La Jolla News Nuggets: Blessing of the Animals; food drive; UCSD donation; more

Congregational Church of La Jolla holds Blessing of the Animals

Congregational Church of La Jolla held its annual Blessing of the Animals Oct. 23.

Pastor Tim Seery conducted the ceremony as part of the traditional Sunday service outdoors on the church’s courtyard patio accompanied by a program of animal-inspired musical selections.

La Jolla Newcomers Club holds its first in-person wine social since pandemic began

The La Jolla Newcomers Club held a Wine Social Oct. 14 at the Mount La Jolla Clubhouse.

(Ron Dumoff)

The La Jolla Newcomers Club held its first Wine Social in person since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Oct. 14 at the Mount La Jolla Clubhouse.

Members tasted various wines from California’s Napa and Sonoma Counties paired with hors d’oeuvres and dessert bites from local businesses.

For more information on the La Jolla Newcomers Club, visit lajollanewcomers.org.

Heart to Hands food drive Nov. 3 through Dec. 12

The 10th annual Heart to Hands food drive begins Thursday, Nov. 3, and will run through Monday, Dec. 12, with several donation locations in La Jolla and Pacific Beach.

All donated items will be distributed locally, with four beneficiaries: San Diego Food Bank, Feeding San Diego, Triton Food Pantry and San Diego Humane Society. Both human and pet food will be accepted.

In La Jolla, food items are accepted at Compass, Warwick’s, La Jolla Community Center and La Jolla Open Aire Market. Other locations may be added.

In Pacific Beach, items can be donated at PB Water Store, Noah’s Natural Pet Market and Java Earth.

For more information, visit sdfooddrive.org.

UCSD establishes Kroner Center for Financial Research following $5M gift

UC San Diego alumnus Kenneth Kroner and his wife Jennifer have pledged $5 million to establish the Kroner Center for Financial Research at the Rady School of Management at UC San Diego. The newly named center will build and expand upon the work of the Pacific Center for Asset Management, which the Kroners established in 2019 with a $1 million gift.

The most recent donation provides unrestricted funding to support research, with the goal of bringing together academic researchers with asset owners and managers representing organizations that hold individuals’ long-term retirement savings, insurance and other assets. The center focuses on the social good by generating high-quality research to address relevant investing questions that ultimately affect the living standards for retirees around the globe.

Kroner said, “The purpose of the Kroner Center for Financial Research is to bring the power of academia to the asset management industry in a way that provides real solutions to investment questions that might otherwise get ignored.”

Local students assist with Challenged Athletes event

Members of the La Jolla High School varsity water polo team were on hand at the Challenged Athletes Foundation Triathlon Challenge in Mission Bay, volunteering to help those that participated in the swimming events on Oct. 23. The event included a one-mile swim, 36-mile bike ride and 10-mile run. Considered the signature event for the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the event raises money for grants for adaptive sports equipment, coaching, and competition expenses.

Alden Pfau and Finn Bugelli escort athlete Beth Hudson out of the water following a swim event as part of the Challenged Athletes Foundation Triathlon Challenge.

(Nicola Bugelli)

City to update policy on input for neighborhood improvements

The city of San Diego is updating its policies on how it gathers input when it comes to infrastructure projects residents would like to see prioritized in their neighborhoods. The city is also updating its policies on how to prioritize these investments to be funded “more equitably and efficiently” according to a news release.

The city will conduct a citywide public outreach effort at least once every two years to help determine the Capital Improvements Program budget. This could include gathering input from community-based organizations, community planning groups and other interested stakeholders and individuals. Focused engagement would occur within the city’s Communities of Concern and historically underserved or structurally excluded communities.

City staff is also proposing to update the policy that sets the guidelines for how CIP projects are prioritized and funded. The updates include amendments to the factors that must be considered when adding needs to the Five-Year Capital Infrastructure Planning Outlook. These amendments ensure that the guiding principles of the city’s recently adopted initiatives, like the Parks Master Plan, Climate Action Plan and Build Better SD, are incorporated into future neighborhood developments and infrastructure investments.

— Compiled by La Jolla Light staff ◆