Opinion

Opinion / Guest Commentary: Many evening television shows investigate Bigfoot, aliens or haunted places. The investigative team never finds Bigfoot or aliens. Occasionally, ghost hunters record dubious paranormal events. And although I believe aliens exist and I do believe in ghosts — I do, I do, I do — I’m more focused on those odd, mundane and exasperating things that occur here in La Jolla: The La Jolla Driver, Alleged La Jolla Package Stealer, La Jolla Parking Space Saver, The Amazing Multiplying Shopper, Lack of Common Sense Monster, and more.

After four months of operation, La Jolla MAD (Maintenance Assessment District) vendors have performed a complete cleaning of The Village. Most of the deferred maintenance in The Village has been addressed. Now, MAD continues the cycle of regular maintenance. Sidewalk power-washing will be performed quarterly in Zone 1 of The Village. Landscape maintenance will cycle through the entire Village every three weeks. And, litter control occurs daily.

Opinion / Letters to the Editor / Our Readers Write: The following are Letters to the Editor from recent issues of La Jolla Light as La Jollans speak out on local issues.

Empty storefronts are bad for business. And bad for the communities they serve. We moved to Bird Rock nearly one year ago from the Bay Area and have loved the small town feel of our new community. We love the walkability to shops and restaurants, and the spectacular ocean views. But in our year here, we’ve also seen more barren storefronts and struggling merchants. While I can’t magically make new businesses locate here, I do have some ideas for generating a more businesses that will engage locals and visitors alike to our charming village by the sea. It will take the energy and creativity of our local community, businesses and landlords to make these changes but all are possible.

In my January 2020 update, I reported the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) was poised to approve a $3 billion plan to dramatically expand San Diego International Airport. This plan will result in 11 new gates and an undetermined number of “Remain Overnights” (RONS), which are jet parking places for the increased number of late-night arrivals and resulting early morning departures. We thought the additional RONS were going to be eliminated from the plan as a result of Quite Skies La Jolla advocacy, but the Airport Authority has not clarified its intent. As expected, the SDCRAA approved its Development Plan and related Environmental Impact Report clearing the way for an increase in arriving flights from 36 per hour in 2019 to 50 per hour in the not too distant future.

This report provides a snapshot of La Jolla’s Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) operations for the first three months since maintenance work began. It has taken MAD and its vendors all of this time to finally get a handle on so much deferred maintenance in The Village. But, we have turned the corner and are now focusing on the routine activities that will ensure a visibly cleaner and fresher look in town. As work progressed during this period, we noticed two issues that became more and more evident as time passed.