Letters to the editor: Thursday, Feb. 28, 2008

‘The Seven’ was good

It was quite an embarrassment to read Diana Saenger’s review of La Jolla Playhouse production “The Seven.”

Is her review really written in the year 2008? Where has Saenger been all her life? She must have confused the theatre with Sunday church services. I recommend you replace her quickly before she does any more damage to your reputation.

I’m in my eighties and I did not “sit rigidly with blank face.” I was thoroughly entertained by this outstanding, daring and creative production. Perhaps, because of my age. I should have been shocked and mortified by the language, the “blasphemy and talk of venereal disease.” Really?

I applaud La Jolla Playhouse for its daring and creative production and I hope they continue to explore and encourage original theatre of all kinds. I’ll be there cheering them on.

Tanja Winter

La Jolla

A Proposed Solution to the La Jolla Parking Dilemma

On the Promote La Jolla Web site the stated objectives concerning parking in La Jolla are:

“We need to:

• Make it easier for residents to park and shop in the Village
• Prevent employees from parking in front of homes
• Stop the city from putting diagonal parking on residential streets
• Prevent the installation of conventional parking meters by the city

We also need to:

• Encourage office workers to use their spaces in parking garages
• Provide enough parking for visitors, so they don’t overcrowd our streets
• Determine if we can solve our problems without paid on-street parking

I agree with all of them. Unfortunately the Parking Board has not done due diligence with regard to the last item.
Better enforcement of our existing parking regulations can provide a solution that meets the stated objectives of the Parking Board and will satisfy those who oppose paid on-street parking.

The solution is high-tech; has a modest cost; and is effective. All the necessary hardware to implement this solution exist.

Install an automatic license plate scanner (ALPS), a GPS receiver, and a computer in the current parking enforcement vehicles. As the enforcement vehicle drives up and down the Village streets, the system records the date and time, the location within 30 feet, and the vehicle license plate. The system compares the license plate number with its database to determine if that vehicle has been parked in the same location for more than the allowed time. If so, a tone sounds, a ticket is produced automatically, and the enforcement officer puts it on the windshield of the offending vehicle.

This is not pie-in-the-sky. All these products exist.

The increased fines collected through better enforcement will allow the system to pay for itself. The enforcement vehicle can make more frequent passes through the village creating an environment that discourages parking longer than the limit.

I understand why this technology hasn’t been considered by the Parking Board. It’s not a traditional approach. But I believe it should be the first thing tried to ease parking in the Village.

Richard Wolf

La Jolla