Good reasons both for La Jolla and San Diego for La Jolla to become a city
Regarding “How would a city of La Jolla work and how much would it cost? Feasibility study weighs in” (Feb. 13, La Jolla Light):
Congratulations to the board of the Association for the City of La Jolla on a job well-done. We appreciate your hard work and great effort.
One must laugh when reading Mayor [Todd] Gloria’s position with San Diego regarding La Jolla contracting for city services if La Jolla is incorporated. He calls it treating the city’s services as a “buffet” and La Jolla can’t pick and choose. The real point is, what city services would La Jolla want to keep other than police, fire and lifeguards? These departments are great. Other city departments serving our community are a failure, which is the reason La Jolla wants to manage its future.
The city’s street services are nonexistent. Our streetlights are out and poles haven’t been painted in years. Street signs are faded and many tilt at 45-degree angles. Sidewalks and curbs are falling apart, and curbs haven’t been painted in years. Weeds grow wildly.
The city provides planning, zoning and permitting services. Since this is a self-sustaining department, its existence is paid for by the fees it charges for permits. Thus we are now paying for the service, and a lot, because this department is horribly conflicted. A local planning and zoning department will be more responsive and less expensive.
The city also will begin charging residents for trash services shortly. This can be contracted out at a competitive price.
The city reinvests little of La Jolla-generated tax money in La Jolla, and it shows. A city of La Jolla would not want San Diego’s services.
Mayor Gloria needs to consider there might be more benefits than drawbacks for the city of San Diego if La Jolla were independent. Should La Jolla incorporate, it would save the city of San Diego a lot of time, infrastructure money and geographic area to maintain, freeing city employees’ time.
The needs of a suburban residential area such as La Jolla and an urban city like San Diego are completely different. Thus, San Diego city officials could focus on San Diego’s needs, not La Jolla’s needs.
The reason La Jolla residents want to form their own city is because the city of San Diego doesn’t provide the services it should be providing. Mayor Gloria’s answer illustrates the problem. He must feel the city is actually fulfilling its obligations to La Jolla.
He needs to think this through from a different angle: How will La Jolla forming its own municipality benefit San Diego? He might be surprised it could be a win-win situation.
Ted Levis
real art, not AI
Whatever happened to real art?
There is now AI-generated art, and I don’t know how it works.
Everything is becoming phony. Authors are using artificial intelligence to write their books. It is not their voice. They all sound the same.
As for AI art, that is why galleries are suffering. I would urge art buyers not be fooled by these new gimmicks but to galleries so they can promote real artists. Otherwise art will die.
Peggy Hinaekian
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