OUR READERS WRITE: Letters from the Jan. 18 issue of La Jolla Light

Remember, there’s still a plan for an Independent La Jolla!

I support recent letter-writer Mike Ebert in his opinion that La Jolla is a mess. I’ve been here most of my life, and as long as we are part of the City of San Diego, our community will only get worse! The City has no money and if it did, we would be the last on the list to receive much. San Diego is too big and its communities are like having too many children — some will go without new shoes and others without food.

Look at the cities of Del Mar and Solana Beach. They are beautiful, not a flower out of place, no cracked sidewalks, no street potholes. Why is that? Because when you’re your own city, you can contract for your services. You do not pay $80 to fix a pothole, you pay $8. San Diego blew it, and now and forever, its funds must go to paying pensions.

Friends of WindanSea looked at fixing a set of beach stairs with the City and it was over $85,000. We worked with a local builder and it was $35,000. If you figure smaller cities save millions of dollars every year this way, you see why they look great in every way.

I love La Jolla and have worked most of my life to make it better, and the only way that is going to happen is when we get our freedom. We must become an independent city. The time has come. We will need the blessing of a “yes” vote from all San Diego, which I believe is possible. Did you know Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Point Loma are all thinking about leaving, too? If we are all unhappy and vote for each other, we will be free!

We can afford to be our own city. The ballot election price and process is around $2 million. I’m sure there’s someone in this community who would like to be the founder of the City of La Jolla.

And there is another avenue we could take that would cost around $150,000. That would be to retain an attorney to sue for the right to be our own city. It has been done, and we’ve already proven that we produce enough tax money to well afford to be our own entity. I know we can do a better and cheaper job than the City of San Diego. A local lawyer could lead the way.

Questions? Please visit independentlajolla.org for the answers. There is a process in place to make this happen.

Melinda Merryweather

Village residence goes from town home to flop house

Let this serve as a cautionary tale to all La Jollans ... I’ve lived in a town home on Draper Avenue for 21 years. Bougainvillea. Hummingbirds. A parade of energetic kids walking to The Bishop’s School every morning. You know, the quintessential La Jolla experience.

And despite sharing a common wall with my neighbors, things have been quiet, peaceful even. That’s about to change, though.

My neighbors have moved out and they’re turning their town home into a “Vacation Home” that’s available to outside parties to rent. No crime there, and increasingly common in La Jolla.

However, they’ve turned all the rooms (except the kitchen area and bathrooms) into bedrooms and they’re advertising it on Zillo and VRBO as capable of sleeping 24 people.

Yes, 24 people. The house is now filled with queen beds, double beds, and bunk beds. The living room is a sea of beds. The dining room? No table. Just beds.

With that many beds, you could house the defensive and offensive line of the Los Angeles Chargers and still have beds left over for the punter and field goal kicker. Almost all the people in the “A” boarding group of Southwest flight 241 to Las Vegas could spend the night there in the event of fog. You could sleep both the Osmond family and the Jackson family.

Needless to say, I am hugely upset. I foresee endless stretches of sleepless nights from the noise. I foresee enormous piles of rat-infested trash. And I foresee an even tougher-than-normal battle to find a parking space in La Jolla.

I’ve called City Council member Barbra Bry’s office, and despite her much-ballyhooed interest in regulating such vacation homes, my complaint was met with a “Wow,” but little else. The staff said they couldn’t do anything about it. They didn’t even bother to get my name and phone number.

So I’ll continue to fight, write letters, complain, and if possible, seek a legal remedy, but all La Jolla homeowners should beware of this scenario. You might be the next one to find yourself living next to a flophouse.

Terry Luoma

Excellent story on colorful bus riders

Corey Levitan’s article on Bus 30 on the cover of the Jan. 11 La Jolla Light issue was outstanding. Interviewing several riders was sooo creative. Thank you, Corey!

Art Miley

CVS drugstore needs attention

I decided to pull my prescriptions from the CVS drugstore at 7525 Eads Ave. because of the filth around the building and the homeless people loitering there. The outside is littered with old periodicals, empty alcohol bottles, even blankets on the ground. This is unacceptable. I picked some of these items out and put them in a cart. After never being able to find a manager or someone to whom I could vent my frustrations, I decided they do not deserve my business any more. The staff said they only have one person once a week to “clean up.” I wrote CVS corporate about this location, I hope it will not fall on deaf ears.

Anne Gilchrist

Editor’s Note: La Jolla Light reached out to CVS store manager Nicole who was happy to report that residents and shoppers will see an improvement as of Feb. 1, when Diamond Parking will begin monitoring the drugstore parking lot and grounds. Nicole said she believes Diamond Parking staff will be key to stemming the distressing conditions around the store. She added that although CVS employees do a cleanup around the store each evening, better results should come with continuous monitoring by the parking lot patrol.

Track acccess cards a win-win for high school and community

An open letter to La Jolla High School Principal Podhorsky: For over a year, many of us have brought to your attention a sincere request to open the high school track for limited public use. Several community groups have also voiced their support. The issue is well understood. One proposal is a simple card access system. A fee of $20 per year will ensure only interested (and known to the school) individuals use the track.

Users can also sign a waiver to relieve the school of any legal liabilities. This approach does not require any school staff supervision and there is no opportunity for misuse or vandalism or excessive wear and tear. This request is only for individuals who cannot afford a large rental track fee. Large groups can always rent the track for a significant fee as you have already offered.

If installing the access system is a cost burden, the user community can explore fundraising and also facilitate card management. The people who will benefit are those who live around the high school and neighborhoods — senior citizens, proud parents, school alumni and active citizens — only those with a need for a level walking and jogging track for brief periods over the week and only off-school hours.

Your support will be a great enhancement to the high quality of life in La Jolla. We are eagerly looking forward to your response.

Sri Iyengar

Support for Bry stance on Soccer City

I was proud to read City Council member Bry’s interview in the Jan. 4 issue about her first year in office. The article reaffirms my strong support for the Council member. The past year brought significant challenges to the San Diego City Council and Bry stood strong throughout — grounded in independent analysis, never bowing to pressure or wavering on her values.

Bry handled the toughest of challenges with grace, working to understand the root of issues and fight for her constituents. This is evident in her push against the flawed SoccerCity initiative. Although Mission Valley may seem like a far distance from our district, Bry wisely recognized how the proposal would impact us all.

I agree with her sentiment that this proposal is a “rip-off for taxpayers.” SoccerCity is more than that — it is a land grab of our public land by private investors, the wrong solution for San Diego’s future, and would bring traffic nightmares to Mission Valley and surrounding communities every day of the year. Kudos, Councilmember Bry, on a great year of work. I look forward to an undoubtedly exciting year ahead.

Joe LaCava

You’re invited to The State of District 1 talk, Jan. 25

Please join us for the first annual ‘State of the District Address,’ 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 25 at University City High School, 6949 Genesee Ave. (Doors open at 6 p.m.) We hope you can attend. Please RSVP by no later than Jan. 18 to barbarabry@sandiego.gov

Council President Pro Tem Barbara Bry

CORRECTIONS

The Jan. 11 feature story, “Out painting the town: Athenaeum teen program fosters community of art-interested youth” should have said that the artist teachers leading the program are paid. They are not volunteers.

The Dec. 21 story about Robin Katz joining Harvard Cookin’ Girl seems to have caused some confusion. Chef Katz joined Harvard Cookin’ Girl to handle day-to-day management, extend the portfolio of events and sell her line of Nola Rose Chocolates. Bibi Kasrai will still own, oversee and participate in corporate events at the cooking school, 7441 Girard Ave.