Our Readers Write: Welcome sign, vending and more

Letters to the editor:

Let’s have several ideas to choose from for La Jolla welcome sign

The one welcome sign that was featured in the La Jolla Light article (“Welcome to La Jolla’: Shores group backs concept for sign at median in ‘The Throat,’” May 19) has had some different reactions — some critical and many humorous for such a large proposed welcome sign (a bit of laughter at its very “Las Vegas” look but positive in that creating a nicer entrance is so needed).

This proposal for a “Welcome to La Jolla” sign would be at the triangular median at La Jolla Shores Drive and Torrey Pines Road.

(Courtesy of Trace Wilson)

I would like to propose this thought. We are very happy that so many groups are looking to clean up and improve our Village, especially its entrance. To create more of a shared community feeling, why not have three or four finalists to choose from for the welcome sign?

If it is put out to bid to designers, artists, sign professionals or city, it could be a fun community event and hopefully engage people in how we see La Jolla for the future.

Those of us who have long lived in our Village would like to be proud of our entrance and would like to see “The Jewel” polished. It’s time!

Arlene Powers

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Vending at The Cove is out of control

The vendor situation at La Jolla Cove is out of control (“Will delay in regulations on San Diego’s coast make La Jolla even more attractive to sidewalk vendors?” June 9, La Jolla Light). A few things to think about:

• These vendors typically use one or two cars to stage their wares, which are there all day. I counted 30-plus tents a few weeks back. If we average 1.5 cars per tent, this is 45 parking spots that the public and tourists don’t have access to. This lack of parking is making tourists go elsewhere. This means fewer dollars for the local businesses. This isn’t my opinion — I hear people talking about it constantly while I’m down there.

• There is absolute disregard for the beauty of the park and for its resources. Evidence of this are the tire tracks on the grass from a vendor driving across the grass to set up, and dead grass everywhere from vendors placing their coolers and wares in the same spot for 10-plus hours every day.

• This spot used to be a place of natural beauty — now it resembles a swap meet.

Can the powers that be think about the economic and otherwise damaging impact of the above and act?

Seth Maxton

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Reader’s poem expresses a gun’s lament

The recent article “Local schools stress and assess campus safety in the wake of Texas school shooting” (June 2, La Jolla Light) has inspired me to write a poem:

“Silent Screams, Shuttered Dreams”

No more! I am tired of being fired as a shooting gun. I dream to be reborn as a joy-bringing shining sun.

How do you like to live in fear that some crazy guy will pull the trigger? Witnessing massacre after massacre, wondering why. Go figure!

What if I try to hide, nowhere to be found? Enough bodies have fallen to the ground.

To what purpose do we create life, leaving in place a law leading to a violent end?

Cold-blooded, cruel heart. A sick fantasy? Filthy fingers of the fanatic killer’s hand.

My whole being weeps! Mourning with every family, soul after soul, a thousand lips silently pray.

I meditate on how can we best support a suffering parent to find the strength to survive day after day?

When a man turns a weapon into a killing machine, I feel helpless and ashamed to be a gun.

Please, can you forgive me, knowing that I wished and hoped to be used only as an “arm of protection” and never, never to kill your son!

Jaruska Solyova

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Private matters are getting too public

Passing by my former [La Jolla] residence facility on the beach, I noticed a new flag waving under our national ensign. The LGBTQ+ pride flag honors Pride Month, I presume.

Graciously acknowledging one’s sexual proclivity is one thing; demanding that everyone celebrate and salute an otherwise private activity is another.

I pray that someday America will come to its senses and realize that there are far more important issues to elevate to national attention and that that beautiful facility will embrace those issues as enthusiastically as it embraced the subject matter represented by the multicolored banner on its flagpole.

Monty Nereim

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Don’t humans deserve the same concern as sea lions?

It would be entertaining if the issue wasn’t so serious, i.e., the hue and cry with folks getting all worked up over seashore visitors getting too close to baby seals and sea lions.

But what about having the same sense of concern about the abortion of baby humans? C’mon man, where’s the outrage?

Lou Cumming

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What’s on YOUR mind?

Letters published in the La Jolla Light express views from readers about community matters. Submissions of related photos also are welcome. Letters reflect the writers’ opinions and not necessarily those of the newspaper staff or publisher. Letters are subject to editing. To share your thoughts in this public forum, email them with your first and last names and city or neighborhood of residence to robert.vardon@lajollalight.com. You also can submit a letter online at lajollalight.com/submit-a-letter-to-the-editor. The deadline is 10 a.m. Monday for publication in that week’s paper. Letters without the writer’s name cannot be published. Letters from the same person are limited to one in a 30-day period. ◆