CELEBRATING
100 YEARS
Vol. 101, Issue 9 • February 28, 2013
Residential Customer La Jolla, CA 92037 ECRWSS
ENLIGHTENING LA JOLLA SINCE 1913
Online Daily at lajollalight.com
Rotarians at the Ready Cove Stench Countdown: 424 Days with no cleanup action as of Jan. 1, 2012 www.bit.ly/covestench
INSIDE
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a Jolla Cove Swim Club members and other attendees get ready to dive into the 2013 Global Swimarathon held Saturday, Feb. 23 at the Cove. Members of La Jolla Sunrise Rotary teamed with city lifeguards to coordinate a safe swim with proceeds from the event going to Polio Plus, a Rotary fund dedicated to polio eradication. — Greg Wiest n More at Swim, A21
La Jolla Cluster Association circulates ideas survey, A4
Village Merchants discuss new hotel for Prospect Street, A6
Meet Muirlands Principal Christine Hargrave, B6 ct Perfe e h t : od ing Find ghborho as i t e n n porta fect as im the Per ing Find home
PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 1980
Children’s Pool Friends sue city over seal rope extension By Ashley Mackin The La Jolla beach access advocacy group, Friends of the Children’s Pool (FoCP), announced on Feb. 21 their lawsuit filed against the City of San Diego for the December 2012 lengthening of the rope barrier found at Children’s Pool. The papers were served Feb. 25. La Jolla Light previously reported that though the rope was initially intended to be 152 feet long — with a three-foot opening for divers and spear fishermen to access the shoreline — in 2010 city staff mistakenly SEE SEAL ROPE, A9
Alfresco Approvals
n Proposed ease in outdoor dining permits could be a boon for La Jolla eateries By Ashley Mackin It might be a little easier to dine outdoors at La Jolla restaurants this summer, thanks to proposed legislation by District 2 Councilmember Kevin Faulconer. His draft, scheduled for a San Diego City Council vote this summer, would make it easier and cheaper for restaurants to obtain permits for sidewalk dining. Noise and alcohol rules would remain in effect under the new plan, and any requirements of the La Jolla Planned District Ordinance (PDO) would take precedence. For La Jolla specifically, Faulconer said this proposal would be a boon. “When we think about La Jolla, one of the most beautiful places in the world,” he said. “We want
to encourage people to come and visit, spend their dollars here and have a beautiful afternoon or evening outside their favorite restaurant.” Currently, if a restaurant would like to set up sidewalk dining, it must apply for a neighborhood use permit, undergo a public review process, distribute notices and attend planning group meetings — all of which takes several months. It also involves a one-time deposit of $12,000 for restaurants in coastal areas. “Restaurants are the No. 1 contributor of taxable retail sales in the City of San Diego,” Faulconer said. “We should be doing everything we can to make it easier for these businesses to succeed, particularly over the last several years with the
The patio at Brick & Bell Cafe, 928 Silverado St., attracts customers from sunrise to mid-day. Susan DeMaggio recession. We live in a beautiful city with fantastic weather and (restaurant owners) shouldn’t have to pay thousands of dollars for a permit to allow their
customers to eat outside.” Matt Awbrey, Faulconer’s communication director, said the plan would change regulations to allow restaurants to get an “over-
the-counter” permit for outdoor sidewalk dining, eliminating many of the steps previously required. He added that the plan would also reduce the amount of sidewalk that must be left for pedestrians from eight feet to five feet, to be in line with what is required in downtown San Diego. “With that change, restaurateurs are looking at permit cost in the hundreds of dollars as opposed to the thousands of dollars. That’s a huge savings and cut in red tape for them,” Awbrey said. One still-to-be determined requirement for qualifying restaurants is the time an outdoor dining area must close each night in deference to residents in the nearby neighborhoods.
SEE OUTDOOR DINING, A8
Cher Conner-Broker Prudential CaliFornia realty 1299 Prospect St #305 | 858-551-7292 | www.realestateinlaJolla.com dre#00604382