Dick Daniels has been a public relations practitioner the past 34 years and presently operates a regional firm bearing his name and based in Escondido. He has been in leadership positions with several community and business organizations, including as a former chairman of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce and a past president of the 200-member Escondido Rotary Club. In November 2006, Daniels was elected to the Escondido City Council where he served as mayor pro tem and a member of the council’s Economic Development and Budget subcommittees before leaving office in 2010 after an unsuccessful bid for mayor. Daniels was named one of The Daily Transcript’s Top Influentials in 2008.

Several recent events have helped brand Escondido as the haven for anything with wheels. While its new-car dealerships are second only to San Diego, its city-of-wheels image extends beyond how many vehicles are for sale.

Growing numbers of voters will have fewer local elected officials to complain to and about, thanks to a broad-swathed California law that is chopping cities and school districts into political fiefdoms.

For longer than anyone can remember, there have been chambers of commerce in place to protect and promote business enterprise within their areas of influence.