Thanks, good Samaritans
‘On Sunday, July 23, at 12:30 p.m., I had a bicycle accident in front of the La Jolla Farmers Market thanks to a large, red SUV that exited the market directly in front of me.
Although the driver of the SUV did not even slow down, a number of other people did stop to help me. I would like to say thank you to all of those people who took the time to get me out of the street and make sure that I was taken care of.
Pamela Maher, La Jolla

Totally absurd, dangerous & a disgrace
I am not a smoker. I don’t approve of smoking in my house, restaurants, buses, theatres or other indoor places. But, I cannot fathom the hysteria against smoking on the beaches.
It is a disgrace to expect lifeguards to monitor smoking violations. It is totally absurd and dangerous, and I think illegal to add this burden to lifeguards’ life-saving responsibilities.
Is this an attempt by the San Diego City Council to prove to us that they are really on the job? Shame on them!
Tanja Winter, La Jolla

If you wreck it, all lose
I was very sad to hear the news that our City Council voted to build a bridge and road through a great canyon ” Rose Canyon.
Recently, I went walking through Rose Canyon with my family and friends, and really enjoyed myself. It was really fun.
I wrote to the Mayor and Councilman Scott Peters, and all of the other Council members and asked them all to not let a bridge be built through this wonderful canyon.
While on my hike, I saw lizards, butterflies, red-tailed hawks, chipmunks, coyote melons, a beehive, a stream, many types of birds, and a huge amount of different plants and flowers.
If there was a bridge built through this trail, there would be too much noise from the road to enjoy the outdoor area. Also, animals would either move away from the area or be threatened since their habitat is going to be in danger.
We don’t have a lot of other places to go hiking that are close by. There is Torrey Pines trails, and San Clemente trail, but Rose Canyon is unique. You just don’t see the same animals and plants on those other trails that you do when walking through Rose Canyon.
We learn new things about animals, plants and our environment just by taking hikes! It is like a classroom outdoors. Now it seems like this classroom in Rose Canyon is being taken away.
I understand that some people felt the bridge and new road would help traffic and some other things. But, for some reason, it seems like they could have solved the problem another way.
There is only one Rose Canyon. If you wreck it, all of us lose out on something beautiful.
Tayler Necoechea, age 8
Bird Rock Elementary School, La Jolla

Remove the worm
The letter about Lebanon in your July 27 issue (“Help innocent Lebanon war victims,” page 8) shows one view of a small ribbon of land whose people need pity and compassion.
Actually, they hold in their hands the ability to engineer the peace of the entire future world if they make certain choices.
Right now, Lebanon is like a beautiful apple with a nasty worm in it. To remove the worm would accomplish the mission.
Patricia Weber, La Jolla

Wake up, La Jollans
I want to clarify certain statements that have recently been in our local papers and ask La Jollans for help and input.
1) As a litigant in the lawsuit against the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA), I want to state that the lawsuit has not “been dismissed,” as previously stated. It has been “put on hold” pending an investigation by the City Attorney’s office and until changes in the bylaws of the LJPCA are made. We allege that “several architects who are voting trustees of the LJCPA have proposed projects within the boundaries of the LJCPA and will receive direct economic benefits if and when certain proposed changes to the La Jolla Planned District Ordinance are approved.”
Right now, Mark Lyon is proposing a project on the corner of La Jolla Boulevard and Bird Rock Avenue that, if approved, will allow a third story to be built, which is now disallowed. If it is approved by the PDO committee, it will set a precedent for future development in our “No 3rd Story” areas, which includes the Bird Rock area and most of downtown La Jolla.
2) Although, as Tim Golba stated, the LJCPA was scheduled to assess and make changes according to the city’s mandate, there was no guarantee that, with the trustee makeup being a majority of architects, real estate developers and Realtors, that the wishes of mainstream La Jollans would be accorded any relevance.
You may recall that only after a vital campaign against the three-story recommendation by the public, and over 300 La Jollans appeared and signed petitions, and Scott Peters (District 1 Councilman) and Mike Aguirre (City Attorney) appeared at the May meeting, did the trustees vote 5-4 against the proposal.
3) Now, a member must attend three meetings in order to vote, and the vote is only for the yearly trustee membership. There is no provision that the public’s wishes would be heard, or even that they would be entitled to a vote on any projects or items that are presented. As Mike Aguirre stated, “it’s harder to vote in the LJCPA than to vote for the President of the U.S.”
4) I urge citizens of La Jolla to become involved, attend meetings, and find out what the trustees are planning in our wonderful town. The next monthly meeting at the Rec Center is Thursday, Sept. 7, at 6:30 p.m.
Sally Fuller, 31-year resident of La Jolla