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Residents of Imperial Beach now have a new place to shop for quality organic foods, everyday products, and local produce. After a 10-year wait, SunCoast Market Co-op officially opened its doors on Saturday, January 31, with a big celebration. A long line of customers waited to enter the store right after the ribbon cutting and were ready to peruse and shop. The market features hot foods to go, a salad bar, sushi, and locally made products such as quiches by La Flamme Fraçaise and coffee by Visitor Coffee, among others.

Board members were excited and emotional about the opening day. Ten years ago, a group of locals decided to open a market that would fit the needs of the community. Stores like Trader Joe’s and others had turned the city down, so the group took action. Thanks to much fundraising, grants, and membership drives, the $4 million store opening was made possible.

Co-op Board President Kim Frink recalled some of the first exploratory meetings, which then-Mayor Serge Dedina attended in December 2015. She credited him with helping the board get the first grant. Frink also talked about the OB People’s Market, which was instrumental in guiding the group.

Board Member Shannon Ratliff was amazed at the number of people who showed up to the grand opening celebration. She said the store is the physical evidence of community, which is hard to find in this day and age. The dream was of opening the store with community in mind — buying from local farmers and producers and providing a direct pathway to customers, lifting up local businesses, and giving better options to locals.

Frink thanked many donors, volunteers, and organizations, including the American Heart Association; the City of Imperial Beach; the County of San Diego; private individuals; the Local Enterprise Assistance Fund; March & Ash; Neighborhood National Bank; the Previs Foundation; San Diego International Airport; and San Diego Community Power.

District 1 Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said the tenacious team made the impossible possible. “For many years, we were told Imperial Beach was not worthy of a store offering healthy foods, healthy produce… Sprouts, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s turned us down. What did we do? We said Hell no, we deserve better.’” Aguirre presented a proclamation on behalf of the entire County Board of Supervisors to the co-op, declaring January 31, 2026, SunCoast Market Co-op Day in the county.

Mayor Pro Tem Jack Fisher has been an active supporter of the co-op. He has donated his time as a professional chef, participated in fundraisers, taught cooking classes, and held demonstrations at the Farmer’s Market. “Greatness is not measured by what you do, but what it takes to get to where you are at,” he said. Fisher also praised SunCoast for bringing a true Farmer’s Market to Imperial Beach, where farmers and local businesses brought their wares to sell. He also reminded the attendees that the “store will not survive on your congratulations…will only survive if you shop here and spend you hard earned money here.”

After the celebration, which included samples, coffee, and cake for the attendees, three generations of Imperial Beach residents were the first shoppers to enter the store. Michelle Albanez lives within walking distance and shopped with her daughter and father. “We’ve been waiting a long time. For so many years, we were denied by other stores,” she said. Albanez said the items seemed reasonably priced, and she plans to shop at the co-op regularly.

Another shopper, Bonnie Grosvenor, said she was impressed with the store. She used to live in Imperial Beach before moving and traveled from North County for the opening. Grosvenor is a sommelier and helped with one of SunCoast fundraisers a few summers ago.

“I wanted to see this come to fruition,” she said. “I’m impressed. Everything looks so fresh and inviting.”

VOL. 42, NO. 6 - Feb. 5, 2026

Information Table

Monday, February 9, 2026, 3:00 to 4:00 p.m., Imperial Beach Library, 810 Imperial Beach Boulevard

The IBCC Information Table will be set up inside the library this coming Monday. Imperial Beach Community Clinic (IBCC) works to promote a healthy community by providing quality health care and resources, with a focus on the underserved. Imperial Beach Community Clinic is a family-friendly health care organization serving San Diego’s South Bay since 1971.

This information table provides the community with general information about IBCC services.

For more information, visit https://www.ibclinic.org/ or contact IBCC at (619) 429-3733 or info@ibclinic.org.

VOL. 42, NO. 6 - Feb. 5, 2026

After years of community planning, organizing, fundraising and build-out, Suncoast Market Co-op will celebrate the grand opening of its full-service, community-owned grocery store with a Grand Opening Celebration and Ribbon Cutting on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at 600 Palm Ave., Suite 107, Imperial Beach, CA 91932.

The festivities will run from 9:00am to 12:00pm; speakers and ribbon cutting are scheduled for 9:00-9:30am.

Created by and for South County residents, Suncoast Market Co-op is a community-owned grocery store. They are opening with a “hybrid” store model, intentionally combining natural, organic, local, and specialty foods with mainstream, value-priced staples and culturally specific products from many traditions. SunCoast will also offer great fresh produce, bulk, bakery, deli grab and go items, a hot food bar and salad bar.

In the coming months, Suncoast will also expand access to local and responsibly sourced food, including locally grown produce and an ever-growing number of products from regional makers, inside a welcoming store rooted in cooperation, sustainability and community connection.

Grand Opening Celebration highlights include:

• Guest speakers, including County of San Diego Supervisor Paloma Aguirre and City of Imperial Beach Mayor Pro Tem, Jack Fisher

• Giveaways

• Delicious food samples

• Music by radio personality and DJ Xavier “The X-Man®”

“This opening represents the power of people coming together to meet a shared need,” said Kim Rivero Frink, Board President of Suncoast Market Co-op. “Every shelf, product and decision reflects community input and ownership. This is more than a grocery store; it’s a shared investment in our local economy and food system.”

Unlike conventional grocery stores, co-ops are owned by the community they serve. Members have a voice in how the store operates, profits are reinvested locally, and decisions are guided by shared values rather than distant shareholders.

Suncoast Market Co-op is open to everyone to shop, and community members may choose to become member-owners to help shape the co-op’s future.

“This moment belongs to everyone who believed in the vision,” Frink added. “We invite the whole community to celebrate, meet neighbors and help us open the doors to a new chapter for local food and community connection.”

VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Jan. 29, 2026

IB Records & Radio and the Imperial Beach Historical Society have come together for a project to celebrate the city’s 70th anniversary. IB Records & Radio owner Joe Tames has recorded about 50 podcasts so far discussing music with locals — on topics such as their first concert, how their siblings’ or parents’ music taste influenced them, vinyl nostalgia, and more. But he has taken on another project as of late.

On a recent Sunday, Tames, with producer Brandon Bazile, recorded a podcast interview with two Imperial Beach siblings, Dominic Russo and Rose Russo Cousineau. “We’re trying to recreate what Frida did,” explained John Rendine, president of the Imperial Beach Historical Society. Rendine refers to Freda Elliott and Mary Jane Ethington, who, in 1976, conducted interviews with long-time residents of the city. The recordings are on cassette tapes, and the society is working on digitizing the audio. Tames is excited about the project and plans to conduct more historical interviews.

A few people witnessed the interview, including me, Rendine, Rebecca Ord Taylor, a member of the Historical Society, and her mother, Connie Wood Ord, who is friends with the Russos.

The Russo family moved to Imperial Beach from Detroit, where they owned a market. Rose recalled that the idea to move to Imperial Beach came from a customer of the market who told their dad about the city. The customer had moved to Imperial Beach and encouraged their dad to move. The Russos’ dad first visited Imperial Beach in 1950 on his own to check out the place, then moved his family. Before moving, the siblings had never been to California.

In Detroit, the Russo family had a grocery store and a meat market in the back. The store is where Dominic learned to make sandwiches. Once in Imperial Beach, the Russos opened Russo Market, a grocery store located in the current Ye Olde Plank Inn space. Dominic graduated from Mar Vista High School in 1954 and Rose the next year in 1955. Dominic played football at Mar Vista as a guard, and he recalls playing a game against Oceanside. One of his memories includes catching Oceanside player C.R. Roberts after he caught the ball. Roberts went on to play at USC and later as a professional with the San Francisco 49ers.

The family lived above the market, and the two siblings also worked there. In 1957, Dominic opened a little restaurant next to the market that served sandwiches, hamburgers, and pizzas. Dominic recalls that local resident Bud Harbin painted the sign “Dominic” on the wall of his restaurant. He recalls palm trees on the side of the street and not much traffic in town. With the Navy base nearby, his restaurant served many servicemembers. The building was divided into two. One side was the Russo Market and the restaurant. The other side had a fire in 1972 that damaged the entire structure, and the building was condemned. “After the fire, it was too expensive to rebuild,” said Rose. The fire started with a toaster that burned curtains nearby and caused a flash fire. “The insurance man had told my dad to increase his insurance, but he decided not to,” recalled Dominic. The building was torn down, and Dominic went to work at Roma Bakery, where he stayed for 30-plus years. He was an excellent baker and even made his own wedding cake, a 6-layer cake featuring a waterfall at the bottom. Dominic also recalls making 10 lb. sourdough bread for restaurants that preferred the large size because they used it to make garlic bread. Dominic also delivered bread house to house, and one day, he fell asleep while driving and had an accident. He hurt his knee and back and had to stop delivering.

The Russos said that before they moved to Imperial Beach and opened the market, the space had already been used as a grocery store, and going back in time, it had served as the stables for the Hotel del Coronado horses. At one point, a trailer park was also on the spot. Seacoast Drive was called First Street, and the lifeguard station was located in front of their store/restaurant. The siblings said Saturdays were the busiest days with people going to the beach and ordering food from the restaurant. “There was always somebody surfing,” recalled Rose.

Tames asked the Russos what they would like to change about their lives. Rose wished she had finished college, and Dominic wished for “a little more patience.”

Rose said her high school class was the first to go through 10th to 12th grade in the newly built Mar Vista High School. Dominic first attended Chula Vista High School and finished at Mar Vista once the building was finished. Rose was a cheerleader at Southwestern.

Rose keeps up with her classmates. In 1988, she helped her younger brother organize a high school reunion, and since then, she has been involved with reunions, starting one for her class. She sends a monthly newsletter to her classmates, and they meet for a monthly breakfast on the first Friday of the month at the VFW.

Dominic was in the Army, in the 101st Division, for two years. While his superiors wanted him to stay, he decided to leave. He feels fortunate about that decision because the Vietnam War began shortly after.

The Historical Society plans to have archived podcasts and related information available online in the future.

The Historical Society asks anyone who is interested in talking about their experience living, working, or visiting Imperial Beach to contact ibhs.info@imperialbeachhistoricalsociety.org.

Imperial Beach Records & Radio will start broadcasting a morning show on Feb. 13, featuring songs from the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s at the top of the hour. The show will be broadcast through Ibrecordsradio.com. Tames plans to have a full radio station by May 1.

VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Jan. 29, 2026

In response to the ongoing Tijuana River sewage crisis, the San Diego Board of Supervisors recommended funding for infrastructure repairs at the Saturn Boulevard hotspot — a known source of toxic airborne emissions — and critical public health studies.

The proposal, authored by Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Board Chair Pro Tem Paloma Aguirre, is the result of months of work by the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on the Tijuana River Sewage Crisis and calls for the allocation of $4.75 million from the Unlocked Reserves Framework. This effort is designed to bypass federal and state gridlock, providing direct investments to reduce toxic exposure in the near term while also generating the data necessary to fully understand long-term health impacts and guide future interventions.

A central component of the proposal is $2.5 million for a temporary infrastructure fix at the Saturn Boulevard hotspot. The project would construct a temporary pipe extension designed to reduce turbulence and limit the aerosolization of hydrogen sulfide and other potentially harmful compounds.

“The Tijuana River sewage crisis requires both long-term solutions and action now,” said Chair Terra Lawson-Remer. “We’re moving on both tracks at once, advancing permanent fixes while taking immediate steps to reduce the toxic exposure San Diegans face every day.”

“Our communities are tired of being told to wait. Dismissing this pollution is an insult to those living through it,” said Supervisor Paloma Aguirre. “This $2.5 million fix for Saturn Boulevard provides immediate relief while we pursue permanent funding. This isn’t just a sewage issue—it’s a public health emergency, and it’s time we fund it like one.”

Subcommittee’s Proposal, Which Includes:

$2,500,000 for Saturn Boulevard Infrastructure: Capital funding to construct a temporary pipe extension to mitigate toxic airborne emissions at a known sewage “hotspot.”

$2,000,000 for a Long-Term Epidemiological Study: A comprehensive, multi-year health study to track and quantify the health outcomes of residents exposed to chronic contamination.

$250,000 for a Retrospective Health Study: An immediate analysis of historical health data to identify existing patterns of illness linked to the river valley.

Strategic Partnerships: Formalizing agreements with the City of San Diego and the U.S. Navy to expedite construction and site access.

VOL. 42, NO. 5 - Jan. 29, 2026

This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

On Digital and Bluray from writer/director Hikari and Searchlight Pictures is a stunning look at what we need for our lives sometimes with a RENTAL FAMILY.

Phillip Vanderploeg (Brendan Frasier) has been living in Japan for the last seven years working on his acting career mostly known for a toothpaste commercial. Minor roles here and there, he meets Shinji (Takehiro Hira), the owner of Rental Family who asks him to come in and talk. Trying to earn a living, he goes to the office to hear what Shinji has to say. He explains to Phillip that the job is to play-act family members and friends as the “token” white guy. He also meets staff Aiko (Mari Yamamoto) who isn’t thrilled with him and young Kota (Kimura Bun).

Agreeing to try, his first job is to ‘marry’ a woman named Yoshie to make her parents happy and leaving for Canada. Almost backing out at the last minute, Phillip begins to understand the concept. His next assignment is to be a ‘father’ to the young Mia (Shannon Mahina Gorman) as mom Hitomi (Shino Shinozaki) wants to get her into an excellent private school. Another assignment at the same time is being a journalist to retired actor Kikuo Hasegawa (Akira Emoto) under the guise of writing about his life.

Mia isn’t thrilled about meeting her father, Kevin, and is going to make sure that he knows of her anger. The more time they spend together, Mia warms up to him and Phillip is moved by how charming and wonderful she is. Meeting with Kikuo, Phillip learns so much about one of Japan’s beloved actors. Long walks and even longer talks, the respect is created between the two. So much so that Kikuo wants to take a trip but knows his daughter won’t allow it.

But secrets have a way of coming to the surface and Phillip has to decide what to do and how to handle those he has come to care for.

Frasier as Phillip has found a home in Japan and wants to stay but the jobs are scarce and the roles are not exactly what he wants. Finding Rental Family means he would finally have money in his pocket until more roles come his way. The problem is, he finds that perhaps caring about someone other than yourself means putting your heart out. When that happens, he discovers that there are more people around him that need the same thing he does – to be acknowledged. I just love Frasier in this role watching the layers peel back in his relationship with Mia and Kikuo. Such a sweet, sad and charming character Phillip is.

Hira as Shinji is in the business of making the lives of people better by providing something that his culture has a difficult time with. Such as the “apology” package just to name a few. Excited to have Phillip on board, he also holds a secret of his own about life in his own home. There is a double side to Hira’s character but, like Phillip, it is a slow process of peeling back the layers to find the heart that beats beneath.

Yamamoto as Aiko is a stubborn character but she has every right to be. The cases she takes are a bit harsher and the cracks in that are showing. Yamamoto knows what works and when it doesn’t for her anymore, I love her answer to it. Gorman as Mia is a young girl who is thrust into a situation created by her mother. Believing she finally has a father, she also finds someone else on her side and it is so beautiful to watch, until it isn’t.

Emoto as Kikuo reminded me so much of my own grandfather. Spending time with him as he got older, there were moments of remembrance that were heart wrenching and yet filled with love. Emoto gives his story in pieces until it all comes together and Phillip is a witness to the past that still lives with him. Emoto is amazing and wonderful.

Other cast include Sei Matobu as Masami Hasegawa and Misato Morita as Yoshie.

Searchlight Pictures is responsible for such films as SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, 12 YEARS A SLAVE, THE SHAPE OF WATER and THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING MISSOURI. They have an extensive film library as well as documentaries, scripted series, and limited series. For more information, please visit www.searchlightpictures.com.

MOVIES ANYWHERE gives viewers the ability to download the Movies Anywhere App. With that you can view films by downloading or streaming to your favorite device using a Digital Code. For more information on Movies Anywhere please visit www.MoviesAnywhere.com.

Digital & Bluray Bonus Features include Rental Family Revealed, Deleted and Extended Scenes: Columbus, Crying Session, Apology, Aiko’s First Client, Clearbright, Tickets, Audition, Phone Call and Final Montage.

RENTAL FAMILY is definitely a different kind of film. I’m sure we have all thought at one time or another that it would be cool to just hire someone to take the brunt of family expectations and then walk away. I’ll admit I have! Director Hikari captures such deep emotion that is cool on the surface but with time and patience, he shows us what really lives inside the hearts of these characters.

Keeping the scenes simple, it allows the audience to feel the relatability although, the scene with the white blossoms is nothing short of breathtaking. Then again, that’s what the whole film is really, one breathtaking moment after another in the lives of people just trying to find their way through situations in their lives. Make sure you have tissue handy because it is that kind of film.

In the end – we all need family!