Pack up & move out
Regarding the discussion in Adrian. Tillman’s recent article of the proposed PDO (“Community consensus: PDO needs more time,” Village News, March 30, page 1), I would like to point out that some statements defy both fact and logic. Ms. Marengo, the wife of an “architect”/developer, states that La Jolla is deserted after 5 p.m. due to “people “¦ going in and out of business.” As anyone who travels outside of La Jolla or San Diego knows, there is foot traffic when retail stores and restaurants remain open in the evening hours. In La Jolla, many if not most of the shop owners choose to close their doors in the late afternoon, and there are few restaurants in the main village areas. And, as in other parts of the country, there are stores that perpetually advertise their “going out of business” status, but I believe we know that to typically be a ploy. A third story is obviously not the solution.A further assertion suggests that the variation would “ensure good design.” This is an insult to every resident in La Jolla. Nothing about the proposed PDO would “ensure good design.” Very few believe that the Seahaus development is “good design,” and the opportunity for developers to build boxier condos suggests even worse design.And, last, there is the counter that the “insecurity of the variance process would prevent property owners from buying and redeveloping property.” This is the most egregious lie of all. It might prevent the limit of guaranteed high profitability, but it would not prevent redevelopment. It appears that those in the business of development want to assure themselves a good supply of highly lucrative business in the years to come. Perhaps they are incapable of thoughtful design that complements the community, and perhaps they are too greedy to limit their potential financial gains. If that is their goal, I suggest they pack up and move out of town ” far out of town!
Cynthia A. Bond, La Jolla

Mayor Sanders shows his true colors
With 16 hours notice (including overnight hours), Mayor Sanders called a meeting of the parties involved with proposed changes at Torrey Pines and Balboa golf courses. Showing his true colors, he met privately, before the announced meeting, with representatives of the Lodge, the Century Club and other campaign-contributing special interests, but not one group representing the public.
At the meeting he gave those groups everything they wanted. Reduced tee times for the public, increased fees, elimination of senior discounts, approval to build the Century Club operations building on city property and plans to build a new clubhouse, to Bill Evans’s specifications, after the 2008 Open. His vow of a transparent administration is a sham as he also said he would bypass the City Council’s Natural Resource and Cultural Committee, which is normally the first stop in hearing golf course issues, and go directly to the full City Council.You can rest assured that he would not do this without having already rigged the vote with council members who are beholden to the very same special interests. One of the council members is an honorary member of the Century Club.
We citizens are naive to think that we can go up against “business leaders” who buy access and favors from our politicians. We have only one choice and that is to unite and express our anger over the treatment we get time after time. I am a member of a group of citizens called the San Diego Municipal Golfers Alliance. If you are opposed to being treated like you just fell off the turnip truck and are opposed to losing your privileges and control over our city’s Municipal Golf Courses, go to our Web site, SDMGA.ORG, and find out how to fight City Hall.
In the meantime, write and call the Mayor and your City Councilmember (addresses on the Web site) to let them know you are mad and won’t put up with being pushed around by the monied interest anymore. It’s the only hope we have before “they” condo-ize Torrey Pines.
John Beaver, La Jolla

North County’s long memory
Brian Bilbray does not deserve to be our representative in Congress. In the late l980s and early 1990s, he was a leading proponent of the failed trash burning plant in Elfin Forest: a potential $150 million economic boondoggle and ecological disaster. At that time he was a county supervisor representing Imperial Beach/Southbay, and he was very critical of the residents of North County. I know. I was at those meetings time and time again. I still remember those insults he was throwing at North County ” the put-downs, the ridicule, all of which are a matter of record. Back then, the cities of Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Carlsbad and Escondido fought very hard to protect us from this folly, and in the end, we won.
The passage of time has proven us right. There is no trash crisis in North County, as Bilbray was predicting. Now, he wants to represent us in Congress after voters in his own congressional district threw him out of office. Why do we need such a reject? Why do we need an opportunist who moved to LaCosta just in time to run for this special election? Why do we need a politician who benefited from Jack Abramoff’s largesse? Why do we need a politician who is a registered lobbyist?
We are very fortunate to have plenty of qualified candidates to choose from in this race (other than Brian Bilbray). None of them has a history of belittling residents of North County. None of them has a history of economic and environmental irresponsibility. None of them has ties with Abramoff. None of them is a registered lobbyist. Finally, all of them have their roots firmly planted in North County.
So, please take these things under consideration and vote for Anybody But Brian Bilbray.
Christopher Kirkorowicz, Encinitas

Vote for change
Our special-interest Congress will continue its veritable orgy of special-interest favors as long as we keep electing more of the same but with different names.
It seems every decade or so the party in power has forgotten what it promised the voters and instead focuses on raising campaign cash from those seeking goodies from Washington.
How are the policies of any of the Republican candidates different from those of Randy Cunningham?
If you’re happy with the costly, poorly executed war, tax breaks for the rich and cuts in college scholarships, massive budget deficits we’ll be paying off for years to come and the endless rollbacks of environmental protections, then you have plenty of choices among the status-quo candidates.
If you want to send a message that we demand change, then send Francine Busby to Washington.
Bill Collins, San Diego