La Jolla Music Society’s Summerfest, a La Jolla High School mentoring program, La Jolla Community Center’s diverse programming and a push for clean elections were topics of discussion at La Jolla Town Council’s July meeting.
Christopher Beach, La Jolla Music Society’s president and artistic director, told the council this year’s annual Summerfest music festival will harken back to its beginnings.
“Summerfest, which began 27 years ago with only five performances, has now grown to 16 performances throughout the Village,” he said. “This year features a chamber music festival. That’s where we started. It’s the very cornerstone of what we do.”
Beach said he came to the Town Council six years ago with the promise that La Jolla Music Society would “contribute to the quality of life in San Diego.”
He said he was returning to deliver on that promise.
“We thought there ought to be something more that we could do, in a tangible way, to say thank you to the thousands of people who make our performances possible,” Beach said adding, “We got this idea to put on a free outdoor concert at Scripps Park.”
Beach said the free thank-you concert will kick-off the festival on July 31. “Be there or be square,” he said.
Alberto Ramirez of La Jolla High School gave a presentation on the school’s mentoring program, which he said aims to “empower Latino boys to dream.”
Ramirez said the school is actively seeking volunteer mentors willing to commit long term to engaging youth, helping them out with a broad spectrum of activities, including sports and social relationships, going well beyond homework.
Mentors work with students at least one hour a week to guide them in formulating and achieving their personal goals, Ramirez said.
La Jolla Community Center director Nancy Walters discussed all the programming available to the community for a $100 annual membership, everything from music and speaker series to day trips, yoga, Pilates and cooking classes.
Walters said a jazz series held the fourth Friday of each month kicks off in July with flutist Lori Bell, pianist Mike Garson and bassist Rob Thorsen.
“It’s a one-stop shop,” said Walters of adult center programming. She added the center’s mission is to provide a “lifetime of learning, wellness and friendship.”
Former San Diego City Councilman John Hartley spoke and showed a video narrated by journalist Bill Moyers extolling the virtues of Neighborhoods for Clean Elections, a national effort with local chapters to provide a voluntary system of public campaign financing to curb the power of special interests in politics.
“This is a great opportunity to take the onus of partisan politics away at the local level,” said Town Council trustee Egon Kafka. “We’re not just talking about minimizing special interests or taking corruption out of politics, but about taking away the divisive tribalism that is keeping us apart as Americans.”