STUDENT LEADER
MiraCosta College student Ian Vargas Polo has been appointed to the California Community Colleges Board of Governors, the statewide body that helps guide the state’s community college system. He will help inform policy and conversations affecting 116 colleges and approximately 2.2 million students in California.
HONOR SOCIETY
Savannah Garrison of Encinitas was recently elected into the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective all-discipline collegiate honor society, at the University of Southern California.
WOMEN’S FUND
The Rancho Santa Fe Women’s Fund kicked off its 2026-2027 membership year in mid-September by bringing together more than 80 members and guests. This year’s focus is on youth and women’s services with organizations typically seeking between $25,000 to $75,000. Submissions have already closed and grants will be awarded in May 2027.
DEPUTY CITY MANAGER
Natalie Jacobs has been promoted to Vista’s deputy city manager. Jacobs previously served as human resources director and brings more than 22 years of public service experience to the role. She joins the city’s executive leadership team alongside City Manager John Conley and Assistant City Manager Imelda M. Huerta.
HALL OF FAME
Escondido resident, drummer and vocalist Larry Grano will be inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame on Oct. 16. Previous North County honorees include jazz guitarist Peter Sprague (2024), alt-folk singer Cindy Lee Berryhill (2024), percussionist Monette Marino (2023) and songwriter Jack Tempchin (2018), all of Encinitas, plus San Marcos’ Lisa Sanders (2021) and the late blues singer Candye Kane (Oceanside, 2019).
HAZARDS APP
U.S. Coast Guard veteran and Escondido resident Michael Harlow and his wife, Melissa, have launched a free iPhone app called, What Can Kill Me, which identifies hazards people have reported — from rattlesnakes to rip currents — on the same map as live National Weather Service alerts, NASA satellite fire detections and park closures. The couple launched the app after Melissa nearly touched a venomous cone snail on a night snorkel in French Polynesia. More at whatcankillmeapp.com.
