Eight wishes for 2008

We should all be so lucky to lead lives in which each new year is better than the one that came before. The following is a quick “wish list” of our hopes for the coming year - eight things we think would make 2008 a great time to be in La Jolla.

First, we hope that one of the great shocks of 2007 will not be repeated - we wish for healthy hillsides. Residents all over Mount Soledad have been on edge since the October landslide. Hopefully a safe and stable 2008 will go a long way toward putting their minds at ease.

We hope the Riford Adult Center on La Jolla Boulevard gets the support it needs to fund an endowment that will keep the senior center open long-term. We hope La Jollans will pitch in so the center can continue to provide assistance that is truly invaluable - the type of help that almost all of us will someday need.

We wish that both sides of the rancorous debate over parking in La Jolla will conduct themselves in a more civil manner than they did in 2007. A little respect could help La Jollans find consensus on the issue - and if consensus can’t be found, here’s hoping our local leaders go back to the drawing board to come up with a better plan.

We hope that one of the most beautiful places in the world - La Jolla Cove - is made more beautiful by either restoring or removing the Red Roost and Red Rest cottages. The presence of such eyesores in such a pristine setting is inexcusable.

That said, we hope the La Jolla Historical Society’s upcoming capital campaign is a great success. We are blessed to live in a community with such a wealth of historical treasures, and the guardians of these treasures deserve our support.

One such treasure is The Bishop’s School, which will celebrate its centennial anniversary in 2008. We wish The Bishop’s School a Happy 100th Birthday - here’s to 100 more.

The new year will be a big one in politics, featuring one of the most wide-open presidential races in our nation’s history. La Jollans and the rest of City Council District 1 will also be choosing a new representative - Scott Peters, loved by some and despised by others, will be terming out. We hope our new councilperson is someone who truly represents the community.

Finally, we hope that 2008 is the year San Diego finally gets its financial house in order and gets back into the public bond market. Our roadways, water and sewer pipes, schools and other public infrastructure are in desperate need of the funds.

Here’s to a safe and prosperous 2008. Happy New Year, La Jolla.