Former La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) President Tim Golba joined the City of San Diego’s planning commission, leaving the advisory board with three total vacancies, which the group will fill during a special election at its August meeting. The group appoints trustees to local committees, including La Jolla’s controversial parking board, which was forced to stop meeting, at least temporarily.
Tom Brady, Bob Collins, Mike Costello and Steve Haskins had announced intentions to run during July’s meeting. However, new LJCPA President Joe LaCava appointed Orrin Gabsch as the La Jolla Community Parking District Advisory Board delegate at the July 3 meeting.
The group will ratify LaCava’s appointment of Gabsch as the LJCPA representative for the inactive parking board during the August meeting.
Haskins, of the watchdog group La Jollans for Clean Government, works as an attorney and real estate broker. When Haskins was 17, the town elected him the youngest trustee on the La Jolla Town Council. Today, the 48-year-old native La Jollan serves on La Jolla Town Council.
Haskins said he decided to withdraw from this LJCPA race and to run in March after he terms out of the council.
“I have to withdraw my name,” Haskins said. “The other candidates are great”¦”
Collins said that in addition to his stance against paid parking, he would be a good candidate for La Jolla’s planning board because of his past commitment to many La Jolla-area committees.
“I was president of the town council,” Collins said, adding other local boards to his resumé, including La Jolla’s PDO.
Collins was party to a lawsuit against Promote La Jolla (PLJ) regarding the business improvement district’s elections, in which he ran. Collins’ complaint said that PLJ allowed two ineligible people inside the election “” who won more votes than Collins. The judge ruled that PLJ must seat Collins on the board. The two people found ineligible resigned, and Collins sits on the PLJ board.
Brady, a 41-year La Jolla resident, said he has been filling in for Ray Weiss at La Jolla Town Council meetings. Brady has been continuously attending LJCPA meetings.
Costello, a retired scientist, said he moved to La Jolla 20 years ago and has been interested in nearby airport issues and the Bird Rock traffic-calming project.
“I’m now seeing that [project] coming to fruition,” Costello said, adding that he was in favor of Bird Rock’s Maintenance Assessment District (MAD). “The residents are assessed money for landscaping and traffic calming. I’m also involved with No Third Story and I’d be happy to serve as a trustee.”
The planning association has two seats open until 2010, LaCava said, and one open seat until 2009.
“The third highest vote-getter will get the seat until 2009,” LaCava said, adding, “It is always desirable to have more candidates than seats to give folks a choice “¦ The ballot will also have spaces for write-in candidates.”
The Hillel project is slated to return to LJCPA in August with its new modifications. The City of San Diego will return between August and October with its CDP application for the Children’s Pool Lifeguard Tower.
For more information, visit www.lajollacpa.org.