My parents have informed me that The Sands was the first place I lived when I was a baby back in 1970. We lived there for a year before my mom and dad bought a house in Leucadia in the neighborhood known as Tortilla Flats.
My mom says The Sands used to have big beautiful full grown trees but the then wacky owner cut them all down, what a shame. My dad says the owner wouldn't let anyone have a phone inside their trailer and had to use the payphone outside because he made money off it.
The Sands is a source of drama right now. The new owner has been raising the rents drastically in an attempt to drive the residents out. Now the residents are in a Catch-22, they can't afford to live there anymore but they can't sell their units because who would buy into a park with a hostile owner? The Sands residents have asked the city council for help. We'll see what happens...
The iconic Leucadia Donuts! I try not to eat donuts very often but it's worth going in here just to talk to two of the nicest people on earth, Tom and his wife. Some say that Leucadia Donuts is the heart and soul of Leucadia and I believe them. If you want to chat with your fellow Leucadians about any topic this is the place to do it.
Oddly, this building is actually on the same property as The Sands trailer park and is owned by the same guy. We should make Leucadia Donuts a historical landmark in order to preserve it forever. Can you imagine a Krispy Kreme here with their crappy corporate style,
overly sugary pseudo-donuts and dead-eyed depressed employees behind the counter instead of Tom? Shudder to think.
Leucadia!: Let's Tour North Leucadia (part 9)
Why the name "Tortilla Flats"
ReplyDeleteThe Tortilla Flats is where all of Ecke's migrant farm workers lived. I was 1 of 4 white kids in the neighborhood. Los Flatos!
ReplyDeleteAlso known as Avacado Acres
ReplyDeleteI love the bran muffins at Leucadia Donuts.
ReplyDeleteYou had to live there because your Dad was a Migrant Foam Worker.
ReplyDeleteJP, were you there for when riots almost broke out?
ReplyDeleteWow- Those Trailers with no trees are sure original and have lovely architecture! Looks more like Earl's neighborhood to me.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the City is well qualified to manage trailer parks? Right!
I smell a huge future City liability, mess, and worthy law suite coming soon.
I think the City government should stay out of private trailer park issues. We do not need any more City welfare. If they do take over the management of the parks, most of the residents will have to move out to make room for the ultra low income crowd. Oh joy! Won't that be nice!
At the very least the city should decide if it wants mobile home parks or not. If they do then zone them as mobile home parks so that the threat of being booted out for a high rise hotel doesn't hang over the residents heads like the sword of Damocles.
ReplyDeleteYes, I was there for farm workers protest/riot. It was at the end of my street and was pretty heavy. I got to meet Cesar Chavez though!
JP -- tell us what happened? What street was that on?
ReplyDeleteIt was on Puebla street. My family was even on the 6 o'clock news that night. I'll try to find the photos in the old albums and scan and post them.
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, the city hired a consultant who is shill for the trailpark developers. All of us at the Sands are toast.
ReplyDeleteJP: PLEASE tell me you will continue the tour of north leucadia all the way south to encinitas blvd. Really enjoying all you do, thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteIf they make the donut shop a historical building, the post office should be next. To me that is the coolest post office I have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteJP-
ReplyDeleteI love the tour as well. Great job!
Farm worker protest/riot? Are you all talking about the strike by the United Farm Workers at Niedens Hillside Floral? I was working there at the time. I believe it was in September 1978. By this time the ranch was no longer owned by Hank and June Niedens, but by Takara International, a Japanese company.
ReplyDeleteThe strike lasted more than thirty days. It was never a riot. The striking workers did, however, camp out at the entrance to the ranch with their red flags with the black eagle. The ranch eventually signed a contract with the union and went out of business less than three years later. The San Diego County Flower Auction occupied the site for a few years before it moved to the Floral Trade Center in Carlsbad. It was the beginning of the end of flowering growing in Encinitas.
J.P What was Cesar Chavez like? I have always admired him and the couragous things he has done. Would love to know more.
ReplyDeleteI admire you, Dr. Lorri, and all the things you do, too.
ReplyDeleteAlways glad to see you posting!
Well, I was only 8 years old at the time and I remember a lot of screaming and yelling and cars getting shook. Looked like a freaking riot to me.
ReplyDeleteChavez was nice and we were the same height.