Kangaroos decimated for Adidas
Should California allow and encourage the killing of kangaroos for athletic shoes?
For more than 35 years, California law has not allowed the “‘roos” to be imported, but now a special interest bill would allow the import, thus creating a new market for killing more kangaroos.
Just because Australia won’t protect its kangaroos, we shouldn’t encourage the decimation of its wildlife for the profit of Adidas shoes, the sponsor of SB 880.
Contact Sen. Christine Kehoe at [email protected] and ask her to vote no on SB 880.

Bill Collins, Pacific Beach

Should we tolerate such torment?
Recently (5-10-07) the La Jolla Village News published a letter by too-frequent writer Kent Trego in which he misrepresents the scientific truth regarding wild seals and sea lions in his attempt to persuade readers that a marine sanctuary should not be created in the vicinity of the La Jolla harbor seal rookery. While seals and sea lions, being highly intelligent animals, do lose their fear of other potential predators who no longer seek to kill them (in this case humans, who are forbidden by federal law to kill marine mammals), the conclusion that seals “thus lose a significant level of their wild behavior” is subjective and is Mr. Trego’s own opinion.
Anyone who has watched the “Anti-Seal Seven” local older men frightening the La Jolla seals off the beach through their beach-umbrella and snorkeling-just-offshore-with-big-flippers tactics, or through another of their favorite strategies, encouraging the unsuspecting visitor-public to approach the seals too closely, knows that the La Jolla seals are not only completely wild (although somewhat habituated to close human presence on the seawall), but are often extremely fearful of such human behaviors. The larger question is whether we should tolerate such torment of the seals by the Anti-Seal Seven, to the detriment of the seals themselves and the dismay of most people who come to view them.

James Hudnall, La Jolla

Another hoax by our 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 Jollans, 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 (two 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 aggressively 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 Jollans 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