Town Council news • La Jolla celebrities and local dance instructors will team up for a lively “Dancing with the La Jolla Stars” fundraising event in early September, announced LJTC trustee Rob Hildt. “It’s going to be a fun night,” he said. “There are a number of professional dance studios that are here in La Jolla that will donate their time and donate the individual instructors who will come out and team up with a local celebrity — someone that we would probably recognize from the celebrity pages — and they would put on dance routines.” Local emcee Ron Jones, “The Voice of La Jolla,” produced a similar fundraising event for the La Jolla Stage Company in 2007, which was met with great success. “The idea is to bring forth all the Society Page people that we see and know and love and to involve them,” he said. “People were riveted to their chairs because the rapid pace kept it moving and because of the wild variety. It was an absolute success, and it can be again given that 5-year cushion.” The evening event will also likely include a silent auction and other live entertainment. • Julie Duepner, vice president of Edcomm Group Banker’s Academy and financial services expert, was appointed as the LJTC’s new executive director. “I’ve known Julie for 13 or 14 years,” said 2nd Vice President John Weinstein. “I couldn’t recommend her more highly, and we’re very lucky to get her as a volunteer.” Duepner will conduct community relations, marketing, mailing and membership renewal from the Town Council’s office, located at 7734 Herschel Ave. Ste. F, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. • LJTC President Cindy Greatrex thanked trustee Egon Kafka for donating his time to run the LJTC office and trustee Ruth Yansick for donating funds to replace an old laptop in the LJTC office. • District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner recognized John Weinstein, Rick Wildman, Egon Kafka, Rob Hildt, Ann Kerr Bache and Philip Forgione for their years of service to the community serving as LJTC members. “What you all do every single day is incredibly important,” said Lightner. • LJTC trustees approved the establishment of a Special Events Subcommittee for fundraising and planning efforts for upcoming Town Council events, starting with the “Dancing with the La Jolla Stars” fundraiser. Trustee Rob Hildt was made chairman of the committee, and member Ron Jones will serve as co-chair for the preparation of the event. • Trustees unanimously supported the upcoming Taste of the Cove event on Sept. 6. • Trustee Nancy Gardner wrote a letter to Mayor Jerry Sanders on behalf of the trustees to oppose the presence of tables near the Children’s Pool, stating that the LJTC believes that no tables should be permitted to occupy the site, whether for commercial vendors or otherwise. • Deal Me In Today owner Debbie Arnau was sworn in as LJTC’s newest trustee. City, county and state news • County Supervisor Ron Roberts and the Air Pollution Control District invite residents to trade in their gas-powered lawnmowers for new rechargeable battery powered mowers — normally priced at more than $400 — for only $100 at the 13th annual Lawnmower Trade-In event. Trade-ins will take place at the County Administration Building’s north parking lot on May 19 at 8 a.m. • The next Select Committee on Job Creation for the New Economy meeting will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. on May 18 at 10210 Genetic Center Drive. The committee will discuss current workforce realities and identify policies to create an environment conducive for job creation. • In light of Military Appreciation Month, Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher has partnered with community organizations for a “We Care for Our Troops” care package drive for active military personnel. Items can be donated at Fletcher’s district office, located at 9909 Mira Mesa Blvd., Ste. 130, until May 31. • Fletcher and Roberts wrote letters to the U.S. Postal Service in support of the Save Our La Jolla Post Office committee’s efforts to stop the proposed sale and relocation of La Jolla’s Wall Street post office. • U.S. Reps. Susan Davis (D-CA) and Duncan Hunter (R-CA) recently introduced the Fairness for Military Homeowners Act, bipartisan-crafted legislation that would allow military homeowners to refinance mortgages on a principle residence while serving at a duty station that prevents them from occupying the home. • Standard & Poor’s recently raised San Diego’s credit rating two notches from A to AA- due to strong city financial management practices and improvements to the city’s financial statements, which are more accurate, timely and transparent, announced Lighter. “The higher credit rating means that the city will be able to borrow money at a lower interest rate for infrastructure improvements,” she said. “The City Council recently approved a plan to issue bonds to equal $75 million in infrastructure improvements. One of the big projects that will be funded is the La Jolla Cove lifeguard tower.” The City Council plans to spend $3 million for road resurfacing, $15.5 million will go to storm drain repairs, $16.3 million for fire stations, libraries and other facility upgrades, $2.5 million for street lighting improvements, $1.5 million for park and recreation upgrades, and $8.2 million for Americans With Disabilities Act improvements. Around the community • The 55th annual La Jolla Christmas Parade will take place on Dec. 2 this year. The parade will sport a “Christmas in the Village” theme to pay homage to and incorporate the merchants in the village. • The California Coastal Commission approved a coastal development permit for Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Research Support Facilities project, announced Anu Delouri, representative for UCSD’s Physical and Community Planning Office. • The Jacobs Medical Center project — a more than 500,000-square-foot expansion of the hospital facilities at the UCSD Medical Center La Jolla — began construction on April 9 and will be completed in the spring of 2017. • “The community’s effort to save the historic post office on Wall Street is going well. Over 400 people attended the meeting last week with representatives for the U.S. Postal Service,” announced Lightner. “They were so impressed that we weren’t nasty that I think it improved our opportunity for more negotiations. … They seemed very open to the community’s ideas and expressed interest in being able to stay in its current location if they can find a use for the remaining space that they don’t need that would generate some revenue.” Community members have until May 26 to write to the U.S. Postal Service with comments about the proposed sale and relocation of the post office located at 1140 Wall St. Letters should be sent to Diana Alvarado, USPS Pacific Facilities Services Office, 1300 Evans Ave., Ste. 200, San Francisco, CA 94188-8200. • The LJTC’s next SunSetter community happy hour will take place today at Finch’s Wine Bar & Bistro, located at 7644 Girard Ave., announced Weinstein. The SunSetter happy hour gives community members the chance to mix and mingle with local leaders, merchants and neighbors over complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drink specials. The cost is $5 for LJTC members, $10 for nonmembers and free for new members who sign up and pay at the event. • The La Jolla Village Merchants Association (LJVMA) is preparing for “Haute La Jolla Nights” — a series of festive evenings that will feature live music, shopping and art in the village. Haute La Jolla Nights will take place on June 9, July 21 and Sept. 15. • The LJVMA members have planted 300 locally sourced flowers in hanging planters over the last couple of weeks and are planning to plant dozens of new trees in the village in the near future, announced Kafka. • The La Jolla Fashion Film Festival, the world’s largest gathering of fashion filmmakers, will take place from July 26-28. La Jolla will also serve as the site of several events as part of the San Diego Film Festival, including a possible film in the park. • The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board (T&T) voted 4-3 to approve a requested street vacation of five parking spots for the Hillel project, located at 8966 Cliffridge Ave.