READERS WRITE: Script for a future tour bus driver

“We are now turning off of Prospect Place, which is comparable to the Boston ‘Big Dig’ because its construction never ends and nobody seems to know why, and heading down to the waterfront, which used to be called ‘The Jewel of La Jolla.’ Forgive the bumps, but this street hasn’t been paved for years.

If you have handkerchiefs or face masks, I suggest you put them on now, because we are going to stop and visit the birds and sea lions where you can take pictures. If you look up the hill to the left, those beautiful empty buildings used to be occupied by some our most famous restaurants and shops, but they all closed because their customers complained so much about the smell.

There is an interesting anecdote about the rotting, unpainted fence you see here with the chicken wire sticking out. Rather than fixing it, the City had to pay about $300,000 to children who were injured by the wires based primarily on the City knowing about it and doing nothing. As we proceed further down the street, you can see this lovely cove and beach that was once used for snorkeling by swimming clubs, swimming competitions, locals and tourists, as well. But since nothing was ever done about the sea lions, the water is too fouled for anyone to swim there anymore.

Not too long ago, a new lifeguard station was built here, but the lifeguards were driven out by smells and fumes, and I understand sea lions are living in it now. On the other hand, you may be surprised and pleased to know that we have very strict regulations for dogs in this area, which strangely don’t seem to present any problems at all.

As we pass the park itself, you can see that it is still in good condition. This next cove was named The Children’s Pool, but ironically it is barred to children and others most of the year. Now we come to our most famous landmark. They started building this lifeguard station when I was a boy. The reason it has become a landmark is because it is has taken longer to build than the Empire State Building, which is 102 stories (1,454 feet) and was completed in a little over a year.

Since this will be our last stop in La Jolla, you may walk out to the viewing platform to watch the seals, but only if you have had your tetanus shots. The railing is too rusted and dangerous to touch.

In all fairness, government officials have been talking about these problems for years. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were still talking about them at this very minute. This ends our tour. I hope you have enjoyed your visit to La Jolla and will tell your friends.”

H. Lee Sarokin

Recycling beach trash into a work of art

We thought readers might enjoy our creative art display of the “Trash Man at Casa Beach” (pictured). On Nov. 6, the Seal Society of San Diego’s Beach Cleaning spruced up South Casa Beach and the nearby cliffs and walkways, removing bags of trash and debris. The volunteers came up with some interesting finds, such as men’s pants, a chef’s shirt, a nurse’s nameplate, a devil rubber ducky, and a comb, among cigarette butts and rubber shoes ... of course, lots of plastic in many forms, as well. Feeling creative, they made “Trash Man” to humorously display what visitors leave. The only thing Trash Man needed was his Ray-Ban sunglasses!

Ellen Shively

Move the sea lions, but to where?

Recent focus has been on the “how” of displacing and discouraging the sea lions into abandoning their habitat at La Jolla Cove. That focus seems not to have even recognized — or at best ignored — two preliminary threshold questions that deserve attention and resolution before any displacement measures are considered or commence: 1) Where would the displaced sea lions likely relocate if displaced from The Cove? 2) Would their forced relocation from The Cove cause them to establish new habitats at the closest and most familiar adjacent areas the densely populated residential areas at Coast Boulevard, WindanSea and La Jolla Shores neighborhoods and beaches.

Merely shifting the problem from The Cove business impact area onto adjacent areas is not an acceptable alternative. Common sense suggests that no actions to displace the sea lions should be considered unless there has been credible scientific study and expert advice as to the displacement consequences, and whether the data indicates that displacement will not pose a likely risk of shifting the habitats and associated detriment and negative impact and economic consequences from The Cove to other La Jolla residents and beaches.

Andrea Leavitt

Time to take out traffic choker

Since the traffic choker has proven to be ineffective, why not remove it? The shadow from the tree across the street makes it almost impossible to see, and there have been numerous mishaps since it was installed two years ago. West Muirlands Drive is too narrow to handle this obstacle. If the idea is to protect students, then a push-button light system like those used successfully in Del Mar, would be the answer — and used only rarely, so motorists would not be hampered the other 23 hours a day.

The choker also adds traffic in front of La Jolla High School, as many drivers prefer to go that way rather than risk car damage by hitting the choker. The new humps will give the residents some relief by slowing things down. Just remember that after dark, the headlights in the cars going over humps while coming towards you hit you in the eyes.

Tom Sprague

Nice article on martial arts teacher

Thanks for the great “People In Your Neighborhood” article on Terry Sanchez in the Nov. 10 issue. He has been a force for good in our neighborhood for almost 50 years. He has been a friend and teacher to thousands of men, women and children over the years, and is one of the positive pillars of the community.

I’ve been a student at Twin Dragons for almost 27 years and I can say without a doubt that it’s the best thing I’ve ever done myself.

Mark Anderson, Second degree Black Belt

La Jolla continues to lag behind the times

Kudos to Dan Goese for his sensational letter explaining the need for a DecoBike facility in the San Diego community of La Jolla. Our community continues to be the only community in San Diego without a DecoBike facility and with a faith-based named December event, a Christmas Parade. Aren’t we exclusive!

Howard G. Singer

Construction fiasco in Shores calls for firings

What has occurred and is still occurring in La Jolla Shores as reported on the front page of the Nov. 10 Light is more than a disgrace. It is local government run amok! It is unaccountable bureaucrats in the bowels of City Hall giving the finger salute to hardworking citizens/businessfolk with impunity. Where has our District 1 City Councilmember been while this travesty has unfolded over the last three years? Where is the Mayor whose campaign line was “Neighborhoods First”? When will those responsible for this fiasco be fired?

Will our new District 1 Councilmember (who takes office in just a few weeks) take the actions necessary to put these non-performers on the unemployment line? We citizens have to stop accepting unacceptable performance from our City Hall minions! Failure should not be an option any longer!

Lou Cumming

High school track should be open to community

I was very disappointed after reading that La Jolla High School decided to close its track and sports field to the public. Obesity is a serious problem in this country and I would like to know why the school thinks it is best to take away positive and healthy opportunities for its community?

I understand that district funds paid for improvements to the athletic facilities and that they aren’t required to open the courts to the public, but I’m wondering if they realize that taxpayers’ money also helps fund these projects. Deb Beaver stated that the school doesn’t have to allow public access and instead may rent the track and field. This is the same school that asked its community for donations throughout the years. It reeks of exclusivity and double standards. Why should anyone support a school that is using their community’s generosity and keeping them from staying active and healthy.

Jon Row

Post-election view from Chargers owner Dean Spanos

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who worked so hard throughout this campaign. From the Chamber of Commerce to the Building Trades and organized labor, from the fan groups to the volunteers who helped us collect more than 110,000 signatures and knock on more than 50,000 doors. Every member of the Chargers organization will be forever grateful for your tremendous help and steadfast support.

This has been a long campaign, and I’m sure we all want to put aside stadium talk for a while and focus on the rest of the Chargers’ season. Our team, with its mix of veteran leaders and young stars, has played some of the most exciting football in the NFL so far, and I can’t wait to see how we do throughout the rest of the season. Our players have shown great heart and resilience in the NFL’s toughest division. I’m eager — as I’m sure you all are — to give the stadium debate a rest and enjoy some Chargers football.

So I’m going to put aside any discussion of our possible next steps until after the season, to allow everyone to focus on football and to give my family and me time to think carefully about what is best for the future of our franchise. Over the coming weeks you may hear news about steps that we must take to preserve all of our options. But please know that I don’t intend to make any decisions until after the regular season ends and that, in the meantime, I hope to enjoy with you one great Chargers game after another.

Dean Spanos

Barbara Bry thanks supporters, volunteers

There was no better feeling than celebrating our victory on Election Night at our campaign headquarters with our many committed volunteers. Throughout the day, our office was humming with activity. I know that making phone calls, dropping door hangers and conducting poll checks up until the last minute helped to ensure that we earned the support of as many District 1 residents as possible.

I am honored to have been selected by District 1 voters as the representative for our community on the City Council. I am also grateful to all of the volunteers that were the heart and soul of our campaign. Due to their relentless efforts, we have held almost 70 neighborhood coffees and knocked on the doors of almost 40,000 voters — as the residents of D1 can attest to more than once. Having seen the power of collective, grassroots action, I want to bring this sense of urgency and accessibility to City Hall by holding community office hours and continuing to hold neighborhood coffees and knock on doors.

I look forward to working with community members, my Council colleagues and the Mayor to tackle the challenges we face as a City. I am deeply humbled by this opportunity to serve my community in a new way, and I promise to every day get out of bed laser-focused on how we can keep our neighborhoods safe, clean and prosperous. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to everyone who helped along the way, I couldn’t have done this without you.

Barbara Bry

Kids on ‘bridge’ get a boost

On behalf of A Bridge For Kids’ board of directors and all its volunteers, I would like to thank everyone who supported our fourth annual Casino Night, Nov. 5. It was a magical evening, which not only raised a record amount of money for the organization, but saw all of our featured teens become sponsored by our guests. We raised over $175,000 at this year’s event, totaling more than $600,000 raised over the past four years. The community’s generosity is greatly appreciated and will allow us to continue providing life-changing programs that will help “level the playing field” for low-income kids in San Diego.

Michael Nance, Founder, A Bridge for Kids, ABFK.org

To salute those who served ...

Our Boeing Stearman, along with Bob Simon’s, participated in the Veteran’s Day memorial flyover at Mount Soledad on Nov. 11.

Bill Allen

What’s on YOUR mind? Letters published in La Jolla Light express views and comments from readers in regard to community issues. To share your thoughts in this public forum, e-mail editor@lajollalight.com or mail them to La Jolla Light Editor, 565 Pearl St., Suite 300, La Jolla, CA 92037. Letters reflect the writer’s views and do not necesarily represent opinions of the newspaper staff or publisher.