CLIMATE CHANGE THREATENS OUR SAN DIEGO LIFESTYLE

Sunny skies, warm temperatures, and gentle breezes – this is the climate for which San Diego is so justly famous. Much of our lifestyle and our local economy depend on that climate. Whether it is the lineup of surfers on their boards off our coast every morning, the huge economic impact of visitors to our region, or our local maritime businesses such as ship building and repair – they all will be negatively affected by climate change.

The average temperature of the planet has increased in recent years and there is consensus among scientists that emissions from human activities are largely responsible for that change. One impact of climate change that will be particularly significant for San Diego is the rising sea level, which is caused by the expansion of warming ocean waters and the melting of global ice masses.

If current trends continue, according to a San Diego Foundation report, San Diego’s Changing Climate: A Regional Wake-Up Call, by 2050 sea level will be 12 -18 inches higher along our 70 miles of coastline. That means shrinking beaches, collapsing cliffs, and elimination of tide pools and wetlands. It also means flooded transportation corridors and threats to homes, businesses, hotels, the Port of San Diego and even the airport. Communities expected to be particularly affected include Imperial Beach, Coronado, Mission Beach, La Jolla Shores, Del Mar, and Oceanside. More information about sea level projections and other impacts of climate change, including the San Diego Foundation report, is available from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at http://www.sio.ucsd.edu/.

The California Ocean Protection Council, on which I represent the State Assembly, is working to provide guidelines for protecting coastal properties, such as building sea walls and breakwaters and replenishing beach sand. But these steps will be costly. While we probably cannot completely prevent climate change, there are steps we can take to reduce it and the costs associated with it. Policies that reduce greenhouse emissions, including support for mass transit and smart growth communities, can make a real difference.

On an individual level, this month’s Earth Day observance is a great opportunity for renewing our commitment to saving the planet. My San Diego office can provide you with a brochure of helpful hints for reducing your carbon footprint, as well as a climate change coloring book for kids. Please call 619-645-3090 to request them.
Warm Regards,
Toni

Meetings regarding Normal Heights Elementary

To the Editor:

Your article on the protest at Normal Heights Elementary School (Uptown News, March 16–29, 2012) quoted Lisa Ames: “. . .that the park, in its proposal stage, was never brought to the parents or the community for input.” (Emphasis added). Ames is wrong; there was input from the community.

Fact: November 13, 1999: Public Facilities Workshop. The school and the park were included in a larger discussion of the area from 40th Street west to Hawley Blvd. A capacity crowd filled the Normal Heights Community Center.

Fact: November 22, 2002: Master Planning Workshop, Franklin/Adams Elementary School. A charrette, attended by community members, that focused on the school and its connection/relationship with the park and the surrounding area.

Fact: During 2003, the architect hired for the project and SDUSD held three design meetings with the community. Joint-use was always part of the discussions.

Fact: June 16, 2005: Groundbreaking ceremony for Normal Heights Elementary School. The program listed 16 campus features, one was the joint-use field; the other was the curving sidewalk to provide after-hours access from the west.

The community was certainly asked for input during the entire process; I cannot speak for parents, who may or may not have attended any of the six meetings or events mentioned above.

– Suzanne Ledeboer, Normal Heights resident

Responses to Golden Hill MAD elimination

This indeed is a sad time for Golden Hill. A small group of shortsighted property owners have unfortunately forced the Golden Hill Assessment District to be dissolved.

As a resident and property owner in Golden Hill for over 40 years, I have never been so proud of my neighborhood’s resurgence over the past five years, sparked by the accomplishments of Ben Verdugo and the assessment district through their services such as litter and graffiti removal as well as landscaping services. At the very best, this misguided decision has stalled the restoring of Golden Hill to its once-held position as a crowned community of San Diego.

But as one door closes another can open. Now is the time for our Councilman Todd Gloria to rise to the occasion and step forward to see that these type of services will continue, for his district of Golden Hill, to maintain the momentum of these tremendous strides made thus far. We will be supporting and watching you Mr. Gloria.

– Barry Stinson, Golden Hill resident

Hurrah to the Superior Court for cancelling the Golden Hill Maintenance Assessment District (MAD) tax to fund upkeep services in the neighborhood.

I live just south of Juniper Street, which, officially, puts our neighborhood in the Greater Golden Hill District. This location has received none of the services MAD was providing to other areas of Greater Golden Hill. If I cross to the north side of Juniper, I am in North Park and not considered eligible to be a volunteer officer for certain committees of the North Park Planning Commission. So, I’m kinda feelin’ left out by both of these communities!

In my neighborhood we all pick up our trash, paint over the graffiti, landscape City property, sweep our own sidewalks and don’t dump our old couches in the streets. Mark Catrambone, supervisor for Harvest Landscape, the company contracted to provide service for the MAD project, stated that his crew received only positive feedback from residents. Sure, I would have positive feedback for services too. But I didn’t get any. All I got was an additional tax to pay.

I would suggest that now the neighbors in Greater Golden Hill have incentive to get off their couches (in or out of the street), ban together, and have a good time meeting, greeting and sprucing up their hood together. It’s a wonderful way to meet one’s neighbors and gain the satisfaction of contributing to this great community. That’s how we do it just south of Juniper (AKA South Park).

I gotta go now to sweep the sidewalk, pick up a bunch of candy wrappers and say “Hi” to my neighbor. Oh, and another thing — I want my tax money back!

– Connie Dahl, South Park resident
Editor’s Note: In the original publication of Dahl’s letter, the North Park Planning Commission was referred to as the North Park Community Association. The correct group is the North Park Planning Commission.