Letter to the Editor: May 31, 2007

To The Editor:

Just a note of thanks for the addition of Natasha Josefowitz’s column to the Light. I have been enjoying her interesting and insightful writing for many years. I am most pleased that she has joined your staff. Natasha will be a most valued addition to your fine local newspaper.

Mrs. Morton Kleinberg

La Jolla

Dear Editor:

Another hoax by our local Chamber of Commerce!

Their “Promote La Jolla Community Parking Questionnaire which is being widely distributed,” is blatantly biased and loaded with misleading fantasy questions.

The questionnaire is clearly worded to frighten and coerce residents into supporting radical changes in parking policy. Changes are ostensibly for the benefit of La Jolla, but clearly meant to benefit the business community at the expense of everyone else.

Here are some sample questions:

1. Workers (employees) or students should be allowed to park all day on public streets in residential areas taking up all parking in front of homes of La Jolla residents.
2. Visitors and beachgoers visiting La Jolla’s coastline and beaches should compete for parking on public streets with workers (employees) and students/faculty who park there for extended periods of time (2 hours).
3. It is OK for employees to park on public streets in front of businesses in the Village of La Jolla taking up spaces that might be used by shoppers (customers).

Who appointed the Chamber of Commerce the guardian of our welfare? For too long the Chamber of Commerce has been hiding behind a facade of neutrality while agressively promoting damaging policies against the public good.
What right do they have to determine policies that affect ALL La Jolla residents and visitors?

Considering the history of Promote La Jolla and its self-serving promotion that included the termination of our yearly Arts Festival, we should relegate “Promote La Jolla” to its appropriate role, as one player in decisions that affect the thousands of La Jollan who live and work in San Diego. It’s time to blow their cover and expose them for their deceptive title and priorities. They should be called “Promote La Jolla Business and Let the People Pay.”

In addition, all parking and especially Beach parking affects more than La Jollans. Our beaches belong to the public and any attempt to restrict parking in beach areas should be rejected. The present trend to reduce public access and privatize public spaces must be fiercely opposed.

Tanja Winter

La Jolla

Dear Editor:

Doesn’t the Light have the policy of most newspapers to curtail constant publishing of letters from the same writer?

Week after week, we are subjected to the opinions of Kent Trego who is known in the community as an anti-seal activist; he is certainly entitled to his opinions but why are we are subjected to them constantly?

Hearing from the same voice on any issue is tiresome. I hope the Light will adopt a policy of limiting correspondence.

Jane Bradford

La Jolla

(Ed. Note: We agree it’s always better to have more voices than less. But we are constrained by being able to publish only those letters we receive. A more important factor than how much - or little - someone writes, is relevance. There has been an ongoing dialogue in our paper for years on the status of seals at Children’s Pool. If someone other than Kent Trego, or other familiar principals on this subject, cares to write a letter espousing their view on seals, we’ll be more than happy to print it.)