PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 1980
ENLIGHTENING LA JOLLA SINCE 1913
Vol. 103, Issue 2 • January 8, 2015
INSIDE
ONLINE DAILY AT lajollalight.com
CRIME
Concussion Controversy
WAVE
Football injury at La Jolla High raises questions
Diving into 2015 Swim club sponsors Polar Bear Plunge, B10
n Natural La Jolla, A3 n Calendar, A4 n Crime News, A11 n Business, A16 n Opinion, A18 n Cove Stench Calendar, A18 n Poll of the Week, A19 n Obituaries, A19 n News Nuggets, A20 n Sports, A20 n 10 Questions, B1 n Kitchen Shrink, B5 n Faith Directory, B9 n Social Life, B10 n Best Bets, B12 n Classifieds, B16 n Real Estate, B18
By Pat Sherman A story about a La Jolla High School football player who sustained a concussion during a game, but was allegedly told to keep playing, is raising questions about the training high school coaches receive to recognize the signs of a concussion and other head injuries.
Rash of armed robberies in La Jolla over recent weeks
State of La Jolla Thursday, Jan. 8
La Jolla, as taken from the air in a Cessna on Dec. 28, 2014 by University of Michigan student Savanah Harvey, home on winter break.
L The story, published Jan. 5 by the online news source, Voice of San Diego (VOSD), said the unnamed, 17-yearold junior varsity player, has not returned to school for a full day since the injury, sustained during head-on contact with another player,
a Jolla Town Council will host the Village’s first (annual) “review,” 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 8 at La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. The community is encouraged to come and hear these groups give updates about what’s on tap for 2015 in The Jewel: n La Jolla Village Merchants Association n La Jolla Community Planning Association n Bird Rock Community Council n La Jolla Shores Association n La Jolla Parks & Beaches n La Jolla Recreation Council n La Jolla Town Council “The event will be much like the State of the Union address, but with various important local organizations sharing the stage and presenting their visions for the future of La Jolla,” said Town Council president Steve Haskins, noting this event is the first time he can recall so many local organizations will join together in the same place to speak directly to the people of La Jolla. Editor’s Note: As a reader/resident courtesy, La Jolla Light presents its annual list of local civic organizations with contact information (aka Alphabet Soup) on page A22. Thirteen entities provide advice to the San Diego City Council on land use, parks and beaches, public infrastructure and other important issues. The advice these groups provide can have a significant impact on La Jolla’s traffic patterns, historical preservation, parking, beach and park use, and other quality of life issues. u
See Football Injury, A8
By Ashley Mackin An uncharacteristically high number of armed robberies — both commercial and against individuals — have been reported in La Jolla over the past three weeks, with suspects of similar descriptions. In several incidences, the suspects are described as two, tall adult black males wearing hooded sweatshirts, brandishing weapons. In some occurrences, a third male was also spotted. Per City News Service, and as previously reported in La Jolla Light on Dec. 16, San Diego police report that two adult black, males robbed the La Jolla Village Lodge at gunpoint about 9:22 p.m. They entered the business at 1141 Silverado St. armed with guns and made a demand to the clerk. See Crime Wave, A10
City considers sea lion behaviorist to nix Cove odor n Meanwhile, visitors line up for sea lion ‘selfies’
La Jolla
Light An Edition of
565 Pearl St., Suite 300 La Jolla, CA 92037 (858) 459-4201 lajollalight.com
ResidentIal Customer La Jolla, CA 92037 ECRWSS
A couple takes a ‘selfie,’ just feet from a backdrop of sunning sea lions at La Jolla Cove. Pat Sherman
By Pat Sherman A year after the city installed a gate in the fence above La Jolla Cove — to allow human access to the bluffs as a deterrent to sea lions and birds gathering and depositing their smelly excrement there — the sea lions appear to have become acclimated to humans. Last week, visitors could be seen helping each other down the bluff trail to take “selfies” just feet from the seemingly docile marine mammals — a proximity prohibited under the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act (though rarely enforced).
Is Buying or Selling in Your 2015 Plans?
Call Karen Hickman at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices –
The #1 choice to sell your home.
At the time the gate was installed, it was believed the presence of humans would force the sea lions off the bluffs, thus eradicating the stench from their excrement and urine. The gate was positioned at the insistence of a group of Village business owners and residents who remember a time when there was no fence and people freely roamed the bluffs, sans the pungent odor of coastal wildlife. In June 2013, the city began spraying the bluffs with a microbial foam that digests the
See Cove Odor, A14
Karen HicKman 858-459-4300
Karen@SellsTheCoast.com