Kudos on coverage
Congratulations on your super-prompt article on the Soledad slide (Village News, Oct. 4, page 1). Yes, it deserved to be the lead story, as you had it, but you put it in reasonable perspective as not the only important news for the week in La Jolla.
What a welcome contrast to TV broadcasting, where it was featured all day long as a huge calamity. I expect good follow-up in Village News.
Thanks for being a useful local resource for news.

Mary Krimmel, La Jolla

Fault and fault lines
Terry Kellerman’s vent at so-called “La Jolla Haters” (“Not your tax dollars, but ours,” Letter to the editor, Oct. 11, page 8) struck a chord with me, by no means a “La Jolla Hater.” Having never aspired to be ZIP code-oriented in my entire life; just the opposite. A nice home, in a comfortable neighborhood, with nice neighbors is all I have ever asked for. However, having had friends in La Jolla who lived in the same home off Colgate Circle for over 48 years and lived in San Diego County most of my adult life, when the homes were being developed off to the north and east of Mt. Soledad, many of us who knew and respected the topography asked ourselves and city planners: Can anyone say “Rose Canyon Geological Fault Line”?
Obviously, none of the city council members, the city planners or inspectors at the time these developments were approved ever heard of it or wanted to discuss it. Many of us longtime San Diego county residents knew of it for most of our lives and attended City Council meetings to discuss it. We were loudly and often disparagingly berated by council members. It is one of the most active fault lines south of Los Angeles.
The Rose Canyon Fault system is the one geological item that most affects the topography of San Diego. It begins east of San Diego Bay, travels north through La Jolla, runs offshore for 65 miles, curves along the coastline and becomes the Newport-Inglewood Fault.
In 1933, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake at the north end of this fault line killed 120 people and caused damages exceeding $600 million in today’s dollars! That earthquake was responsible for changing construction standards for schools buildings in the state of California. San Diego’s end of the fault is due to generate a large earthquake and has been responsible for shaping much of the San Diego terrain over the last several million years, in several ways: offset, where pressure builds up until it moves; the shape of the coastline at La Jolla has moved about 4 miles and pushed the land out into the ocean.
A fault tearing miles deep through the earth does not tear in a single fault, it does not tear in a single line. The trend of the Rose Canyon Fault tore straight along San Diego Bay, straight through Old Town, along Mission Bay, up Rose Canyon, and just before reaching Highway 52 and Ardath Road the faults bend sharply to the left. That fault line with a left bend pushed north the way the Rose Canyon Fault moves and created Mt. Soledad. The fault line did not crack in a straight line. In fact, not only is the line crooked, there are many fractures.
Could be, just could be, mind you, this has something to do with Mt. Soledad trying to slip back into a pattern that nature has been pushing it toward, quite efficiently, for over 20 million years.
Something to think about.
Jean Bennett, Del Mar

Cove Swim Club against parking meters
A copy of this letter was also sent to Promote La Jolla, Inc., La Jolla Town Council and Representative Scott Peters.
As president of the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, I am representing about 340 swimmers who readily use the La Jolla Cove for their open water swimming. After polling them and discussions with our officers, we are strongly against any parking meters around Scripps Park area, as well as on Coast Boulevard above the Cove. Many of us swim almost daily, year-round, and wait until the lifeguards to come on duty. It is a two-hour block of time.
For many of us, the cost for the meters is much too expensive. And, it is certain that because we are in the ocean and can’t service the meter, we will at times be in violation.
With the exception of the summer months, parking is plentiful weekdays along Coast Boulevard. And, to put meters in this area really doesn’t service the business community. In the Village proper, I can understand the merchants’ need for turnover. But it doesn’t seem to be necessary for the area surrounding Scripps Park.
My friendships at the Cove extend well beyond swim club members exclusively. And, to a person, those I have spoken with are against meters in the park area.

Bob West, President, La Jolla Cove Swim Club

Back off the path
No one wants any form of paid parking in La Jolla except a select few whose motives are unknown, but have to be questioned. How many times does it take for citzens and business owners to let the Parking Board members know that we are uniformly opposed to their trial proposal?
Many of us feel that we should start with enhanced enforcement with some version of the GPS oriented vehicle, re-striping of parking spaces, inventory of parking garages and review of green and red parking zones. Anyone who truly lives, dines and shops in La Jolla will say that we have a summertime parking problem and that the scarcity of spaces dissolves after Labor Day. There are many anecdotal examples of finding nearby spaces these days.
Why are so few people on the wrong side of this issue? One has to question what is going on. Talk to Nancy Warwick, a most respected business owner, about the 1,600 plus signatures she has showing opposition and try to question her motives about being opposed to paid on-street parking.
Please back off the path you are on and follow the citizens/business owners’ lead.
Thank you.
John Beaver, La Jolla

LJHS track is public resource, too
About three weeks ago I arrived for my Sunday morning jog at the La Jolla High School to find the gates chained, with a note to the effect that the track was now closed to public use. The stated reason was that despite a series of pleas by school officials to avoid using the innermost three lanes, to protect them from premature wear, some public have violated this, even when temporary barriers were in place.
I am concerned that this rather drastic step was taken without attempting to engage the public in a systematic manner, such as, for example, calling a public meeting to discuss the problem, and seek a solution that on the one hand protects the school’s legitimate need to safeguard a resource for its students, while on the other recognizes that LJHS is a public resource which should not be denied to public use except if there is really no other choice.
I have communicated with the LJHS Principal, Mr. Shelburne, and believe he acknowledges that some way to involve responsible members of the public in resolving this matter is the way to go, and he has indicated a willingness to hold a public meeting. I recommend that those who have been affected by this closure contact the Principal and urge holding such a meeting promptly. The undersigned would also be pleased to take contact information from interested readers via e-mail to facilitate the process.
Igor Grant, UCSD, La Jolla, [email protected]

Make a dent in traffic, environment problems
Once again public services are being cut without real community input (“Public transit faces another funding gap,” Village News, Oct. 11, page B-1). Decisions to raise bus fares are counter-productive and not in the public interest.
MTS media spokesman Luis Gonzales states that increases in bus fares and elimination of transfers is way overdue since “fare structure hasn’t been modified since 2003.” That’s precisely the point. A rational and necessary change in fee structure is way overdue, but in the other direction.
In order to increase use of public transportation, fees need to be drastically reduced or totally eliminated. (Downtown Seattle has free bus service.) An increase in fares is counter-productive. Eliminating transfers is really stupid.
Higher fares are a serious hardship for many workers. Public transportation is a necessity and a rational solution to traffic and pollution problems. If we want more people to use buses, they must be affordable and easily accessible. Some folks, who ordinarily do not use buses, may actually hop on a bus instead of driving their car.
Instead of paying “consultants” exorbitant fees to install expensive parking meters, let’s promote free bus service. That’s where our tax money should go. We could actually make a dent in our traffic problem and save our environment. Not a bad investment. Of course it won’t appeal to the gang who are out to make a profit.

Tanja Winter, La Jolla