La Jolla Boulevard roundabout hazards The following is a copy of a letter sent to Graham Hufford at the City of San Diego, and a reply from Lisa Adams, Hufford’s former supervisor. I live near the roundabouts on La Jolla Boulevard and drive through them daily. I will be very upfront about the fact that I do not like them. However, whether I like them or not is of little concern to you or anyone else. What you, as engineer in charge of the project on behalf of the City of San Diego, should be concerned about is the hazard the foliage near the crosswalks poses to pedestrians. As a motorist, my ability to see pedestrians in the crosswalks is severely compromised by foliage near the crosswalks. Even very low-cut foliage is a hazard to babies in strollers, small children and bicyclists. I am certain that I am not the only motorist whose visibility is compromised approaching these intersections. I and others have written to our newspaper editors and had our letters published about this problem but we have seen little progress toward clearing foliage from the crosswalks. The foliage may look pretty but it camouflages crossers. There are other problems with the roundabouts and bicycle paths which I will leave for another time, but I call upon you to give this matter your immediate attention, as lives are at stake. Marty Bloom, La Jolla Dear Mr. Bloom, On December 16, 2008 we directed the contractor to trim the bushes back. It is anticipated that the contractor will be trimming back the plants that are in the way of the ped [pedestrian] ramps sometime next week.  As this is not part of the normal required landscape maintenance and therefore, we had to negotiate the conditions and requirements with the contractor.    Sorry for the delay on this item. We have been working with the contractor to get this done. The contractor was very concerned about trimming the plants back because the trimming will not be esthetically pleasing when it is all done. With this consideration we have decided to cut the plants back regardless of the esthetics. If you have any other concerns please contact me. I do appreciate your diligence. Thank you. Lisa Adams, City of San Diego The Soledad Memorial saga continues In March of 2001, United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan pleaded with the Taliban “to respect what is sacred to others.” Later that month, the 1,700-year-old Buddhas of Bamyan, the world’s two largest standing Buddhas, were blown up by the Taliban in Afghanistan to the horror of people around the world. UNESCO Chief Koichiro Matsuura called the hugely intolerant act “mindless aggression to the conscience, history and identity of humankind.” The cross on Mt. Soledad was erected with good intentions as a Korean War Memorial in the 1950s. It is now part of the “conscience, history and identity” of this area. All those who favor removing the cross should be made to blow it up just like the Buddhas of Bamyan. The legal distortions made in the Soledad case by those who wish its demise are equivalent to the dynamite used by the Taliban. Maybe if they were to physically witness what they desire, they would understand the level of intolerance they are displaying and hatred they are encouraging. Mark W. Skeen, La Jolla Casa Beach legacy My wife and I visit La Jolla on a frequent basis [from the Midwest]. In addition to the friends we have in the area, and the incredible weather and amenities of your local area, we look forward to daily walks from our Village hotel to Casa Beach. We have always been aware of the debate relative to the protection of the harbor seal population, but this year was more impactful on us as we witnessed the arrival and ultimate abandonment [by his mother] of the first new pup of 2009.  While we are tangential parties to the discussion, given that we are not residents of the local community, we believe that the loss of the seal population on that small patch of sand would certainly seem to us to be a disproportionate cost when compared to the benefit that little piece of beach might bring to the locals. Our input from afar would be to retain the protective ordinances and take advantage of the daily spectacle that one cannot see but for a very few spots in our Country. Robert and Chris Guimbarda, St. Louis, MO