Rope barrier is needed Mayor Jerry Sanders and City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner are badly mistaken if they believe there is no emergency need to reinstall the rope barrier/guideline rope at Casa Beach/Children’s Pool. Every night dozens of seals haul out on the rookery beach where they defecate and urinate, and every morning a few misguided visitors, coaxed in some cases by the “open beach” faction, enter the rookery area where they wallow in sand and water containing high levels of seal coliform bacteria. A reinstalled rope barrier would clearly delineate the haul-out area used by the seals, and would keep people and seals apart while seals are hauled out. In a letter to Councilwoman Donna Frye last May 14, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA-NMFS) regional director Rod McInnis states clearly that “NMFS supports establishing the guideline rope year-round, as it would allow at least some measure of public awareness and protection to the harbor seals hauled out on the sand.” San Diego County Health, which has responsibility for advisories regarding beach and ocean water use, has attempted for years to notify the public that there is a health risk to humans from exposure to seal fecal matter. Given the above, why are the mayor and Sherri Lightner so adamant that replacement of the guideline rope is not needed or desirable during the summer months? James Hudnall La Jolla Double standard We have been following the “Preserve La Jolla Shores” campaign with great interest. There is a concerted effort to stem the tide of larger buildings on Avenida de la Playa. As a family that was intimately involved in a recent project in the area, we have a very real perspective of the community situation. In 2002, we purchased the lot at 2218 Avenida de la Playa (three lots down from the proposed Whitney project and two lots down from the Naegle property). The lot square footage was 1,999 and a structure of 1,017 feet occupied the lot. The single-story building was in disrepair, and not charming in any sense of the word. The reason that our family purchased the property is that it included approved building plans for a three-story, 3,000 square foot mixed use project. The drawings and design were first class and a much-needed improvement for the neighborhood. The “Shopkeeper” concept was truly a blessing for this tired block in the Shores. Of particular note is the fact the approved plans included a variance to build the home lot line to lot line. We proceeded with the plans and the guidance of the architect of the “Shopkeeper” concept and wound up with a very special project that blended into the community. Dale Naegle was the architect on our approved project plans. Fast forward to 2010 and there is a large uproar in the community regarding the Whitney Family project on the same street. Our family knows the Whitney family. Our family also knows Dale and Myrna Naegle. Both are quality families. What we find very difficult to digest is that Dale Naegle was the architect of our building as well as the entire three story “Shopkeeper” concept that was to have occupied the majority of the Avenida de la Playa 2000 block. Residents of La Jolla need to know the history and investigate the proposed Whitney plans to decide what is being “preserved.” It seems that there is a double standard being utilized — and that is not fair. The Lysaught family La Jolla