Judge John S. Meyer denied last-ditch attempts Wednesday by attorneys for La Jolla’s business improvement district to refuse to seat two people on the group’s board of directors, and to make their records public.
“I’m denying your request,” Meyer told Christopher B. Cato, attorney with Gordon & Rees, the firm representing Promote La Jolla (PLJ), the village’s business improvement district. “Your request is denied. Denied.”
Meyer ruled for Nancy Warwick and Bob Collins, two La Jolla business owners who ran in PLJ’s October 2007 election, then sued after learning two incumbents who won were ineligible to run. Collins and Warwick were the next highest vote-getters, and Meyer ruled PLJ should have seated them.
The members who make up the current PLJ board said Collins and Warwick will disturb the status quo, which Cato reiterated to the judge Wednesday, March 5. Cato also asked the judge to stop Collins and Warwick’s other request, which was for PLJ’s records, financial and otherwise.
But Meyer denied Cato’s requests.
Steve Haskins, attorney for Collins and Warwick and president of La Jollans for Clean Government, said it is important that his clients get PLJ’s records. Collins wrote to PLJ to obtain the records but only received some, he said.
“It’s all about preventing [Collins and Warwick] from seeing the records and financials,” Haskins said. “But they sent them the [board of directors] packet and they need to seat them.”
Haskins said he plans to continue to request public records from the organization, along with depositions from the group’s president, Deborah Marengo. Calls to Marengo were not returned before deadline.
“What is it they are trying to hide?” Haskins said.
PLJ meets the second Wednesday of every month at 3 p.m. at La Valencia hotel, 1132 Prospect St. For more information, visit www.lajollabythesea.com. For more information about La Jollans For Clean Government, go to www.lajollawatchdog.org.