Act on airport relocation
Wake up, La Jolla and Del Mar ” time is running out.
Or from 6 a.m. to midnight every day you will be hearing the thundering noise of commercial jets departing Miramar every day of the year. There is a well-funded and politically active group determined to have Miramar replace Lindbergh as San Diego’s main airport. While they are focusing on Miramar ” the airport is not the real problem. They seem determined to transfer the almost century-old noise of departing aircraft from Point Loma to La Jolla/Del Mar.
Lindbergh’s air traffic has always departed to the west because that is the direction from which the wind blows, and planes must take off into the wind. We cannot mandate the wind.
A couple of years ago, the Airport Authority reported there were more than 290,000 air operations at Lindbergh; there are probably more now. Half were departures. Breaking that figure down into an 18-hour day, we would get approximately 20 aircraft an hour departing over La Jolla/Del Mar.
The standard FAA flight path from Miramar is called the Seawolf departure. While the runways at Miramar are pointed directly at La Jolla, the flight is altered to make the least annoying route for the towns. Even then the path goes over thousands of homes, apartments, condos, a major shopping center (UTC), four of the area’s municipal hospitals, many medical and health-related companies, the Salk Institute, office buildings and major hotels. In addition, there is UCSD with a projected student population of 59,000, the Jewish Community Center, La Jolla Country Day School, religious institutions and the intersection of interstates 5 and 805.
The most disastrous result, besides the noise, would be plummeting real estate values which, in turn, would lower the values of most homes in the area and, in turn, lower property taxes and revenue to the city. No one would want to live under the constant noise of jet engines ” as Point Loma has had to endure for almost a century.
While there seems to be a major effort to take over Miramar as the San Diego airport, there doesn’t seem to be much effort to counter the move. Do not count on your councilman for help or leadership. His actions, or non-actions, on the potentially devastating threat to both towns have not been apparent. He doesn’t seem to have a clue that a problem even exists. The La Jolla Town Council and the Del Mar City Council should take the lead. In addition, the Real Estate Brokers Association (REBA) should get into protecting the way of life that exists in this area. A decision must be made in the next couple of months ” the time to act is now, before it is too late.
Tim O’Neil, La Jolla

Take a principled stand
La siguiente es una copia de una carta al Concejal de la Ciudad del Distrito 1, Scott Peters.
Please do not insult those who believe in the cross remaining where it is by indicating the cross “can just be moved.” If the effort to save the cross fails, the cross should be destroyed on the spot and not moved. Saying it can be moved is an easy way out and political doublespeak for those who are complicit in this travesty to escape their responsibility and clear their duplicitous consciences. Mr. Peters, you will not be able to have it both ways. Take a principled stand; either you are for the cross remaining where it is, accompany that stand with whatever action necessary or side with those who want it destroyed.
What is the difference between having the Soledad cross destroyed and the iconic Buddha destroyed by Taliban zealots in 2001? Is it the age of the monument? Is it on public land? Maybe it’s because it’s just a Christian symbol? At the time of Buddha travesty, the Taliban spokesman said, “We would repeat to them as we have to other delegations that we are not going to back away from the edict, and that no statues in Afghanistan will be spared.”
The members of the La Jolla community who erected this monument a half-century ago possessed many of the same characteristics that the people who chiseled the Buddha centuries ago did. They were both deeply committed to erecting a monument dedicated to expressing their beliefs. Both stood as a testament to their place in history and future generations marveled at their accomplishments. The zealots in our society today, who want the cross destroyed, sound much like the Taliban, we will “not back away from the edict and that no crosses in America will be spared.”
After the destruction of the Buddha monument by the Taliban, a UN [United Nations] spokesman said, “It is abominable to witness the cold and calculated destruction of cultural properties which were the heritage of the Afghan people.” Then as now, officials like you, Mr. Peters, stood idly by as ACLU zealots in San Diego set out to destroy a cultural and historic icon. Maybe a future UN spokesman will say, “It is abominable to witness the cold and calculated destruction of cultural properties which were the heritage of the San Diego people.” How pathetic. What a perversion of our Constitution.
Mr. Peters, we know that you are beginning to look for the next office. That is great. That’s what politicians do. But please do not think for one minute that your inaction at this time will go unnoticed or forgotten.
Mark Skeen, La Jolla

Prospective condo advice
People contemplating the purchase of a condo would be well advised to consider these important factors:
Age of the building. If “old,” its infrastructure is progressively deteriorating, necessitating constant, expensive repairs.
The financial reserves of the homeowners association. If low, the board of directors would have to impose “special assessments” (in addition to monthly maintenance fees) to pay for repairs such as new roofs, leaky pipes, electrical breakdowns, termite eradications, etc., etc.
To watch out for proposals made by a few wealthy residents for so-called “improvements,” jeopardizing the low reserves and interests of the majority, thus ensuring the imposition of “special assessments” ad nauseum.
The resulting performance of members of the board is only as good as the general membership.
Alfonso de Borbón, La Jolla