North County Finds Itself at the Crossroads : Life style: In the search for happily ever after, North County loomed as paradise found. But traffic woes, unaffordable housing and crime are turning it into paradise lost for many, a Times poll has found.

For most of his working life, Harry Richards hopscotched across the nation, searching for his share of happily-ever-after. In 1956 he headed west, turned left and settled in San Diego. Eighteen years later, troubled by the city’s changing face, he ultimately settled in North County--a quiet little place that was a life style or two removed from the city.

Today, the 64-year-old Encinitas man finds that happily-ever-after in North County was but a time share--and he is being pushed out by others knocking at the door who say it is their turn.

He talks of growth, of traffic, of migrant workers, and of moving somewhere else. Like North Carolina.

“When I first moved here, San Diego was a beautiful and relatively uncrowded place,” said Richards, who worked in the aircraft industry and later in county government. “But this place isn’t beautiful anymore. It’s a lousy, urban, overdeveloped, smog-ridden place to live.”

Like Richards, more than two of every five North County residents feel the region’s quality of life has worsened during the past 10 years, a Los Angeles Times Poll has found. In fact, they are more than twice as likely to say the 1980s wrought a change for the worse in the county than to say it changed life for the better--44% to 18%. Nearly one in five are now dissatisfied with their own communities as well.

Clearly, disillusionment is setting in among a large number of North County residents--especially among old-timers--with complaints about traffic and growth, of drugs, the impact of migrant workers, and of housing becoming too expensive.

How bad has it gotten? Bad enough that one in four North County residents during the past year considered moving away from North County. And their preferred destination was out of state.

The Times Poll was conducted last month to develop a picture of North County: What is it? Who lives there? Why did they come? What do they like--and dislike--about the region?

It showed that newcomers to San Diego County are bringing with them different values, life styles and perceptions than those held by longtime residents.

Fewer of the people who have lived in the county for five years or less are U.S. citizens. They show less political consciousness. A greater percentage of them are white-collar workers. Two-income households are more prevalent--yet a greater percentage of them are living in apartments because they can’t afford to buy a home. These more recent arrivals to North County are focusing less on their health and more on being successful and creative than longtime North County residents.

“San Diego is being drawn--kicking and screaming--into the 21st Century,” poll Director I.A. Lewis said. “Life’s goals are changing. Life styles are changing, and this is having an effect on the traditional, family-oriented attitudes. And it’s being felt more poignantly in North County, which is where people went to protect those more traditional values.”

Among other general findings:

* Drugs are the biggest problem facing San Diego County, residents of North County say. But when they focus their attention only on North County, the biggest problem on North County minds is traffic.

* A plurality of residents believes the environment should be protected--even if it slows economic growth and increases government spending. Along with air pollution, traffic emerges as their topmost environmental concern, followed by ocean pollution and the quality of drinking water.

* By almost a 2-to-1 margin, people are more likely to take a dim rather than sanguine view of the Latino influence on San Diego County.

* There is a sense that North County is separate and distinct from the rest of the county--but there is disagreement as to what that distinction is. Among the more popular perceptions are that North County, as a whole, is more affluent, more family-oriented and more environmentally conscious.

* More people consider North County as a geographic collection of communities than as a region with its own identity and state of mind. “There are too many different kinds of people living in North County to have any common interests--except for property values,” says Jeff Niewiadomski, who moved from an apartment in La Mesa to a condominium in Rancho Penasquitos last year.

* But as geography goes, there is no “there” in North County. Half of North County’s residents don’t think the region has a single hub; among those who do, Escondido is identified more than any other city as the capital of North County. Carlsbad ranks second--beating out neighboring Oceanside, a city twice its size.

* Despite their dissatisfactions with North County, residents mostly are happy with their individual communities, confident about the quality of their schools and feel rooted in the area where they live.

In fact, North County residents are less pessimistic than those in Los Angeles County where, based on a Times Poll last year, 60% believe the quality of life has slipped in recent years. But, on the other hand, they are more pessimistic than Ventura County residents, where only a third said the quality of life has slipped.

“People in San Diego are afraid of being Los Angelized,” Lewis said. “It isn’t so much that they hate Los Angeles. It’s that L.A. represents what’s happening, or is going to happen, to all cities, and people in San Diego County--and especially North County--are trying to hold it back.”

Steven Erie, an associate professor of urban politics at UC San Diego, says he fears North County evolving into a “two-tiered society,” where wealthier families, who can afford the more comfortable life styles offered in the region, are rubbing against “those at the bottom--especially non-citizens--who are coming here. It’s not hard to see the tension already surfacing.”

And even those who are fleeing to North County from Orange and Los Angeles counties are showing disillusionment, he said, because the local communities were ill-prepared for the explosive growth.

“San Diego is the end of the line for people leap-frogging down here from the north to escape the congestion and the housing prices of L.A. and Orange County,” Erie said. “But it’s a two-edged sword because they’re bringing that with them, along with some of their expectations of how life should be. They want the same quality sports teams, the same quality TV anchormen, the same level of services.”

Edna Fisher has lived in Vista since 1956, and counts herself as one of those who loves her neighborhood--but she doesn’t like what she’s seeing elsewhere in North County.

“I’ve got nothing to complain about around here,” she said. “Nobody’s bothering me, and I have wonderful neighbors.”

But when her attention turns to the region, she talks about drugs, about traffic and about migrant workers.

“They’re doing more stealing and breaking into homes,” she says. “My house hasn’t been broken into--so far--but I know it’s happening all around me.”

But while Fisher is content in Vista--and says she’d buy her same house over again--more than two in 10 have talked during the past year about moving out of North County--people like Richards and 42-year-old Alan MacNeilan, who has lived in San Diego County since he was 11 and is now raising two sons in Rancho Penasquitos.

They talk of paradise found and paradise lost.

“I can remember just four or five years ago, when the land on both sides of (Interstate) 15 was nothing but open space,” MacNeilan said. “Look at all those rooftops out there now. And what’s amazing is, all these houses are getting filled up. How can they afford it? I’m making $15 an hour and I can barely make my payments--$1,200 a month.”

Traffic would be unbearable, he said, if he had to drive into San Diego to work. Luckily, he goes against the flow of traffic and heads north every morning, to Rancho Bernardo.

Even if growth wasn’t a problem, MacNeilan says, there’s the drug problem. He talks of how drugs have even permeated his sons’ schools in Rancho Penasquitos. “I believe,” he says solemnly, “that drugs will be the downfall of this country.”

So MacNeilan has already bought 20 acres in Rancho California, just across the Riverside County line from North County--far enough away and isolated sufficiently, he thinks, to remove his sons from the influence of drug-oriented gangs but close enough for him to keep his computer technician job in Rancho Bernardo.

“I guess what I’m really looking for,” he says with a sigh, “is Mayberry.”

Richards talks with compassion about the plight of migrants who have moved to his neighborhood--and says he doesn’t have any answers on how to help them. And he talks with bitterness about others who have moved here from Orange County, Los Angeles and out of state--a problem for which he says he has an answer.

“I think they should close the entrances to San Diego from the North and the East,” he says. “They can keep the border from the south open. Those people bother me less.”

If and when Richards moves out of his townhouse--he’s hanging around, caring for his aging mother--his place will surely be occupied quickly enough by someone else who, for a different set of reasons, will see North County as happily ever after.

People like Paul Vejar, who moved to North County six months ago from the Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Cucamonga, where he worked in the defense industry.

“I’ve got nothing bad to say about this place,” the 28-year-old Cardiff resident announces. “Everything here is nice. And the traffic isn’t half as bad as in L.A.”

Vejar found a job at Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, refurbishing airplanes. His wife, June, was a hairdresser in Los Angeles; now she works as a receptionist at a Carlsbad firm. They car-pool to work.

They pay $1,100 a month for a two-bedroom apartment with an ocean view, and aren’t complaining--even though he figures he’s making 20% less money here.

“There’s nothing I miss about L.A.,” he says. “North County’s got everything we need.”

Little wonder there are such divergent views of North County, given the diverse backgrounds of those who seek this life for their own reasons.

But poll statistics can draw an abstract picture of who is attracted to North County, and what values are shared.

Overall, they are a stable and traditional lot, rooted in their communities, displaying family values and wedding bands.

Most have lived in San Diego County for more than 10 years. Slightly more than half consider themselves living in the suburbs, but one in four describes his neighborhood as “rural.” Six people in 10 own their own home. More than half of the adults in North County are younger than 40. Two-thirds are married--and half of those couples have children.

The median annual family income in North County is $38,425--more than $5,000 more than the median family income in the balance of San Diego County. The median monthly rental or mortgage payment in North County--meaning that half the residents pay more, half pay less--is $612, which is $40 more than the balance of the county.

Seventy-nine percent of North County’s residents are white, 13% are Latino, 2% are Asian, 1% are black and 5% are from other ethnic groups.

“I think it’s quite obvious there’s no social balance in North County,” says Nico Calavita, an associate professor of urban planning at San Diego State University. “I see North County as the elite in San Diego County.”

More than one-in-four North County residents are retired. Among those in the work force, 38% are blue-collar workers.

A third of North County’s residents say they are conservative, and a fifth say they are liberal. The balance are either “middle of the road” or don’t know how to politically pigeonhole themselves.

One adult in four has earned at least a college degree.

Among the factors that play a role in establishing perceptions and opinions by North County residents is socioeconomic background, which is made up of educational level, income level and type of job.

The Times Poll found that upscale residents have soured more on North County’s general ambience, tending more to believe that the quality of life in San Diego has worsened during the past 10 years. But they are more pleased with their specific chosen communities than are downscale residents--presumably because they have more discretion in deciding where they want to live. For instance:

- A plurality of upscale residents--30%--made their selection because it was in a “rural” setting, while a plurality of the downscale residents--26%--looked first for communities that were near their jobs.

- Eight in 10 upscale residents say they feel safe walking their neighborhood streets at night; fewer than 6 in 10 downscale residents think so.

Socioeconomic standing also seems to have a bearing on how North County is perceived. A plurality of downscale residents believe there is a North County bonding, a sharing of common interests. But by a 2-to-1 margin, upscale residents see North County only as a collection of communities that take up space on a map.

Perhaps that perception is because, aside from work reasons, more than 9 out of 10 upscale residents drive outside of North County at least once a month--and a third drive out of North County more than once a week--either in search of culture (at 39%, the No. 1 reason), entertainment, shopping or sporting events. By comparison, only 76% of the downscale residents go outside North County for reasons other than work. They do it less often, most often to visit friends.

For some people, like Vista’s Virginia Phifer, there simply is no compelling reason to travel outside North County.

Phifer and her husband, David, settled in Vista in 1976, when he retired from the Marine Corps and got a job as a soils technician for a private firm. The couple had lived in the area previously, moved to Seattle and returned to Vista so their three children could finish their education at the schools where they had spent most of their lives.

Not only has Virginia Phifer worked hard to sink roots in Vista, including participating in community theater, she says one reason she doesn’t feel more closely linked to downtown San Diego is the lack of easy access to the south.

“When I was growing up south of Chicago, I’d just hop a train and go to town,” she said. “But here, unless you want to drive yourself, there’s almost a transportation barrier to San Diego.”

Phifer, reflecting on a recurring theme--affordable housing--talks of what she calls a disturbing trend in North County: the construction of tract homes on small lots, seemingly at the expense of young families who can’t afford larger lots for the benefit of their children.

“I’m not against growth,” she says. “But we have mushrooming tracts of houses with insufficient yards. It’s like the developers are trying to make every square foot count, and not take into account the quality a family needs. Children are getting the shaft.”

Even grown children, she says.

Her oldest son is trying to find a place of his own in the Oceanside area for his young family.

“He’s living in an apartment, and is struggling very hard to put a down payment on a house of his own,” she said. “Children of that generation are getting a rude awakening. They can’t even get their foot in the door.”

Even those who do get their foot in the door with the purchase of their first house in North County aren’t quite sure where to go next as they pursue their upwardly mobile dream.

AT&T; worker Steve Fox asked for a transfer from San Bernardino to San Diego so he could escape the smog. He got his wish; seven years ago, he moved to Encinitas where he lives now with his wife and three children, ages 11, 7 and 4.

Fox, 38, bought a home that he described as “below the median price for my area.” During the past few years, even though his home has increased in value, the upper-end homes in his neighborhood have increased in worth at an even faster clip “and the gap between my homes and the others has become even greater. It’s getting more and more difficult to ‘move up.’ And the area is becoming more and more unaffordable as more people move in.”

Fox admits to feeling somewhat “schizophrenic” in his attitude towards growth--since he counts himself as one of the outsiders who has added to the region’s population base but would now like to raise the fantasy drawbridge.

“Things have changed for the worse in terms of quality of life, and that’s due directly to the influx of people,” he says. “I’m one of the people who wanted to close the door after I got here. But people have as much right to come here as I did. The problem is that growth has to be managed better.”

In contrast, Bill Johnson, a staff sergeant and 12-year veteran of the Marine Corps, is just looking forward to the day he’ll get out and settle down.

For two major reasons, he won’t settle in North County, says Johnson, who currently is renting a home for himself, his wife and three children in Oceanside.

“When I was here between ’78 and ‘82, I might have seen only one or two public arrests,” he says. “Now that I’ve been back here for six or seven months, I’ve seen 15 people (in Oceanside) thrown to the ground and had handcuffs put on them.”

Crime isn’t the only deterrent to living in North County, he says. “Housing costs are ridiculous,” he says. “It takes two people both working full time to be able to get into something.”

So Johnson is looking to eventually buying a home in Riverside County, where he figures to get more value for his housing dollar.

“That area,” he says, “is still not over-populated; there’s not a lot of crime, and housing is a lot more reasonable.”

Most North County residents--81%--are happy overall with their communities. But that satisfaction slips most dramatically among people who cite traffic and growth as the region’s major problems; a third of those are now dissatisfied with their community.

People who moved to their community so their children could get a good education appear to have gotten what they came for. Virtually all say that they have confidence in their schools.

But among those who chose their community because it was near their work, only 56% have confidence in their schools.

Outstanding among those who chose their community because of their schools are residents of the Poway Unified School District, which consistently has ranked among the top in standardized scores. There, only 14% of the residents show little confidence in their schools. By comparison, 35% of the residents in neighboring Escondido say they have little confidence in their schools.

Among those who sought out Poway for its schools is 43-year-old Paul Pacelli, who has lived in the county since 1953--when he says his parents “dragged me here” as a 5-year-old because of their quest for a better climate and a good job.

Now raising a young family, Pacelli searched the county for what he considered the best schools, and moved to Rancho Penasquitos, which is served by Poway’s schools.

Even though he had to move into a smaller house, “this was the best move we ever made,” he says.

If good schools is one criterion for choosing a community, so too is whether that particular community offers a “rural” ambience--a factor which was second only to proximity to work when people in North County decide where to live.

And those who sought out a rural atmosphere are still happy with their choice, and are about half as likely as urban residents to describe themselves as unhappy with their communities.

Among all those who are dissatisfied with their community for whatever reason, 41% say they have given thought over the past year to moving outside of San Diego County. One in four say they want to leave the state. The second and third most popular options are to move to Northern California or to Riverside County.

Which means that when Alan MacNeilan transplants his family from Rancho Penasquitos to his 20-acre spread in Rancho California, he may see some familiar faces from North County--other emigrants who are still searching for happily ever after.

Los Angeles Times Poll Methods, Analysis

The poll on North San Diego County was conducted by Los Angeles Times Poll Director I.A. Lewis and Assistant Director Susan Pinkus, based on a random telephone survey of county residences from March 10-13. Surveys were conducted with a total of 1,984 residents, 1,005 of these from the county at large, and 979 drawn solely from North County.

For purposes of the poll, North County was defined as everything north of Miramar and Pomerado roads and Genesee Avenue. Along the coast, Del Mar was the southernmost community. Ramona was the easternmost community included.

The results yielded a total of 1,134 surveys in North County, with 488 of those in the coastal area and 646 in the inland area. The coastal area was defined as all communities that touch the shore, plus the city of Vista. In the rest of the county, a total of 850 people were surveyed.

Only men and women 18 years or older were interviewed. The results were weighted to take into account such factors as age, gender, employment, race and education.

The poll is subject to a 3% margin of error, meaning it is 95% certain that the results are within 3 percentage points of what they would be if everyone in the county had been interviewed. The margin of error for any subgroups, such as coastal and inland North County or longtime residents versus newcomers, would be larger.

Other factors can influence the outcome of a poll, such as the wording of questions or events taking place while the survey is being conducted.

A socioeconomic index has been created for this study using a scaling procedure that relies on a strong correlation among education, income and occupation. For every response in these categories, a score from 1 to 5 is assigned.

The scores are then added, and the totals sorted into three categories, from highest to lowest. Upscale respondents are defined as those with higher educations and incomes, and professional and managerial jobs. Downscale residents are less educated, earn less money, and have blue-collar or service jobs. Midscale people are in between.

THE FACES OF NORTH COUNTY Age (Adults Only) 65 and older: 36% 45-64: 11% 40-44: 26% 26-39: 15% 18-25: 10% Refused to respond: 2% Ethnic Anglo: 79% Latino: 13% Asian: 2% Blacks: 1% Other: 5% Education Postgraduate: 10% College graduate: 15% some advanced schooling: 30% High-school diploma: 24% No high-school diploma: 16% Refused to respond: 5% Head of Household’s Occupation Not in work force, refused to respond: 3% Blue collar: 38% White collar and sales: 14% Professional (such as doctor, engineer): 18% Managerial, Administrative: 27% Time lived in County 6 to 20 years: 51% More than 20 years: 26% Five years or less: 23% Marital Status Married: 63% Divorced, widowed, separated: 24% Single: 10% Refused to respond: 3%

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll.

WHERE THEY STAND POLITICAL BENT Don’t pay attention to politics: 18% Conservative: 34% Middle of the road: 26% Liberal: 21% Don’t know: 1% PARTY AFFILLIATION Don’t think of self in that way; 14% Don’t know: 3% Independent: 21% Republican: 33% Democrat: 26% Something else: 3%

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll.

LEAVING HOME

Most North County residents leave the area at least once a month for other points around the county. Few of them, however, head north to Orange or Los Angeles counties for any reason. As nice as other places might be to visit, the vast majority of North County residents have no intention of moving.

Other than work, what is the main reason you leave North County and go to other areas of San Diego County?

Reason Percent Entertainment 29% Shopping 23% Cultural events 22% Visit friends 18% Medical services 11% Visit Balboa Park 9% Go to beaches 7% Other 3% Don’t go/Don’t know 17%

How often do you leave for that purpose?

Reason Percent More than once a week 29% More than once a month 33% Once a month 28% Less than once a month 10%

For what reason have you left North County during the past month to go to Orange County?

Reason Percent Did not go 69% Visit family 13% Work/Business 9% Other 12%

For what reason have you left North County during the past month to go to Los Angeles County?

Reason Percent Did not go 73% Visit family 15% Work/Business 7% Other 9%

In the past 12 months, have you considered moving out of the community where you now live? If yes, where?

Reason Percent Not moving 74% Elsewhere in North County 3% Elsewhere in San Diego County 4% Elsewhere in Southern California 4% Northern California 4% Out of state 9% Out of country 1% Don’t know 1%

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll.

NORTH COUNTY HOUSING OWN OR RENT Live rent-free: 10% Rent: 27% Own: 62% Don’t know: 1% MONTHLY HOUSING PAYMENT $1,000 or more: 21% $500 to $999: 29% Less than $500: 34% Don’t know: 16%

Note: Where percentages add up to more than 100%, respondents were allowed to make two choices.

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll

HAPPY TO BE HERE

The majority of North County residents express strong satisfaction with where they live, nearly one in three cannot think of any thing they don’t like about it. Those who do have a bone to pick are likely to choose traffic or growth as the bad side of life in their community.

HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH WHERE YOU LIVE? Mostly or entirely satisfied: 62% Somewhat satisfied: 19% Neutral or dissatisfied: 17% Don’t know: 2% WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THE COMMUNITY WHERE YOU NOW LIVE? Proximity to job: 20% Rural atmosphere: 17% Close to family: 14% Affordable housing: 12% Retirement: 10% Quality of schools: 7% Close to beaches: 3% Leisure activity: 2% Other: 12% Don’t know/refused: 3% DOES THAT REASON HOLD TRUE TODAY? YES: 73% NO: 26% DON’T KNOW: 1% WHAT DO YOU LIKE LEAST ABOUT YOUR COMMUNITY? Like Everything:30% Traffic: 20% Rate of Growth: 17% Crime: 8% Lack of Open Spaces: 4% Distance from Work: 2% Quality of Schools: 2% Distance from Family: 2% Air Pollution: 2% Other: 11% Don’t Know: 2% HOW CONFIDENT ARE YOU THAT CHILDREN IN YOUR COMMUNITY WILL GET A GOOD PUBLIC-SCHOOL EDUCATION? A lot or some confidence: 66% Little or no confidence: 22% Don’t know: 12%

NO THERE THERE

North County residents see their region simply as a collection of communities in the same area, rather than as an identifiable placer where people share common concerns. In fact, asked to name the hub of the region, they are most likely to feel the area has no center.

Is North County a place where people have the same common interests or just a geographic group of communities?

Geographic group: 52% Common interests: 35% Don’t know/refused: 13% What is the hub of North County? No hub: 37% Escondido: 22% Don’t know/refused: 14% Other: 12% Carlsbad: 10% Oceanside: 5%

IMMIGRANTS AND NORTH COUNTY

North County residents are very aware of the presence of immigrants: Almost three-fourths say illegal immigration to the area has increased in recent years, and more than a quarter live within half a mile of a migrant worker campsite. They are more inclined to take a dim view of the change than a positive view, although most say they would not mind if more Latinos moved into their neighborhood. They are less sure about how their neighbors would feel, however.

Has the Latino life style changed San Diego County for the better or worse?

Percent Better 15% No change 34% Worse 28% Don’t know/Refused 23%

Are you in favor of some public-school classes being taught in Spanish?

Percent Favor 44% Oppose 42% Don’t know 14%

Has the influx of illegal immigrants into North County increased or decreased during the past five years?

Percent Increased 73% Decreased 1% Stayed about the same 14% Don’t know 12%

Are there any migrant workers’ campsites within one-half mile of your home?

Percent Yes 28% No 56% Don’t know/Refused 16%

Which of the following best describes immigrants’ role in San Diego County?

Role Percent Negative role, total 41% Drive up crime rate 14% Cause property values 5% to go down Put a strain on social 22% services Positive role, total 36% Bring cultural diversity 9% Benefit economy by paying 6% taxes Inexpensive source of labor 21% No opinion 21% Other 2%

How much would it upset you and your neighbors if more Latinos moved into your neighborhood?

Self Neighbors At least somewhat bothered 21% 31% Bothered little or not at all 70% 37% Don’t know 9% 32%

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll

FINANCIAL SQUEEZE

Newcomers to North County pay more money each month for housing yet have lower incomes than longtime residents. Little wonder they are more likely to identify affordable housing as San Diego County’s biggest problem.

People who have lived in San Diego County . . .

Five Years More Than or Less 20 Years Median monthly housing $704 $514 payment Median household income $37,652 $38,608 % of income that goes 22% 16% toward housing Say affordable housing is 34% 23% county’s biggest problem Homeowners 48% 64%

Source: Los Angeles Times Poll