Say it ain’t so, Joe
Open letter to Joe LaCava [San Diego City Council member for District 1, which includes La Jolla]:
Joe, my dear friend, what has happened to you???
First you give another of our beloved beaches to the seals and sea lions, then you think we all need to pay for trash and now you want to bring back the scooters? I am concerned with what has happened to your decision-making.
We ed you, and I feel you have not only deserted us but you are now going against us and the community.
What is going on??
Melinda Merryweather
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Rules for historic preservation need overhaul
San Diego’s housing shortage demands reevaluating the city’s decades-old historic preservation rules (“La Jolla preservationists ‘fear’ San Diego initiative that may loosen historic-protection rules for buildings,” Jan. 25, La Jolla Light).
Reasonable protections that allow truly historic sites should stay. However, outdated, excessive barriers to necessary development must be overhauled.
Current regulations need to be revised. City staff must review thousands of properties for potential historic designations, but the vast majority don’t qualify. Streamlining this bureaucracy would save valuable staff time.
We should preserve buildings that genuinely represent our shared heritage. However, we need reforms: objective criteria, flexibility for inefficient original elements, and exemptions. If rules produce vacant sites like the California Theatre, they do more harm than good.
Older properties adapted creatively can add inclusive housing. But homes for San Diegans of all incomes, not just aesthetic concerns, must be the priority. Some preservationists have lost sight of this.
With families struggling, we can’t further restrict supply. It’s time to update the rules so more historic buildings become part of the solution. Our heritage belongs to everyone, including those facing rising rents and sky-high mortgage costs.
Saad Asad
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UCSD has overstepped on Scripps Coastal Reserve
Thank you, Eric Ditzler. Your letter was right on (“Explanation for Scripps Coastal Reserve closure is fiction,” Our Readers Write, Jan. 25, La Jolla Light.).
Why does the UC San Diego chancellor need to approve of the public use of the Scripps Coastal Reserve? This chancellor, in my opinion, is overstepping his authority again. This reserve needs to be open. I can’t put a gate in my tract blocking access. Why is he?
Leigh Ord
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Look at cost of health benefits as factor in school budget deficit
I was very disappointed to read about the inevitable staff reductions for the San Diego Unified School District because of the projected $70 million budget deficit (“Budget cuts are coming for San Diego Unified schools as state faces deficit and pandemic relief funds dry up,” Jan. 11, La Jolla Light).
I have an idea to reduce the deficit. How about conducting an audit of the human-resources department? My spouse has worked for San Diego Unified for 10-plus years, and thankfully we have health insurance through San Diego Unified. However, they invest over $25,000 per year to cover our family of four. Here is the kicker — we are on a high-deductible plan, which means those on traditional plans are paying much more!
I’ve managed health plans for various businesses over 20 years, and the amount San Diego Unified is paying for the employees it has is simply outrageous, and someone should be able.
Perhaps instead of reducing the teachers and increasing class sizes, they should take a look at their health benefits istration.
Linda Yort
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What’s on YOUR mind?
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