildly distort our
positions, no.