No more business as usual
This letter is in response to the letter from Timothy Golba, president of the La Jolla Community Planning Association (“CPA”) appearing in the June 29, 2006 issue (Village News, page 8) concerning the corruption lawsuit against the CPA.
Mr. Golba’s letter in defense of the CPA was more noteworthy for what it didn’t say than what it did say about dishonesty at the CPA. Mr. Golba failed to mention that at the time the City Council was considering spending $250,000 in taxpayer funds to defend the CPA from the charges of wrongdoing an arrangement was reached between the plaintiffs, the CPA, the City Council and the city attorney’s office. Under this agreement, the plaintiffs would temporarily dismiss their lawsuit against the CPA pending completion of the city attorney’s investigation into the corruption charges.
Mr. Golba also neglected to disclose that, as part of that arrangement, the CPA would be required to proceed immediately with revision of its Bylaws to comply with applicable law. This is not something that is being required of the other planning groups in the City of San Diego, who have up to one year to revise their Bylaws. The actions to be taken by the CPA as part of the settlement were necessitated by a long history of self-dealing, conflict of interest and other corrupt practices committed by CPA officers and trustees. A detailed description and backup documentation regarding corruption at the CPA can be seen at www.LaJollaWatchdog.org.
It was never the intent of La Jollans for Clean Government, Inc., the lead plaintiff in the suit against the CPA, to do anything but bring honest reforms to the CPA, a quasi-governmental agency long dominated by unscrupulous land development interests. The city attorney’s investigators are now proceeding with their corruption probe of the CPA and the Bylaws are on a fast track to being revised.
Those officers and trustees of the CPA who have been involved in the secret meetings, vote trading, conflicts of interest, alteration and destruction of public records and other illegal activities must understand that La Jollans will do everything in their power to prevent the CPA from falling back into “business as usual.” The future of our town depends on it.
Steven Haskins, Esq.,
La Jolla Resident and Attorney for La Jollans for Clean Government, Inc.

Mendacious really applies
Our local lexicologist, Timothy Golba, should go back to his dictionary and look up dismissed ” as in how the lawsuit against the La Jolla Planning Association, CPA, was not dismissed. The citizens of La Jolla should consider another word in conjunction with the CPA ” mendacious, as in years of mendacious conduct by the CPA.
David Little, Bird Rock

McMillan rebuts NTC airport suggestion
There are some glaring omissions in Pauline O’Malley’s letter (“Leave Lindbergh well enough alone,” Village News, June 22, page 8) claiming that the Naval Training Center should have been used as a site for a second runway at Lindbergh Field, rather than be redeveloped into Liberty Station.
First, the city, community and Navy spent more than five years and hundreds of public meetings to determine the reuse plan for NTC. To say that “somebody wasn’t using their head” would be to condemn the thousands of people who participated in that process. Was Ms. O’Malley part of that process? Did she suggest a runway at the time?
Next, the Navy gave the land at NTC to the city under an Economic Development Conveyance, which carried with it very specific criteria for its reuse. The reuse plan, per the EDC, must return dollars and jobs to the community that left with the 25,000 sailors living and working here. A runway through the middle of Point Loma would do the exact opposite. And imagine the congestion through Point Loma with an expanded Lindbergh Field.
In addition to $125 million in infrastructure work in and around the project, including city-approved road improvements, there are now 349 families living at Liberty Station.
There are an additional 500 military families living on adjacent former NTC land. Hundreds of children go to school here. Dozens of companies with hundreds of employees are doing business here.
Soon there will be a marketplace, a refurbished golf course, a 46-acre regional park and an arts and culture center that will be home to dozens of nonprofit groups.
We think the people involved in the reuse planning for NTC did a superb job, and we are proud to implement their vision.
Greg Block
Community Relations Manager, The Corky McMillin Cos.