WALL-TO-WALL IN THE WAVES
Crowds fill La Jolla Shores during the Labor Day weekend, as inland temperatures hovered in or near triple digits.

Medical marijuana merchant gets five years
A La Jolla man who operated a medical marijuana shop named the Purple Bud Room in Pacific Beach has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for illegally cultivating 300 marijuana plants.
John Thomas Sullivan, 39, is also awaiting sentencing on Sept. 11 in San Diego Superior Court for violating state laws and may get a consecutive term with his federal sentence, according to court records.
Sullivan has been in custody since May 10.
The U.S. Attorney’s office argued that Sullivan personally profited from the sale and cultivation of marijuana plants under the guise it was for medical use only.
California voters approved Proposition 215 in 1996. The law allows ailing people to possess small amounts of marijuana with a doctor’s recommendations, but this clashes with federal law, which does not allow possession of marijuana for any reason.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Crowley asked U.S. District Court Judge Larry Burns to impose the five-year sentence, while Sullivan’s attorney sought a lower term. Burns ordered
Sullivan to pay a $100 penalty assessment fee but did not impose a fine. Attorneys gave little argument before the Aug. 27 sentencing.
Sullivan owned and operated the Purple Bud Room on Garnet Avenue and Tender Holistic Care Dispensary on Cass Street, but both closed down after federal agents raided the establishments in July 2006. Court records say police seized $9,000 in cash and 15 pounds of marijuana in Sullivan’s residence on La Jolla Boulevard. Five similar businesses in Ocean Beach were also closed after the raids.
Sullivan pleaded guilty to a federal charge of manufacturing 300 marijuana plants. He also pleaded guilty in state court to possession of marijuana for sale and making a false insurance claim for loss of property to his insurance company. Sullivan claimed his car was stolen, but it was secretly hidden in a storage shed, according to a prosecutor.
The District Attorney’s Office agreed to ask for not more than five years in state court if he got five years in federal court, but a Superior Court judge might give Sullivan more time. Other people involved with the shops have also been sentenced, but Sullivan’s sentence is the longest.

UJF gala will include scrolls viewing
The United Jewish Federation of San Diego County (UJF) is hosting its annual Major Gifts and Lion of Judah Dinner this evening, Sept. 6t, at the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park.
The evening will acknowledge and honor the contributions of UJF’s largest donors.
The event features a private viewing of the Dead Sea Scrolls followed by an informational discussion led by Risa Levitt Kohn, curator of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Dead Sea Scrolls consist of ancient biblical manuscripts, discovered between 1947 and 1956 near Jerusalem, and are presented by UJF donors Joan and Irwin Jacobs.
“The Dead Sea Scrolls are a link to our past and represent UJF’s support for Israel,” said Lorri Mathios, a UJF representative.
The viewing will be accompanied with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and dinner.
For more information on the evening, contact Mathios, (858) 571-3444, ext. 225.

UCSD housing/dining project calls for comment
A tiered Initial Study has been prepared for a proposed housing and dining services administrative building project at the University of California, San Diego.
The proposed project, which would consist of a four-story rectangular building about 42,124 gross square feet, would be constructed on a .95-acre site on the West Campus.
The project will not have a significant effect on the environment, as determined by UCSD’s 2004 Long Range Development Plan Environmental Impact Report.
The Draft Initial Study and Draft Mitigated Declaration can be viewed by visiting http://physicalplanning.ucsd.edu/pub_notice.html.
Public comments must be mailed by Sept. 10 to Catherine Presmyk, UCSD Physical Planning, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0074, La Jolla, CA 92093-0074.

LJ Presbyterian Church announces new schedule
La Jolla Presbyteran Church will commence a new schedule of services and classes beginning Sunday, Sept. 9.
There will now be three Sunday morning services ” two traditional services in the sanctuary, at 8:45 and 10:45 a.m., and a 9:45 a.m. contemporary service in Fellowship Hall. Pastor Paul Cunningham will preach at all three services.
Children’s Sunday school classes will be held during the first two services, while nursery care for infants through age 5 will be available during all three services.
Several new adult classes will be offered beginning Sunday, Sept. 16.
La Jolla Presbyterian Church is located at 7715 Draper Ave. For information, call (858) 729-5524.