New year means a fresh start

By Rick Wildman

President, Promote La Jolla

2010 began favorably with the city’s final approval of the San Diego/La Jolla Business Improvement District (SD/LJBID) and its $130,000 budget. The SD/LJBID is part of the city of San Diego. It is a Band-Aid, not a separate legal entity.

Promote La Jolla is still upside down by as much as $150,000, and the deficit will continue to exist until the investigators decide what should be done.

The PLJ board will continue to hold public meetings, take community input and formulate plans. The advisory board of Jennifer Clark, Glen Rasmussen, Daisy Fitzgerald and I will then make recommendations to the city staff. The city will be in charge of minding the pocketbook.

The unpleasant revelations of 2009 proved that, despite unanticipated and daunting challenges, we La Jollans were more than eager to roll up our sleeves to meet the challenge — in spades.

Let us begin anew to enjoy the fruits of our labors while never forgetting the valuable lessons that we have learned. Chief among these lessons is the fact that the democratic process is a treasure that can only be preserved, at every level, by appropriate reverence, dedication and self-sacrifice.

The formation of a new business improvement district — a La Jolla Business Improvement District — that would include all of the 92037 businesses and citizens as members seems now to be inevitable. Based on what appears to be overwhelming business and community support, this is an idea whose time has clearly come. The La Jolla Town Council looks to be an ideal framework for the new 92037 Business Improvement District.

Meanwhile, we will be discussing the Pet Parade, two Village locations for new Big Belly trash/recycling, hanging baskets, Christmas lights and a new San Diego–La Jolla Shuttle.

The final news is for anyone who might have believed that La Jolla’s Business Improvement District was finished: We are just getting started!