Welcome to the Seaside Signal. In every issue and online, we bring you the local news you need to know.

Softball progress

The Seaside School District received a major boost with approval of a conditional use permit to expand the Broadway Park softball field that would include a parking area north of the Sunset Recreation Center, added seating for spectators, fencing, a backstop and an announcer’s booth.

Representatives from the Seaside School District appeared before the Planning Commission on April 4 to request a conditional use permit to expand the Broadway Park softball field that would include a parking area north of the Sunset Recreation Center, added seating for spectators, fencing, a backstop and an announcer’s booth.

The project will include the relocation of the Herche Training Facility and the community gardens.

The commission approval is a key component of the district’s plan to meet dates set by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights to complete work on a softball field that meets Title IX requirements.

Gearhart concerns

A vehicle fire on April 5 drew attention to a growing collection of RVs and overnight homeless campers on Glenn Avenue. While no one was hurt, the fire posed a threat to a nearby trailer, which had pets inside. This follows a vandalism incident at the restroom adjacent to the city’s tennis courts.

Police are limited in their options, city staff say, and have enlisted the services of a legal firm to craft regulations on homeless camping.

A state law approved in 2021 requires regulations against camping to be “objectively reasonable” toward homeless people. 

Read more here.

Family tragedy

A local family suffered a second tragedy within three months after Seaside Middle School sixth-grader Rafael Jr. Nolazco Luna was killed in a car crash on March 27.

In late December, Rafael’s uncle and cousins Bonifacio Nolazco-Pineda, 41, Justin Nolazco-Pedraza, 19, and Alana Nolazco-Pedraza, 4, were killed after a tree fell on the roof of their truck on U.S. Highway 26.

In the Signal, Rafael Jr.’s sister Dania Rodriguez, provides a fond reminiscence of her brother, his warm greetings, his positive moods, his love of Oakley the family dog and passion for sports.

“He was kind, outgoing, handsome, smart, funny and full of life,” she said. “In his memory, we are humbly reaching out for community support. Any help would alleviate some of the hardships my parents are currently facing and be sincerely appreciated.”

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