Our Readers Write: UCSD chancellor, street work, ‘ghost kitchens’

USCD chancellor has had many benefits for university and community

In his letter to the editor, “UCSD shouldn’t have kept Khosla, much less given him a raise” (Our Readers Write, May 4, La Jolla Light), the writer [Karl Myers] rebukes UCSD for not “jumping at the opportunity to be rid of” Chancellor [Pradeep] Khosla and giving him a $500,000-per-year raise, and Khosla for problems resulting from the university’s expansion. He also takes Irwin Jacobs to task “for contributing to this cause.”

I agree the raise seems excessive — a national issue — and that expansion brings problems. However, the letter makes no mention of Mr. Khosla’s and the university’s expansion-related benefits: first-rate art exhibits, lectures, theater and musical performances; important science research; impressive academic successes.

Irwin Jacobs’ generous financial support helped.

In its Sept. 9 issue, Forbes listed UC San Diego third among the nation’s top public universities.

Mr. Khosla should also be remembered for his courageous support of political diversity. In our May 19, 2022, letter to the editor, my husband and I congratulated Khosla for supporting a Palestinian’s right to speak on UCSD’s campus despite a strong backlash. Such courageous leaders are in short supply and deserve the community’s support.

Ethel Sweed

— — —

Why do unnecessary work when there’s work that needs to be done?

I awoke one morning to the noise of a grinder blade planing a non-existent irregularity on the surface of the concrete sidewalk in front of my house. I went outside to inquire.

By then, two men with noise-protective headgear were tape-measuring the previously smooth and now even smoother sidewalk seam and using a blower to send concrete dust airborne.

These city-hired subcontractors from a private concrete company were performing astoundingly unnecessary make-work.

An adjacent small roadway and its sidewalkless curb are fissured and disintegrating, but that was not the day’s work order. One of the men cheerfully suggested I “call the city” about that.

Frances O’Neill Zimmerman

— — —

Will ‘ghost kitchens’ eventually haunt us?

I am writing to share my concerns about the rise of “ghost kitchens” and their potential impact on our community. As a La Jolla resident, I have noticed an increase in food delivery services during the pandemic, and it appears that ghost kitchens are becoming more prevalent in our area.

Ghost kitchens, or cloud kitchens, are virtual restaurants that cater exclusively to food delivery customers. As Eddy Burback explains in his video “The Deceptive World of Ghost Kitchens,” these kitchens often operate out of nondescript buildings and have no physical storefronts. Instead, they focus solely on preparing meals for delivery and pickup.

According to a recent article in The Street, the ghost kitchen market is expected to grow to $71.4 billion by 2027. While this may be good news for food-service operators looking for a cost-effective way to improve kitchen profitability, it raises concerns about the quality of food and service being offered.

Major food delivery brands like Uber Eats and DoorDash are taking steps to hold ghost kitchens accountable for their products, services and cleanliness. However, the ghost kitchen market remains mostly unregulated, which raises concerns about food safety and the impact on local businesses.

As a community, we should be cautious about the rise of ghost kitchens and their potential impact on our local restaurants. We need to ensure that they are held to the same standards as traditional restaurants and that they do not harm the livelihoods of our local chefs and restaurateurs.

Calvin Worst

— — —

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. See the full policy at lajollalight.com/policy. ◆