VILLAGE NEWS
Scott Appleby & Kerry ApplebyPayne
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www.SDNEWS.com Volume 17, Number 26
THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2012
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
Looking for love in La Jolla? Check out Barfly’s newest singles’ scene
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Atkins discusses issues over coffee BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS
Concours d’Elegance hits the streets By MARIKO LAMB hat began nearly a decade ago as a “car show for car guys by car guys,” has evolved over time to befit the title of the eighth annual La Jolla Concours d’Elegance. While the show continues to pay homage to its roots, those same passionate car guys have cleaned the grease from their fingernails and transformed into cigarand champagne-wielding gentlemen donning bowties for this year’s world-class event. Each year, La Jolla’s signature car show has seen drastic improvements in quality — from its vendors and the festivities surrounding the event to the automobiles themselves, said Mike Dorvillier, chair of the La Jolla Concours d’Elegance committee. This year, La Jolla’s formerly dubbed Motor Car Classic
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has been elevated in title to reflect the high quality of the car show itself, as well as its growth into a full weekend of events that incorporates and promotes the entire community — including beneficiaries of the event, the La Jolla Historical Society and the Monarch School. “For the first seven years of its life, it’s been a very high-end event in a concours venue,” said Dorvillier, referring to the show’s location at the scenic Ellen Browning Scripps Park. “We’ve always had that, so I felt that it was due time for this event to rise to the status that this village deserves from the standpoint of quality.” At this year’s show, more than 150 of the finest automobiles — ranging from classics to sports cars
and motorcycles to horseless carriages — will be competing in the concours, with an additional 75 automobiles on display at the car corral. In salute to the founding of the car show tradition, La Jolla Concours d’Elegance organizers decided to come full circle with this year’s theme by featuring Italian marques — the focus of the inaugural car show eight years ago. Seventy-five judges, led by chief judge Dr. Cy Conrad, will scrutinize every aspect of each car’s preservation, restoration, design, quality, care, cleanliness and authenticity to determine the top three cars in each competing class. Awards include best in show, SEE CONCOURS, Page 6
Local residents joined state Assemblywoman Toni Atkins for a community coffee chat at Bird Rock Elementary School on March 22 to discuss issues like education, healthcare, the state budget TONI ATKINS and keeping business in California. Atkins represents California’s 76th Assembly District, which currently spans from Point Loma to Bird Rock. After redistricting, which will take effect in June, the 76th District will shift north, spanning from Solana Beach to San Onofre State Beach. Much of the former 76th District will be represented by the 78th District, which will span from Imperial Beach to Solana Beach. Here were some of the topics discussed.
Education “The best way to invest in our economy is to invest in education,” said Atkins, exemplifying strides in innovation, technology, science and
SEE ATKINS, Page 5
Marine-mammal rescues spike in seasonal form BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS In recent weeks, beachgoers in coastal communities ranging from Sunset Cliffs to Black’s Beach have reported a high number of sick sea lions and seals in need of rescue. The recent spike of distressed pinnipeds may concern local animal lovers, but animal-care specialists at SeaWorld San Diego said the upswing is actually nothing out of the ordinary. “This is our rescue season. This is the height of it,” said SeaWorld spokeswoman Kelly Terry. “We’re on track to have an average season, which is about 200 rescues a year.” Year after year, SeaWorld’s animalcare specialists rescue hundreds of sea lions, seals and birds in Southern Califor-
nia, with the occasional whale or dolphin rescue added to the mix. California sea lions are the most commonly rescued marine mammals, followed by elephant seal pups and harbor seals, according to officials with SeaWorld’s Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation Program,. Last year, SeaWorld experienced a light season with only 60 pinniped rescues in San Diego, said Terry. Busy years, like ones bringing El Niño weather conditions, can send rescue numbers soaring to more than 400 rescues in a single year. The seasonal spike is primarily the result of pups’ lessons on tough love and growing up. “A lot of the younger animals are just getting weaned from mom and they’re not always prepared to catch fish on their
own,” said Terry. “Once they can’t catch fish — that’s how they get their hydration — they get dehydrated.” So far this year, SeaWorld has rescued 24 marine mammals, including 20 sea lions, two elephant seals and two harbor seals from areas all along San Diego’s coastline. “Most of the ones we’ve seen in the last week have been dehydrated, malnourished and underweight,” Terry said. “One of the first things we do is give them a veterinary examination to see if there are any other issues or infections. Typically, it’s just getting them rehydrated and getting them fattened up. They stay in our care from six to eight weeks if they’re not showing any signs of infections.” In most cases, dehydrated pups learn
their hard-knock life lessons and are back on their fins in no time. Occasionally, however, the pinnipeds are victims of circumstance. On March 9, one sea lion was rescued after becoming entangled in fishing gear at the base of Devil’s Slide near La Jolla Cove. Rescuers had to rappel down a cliff for the dramatic rescue, cut the fishing gear off — including removing a hook in the sea lion’s mouth — and release the sea lion back into the open water.
SEE RESCUES, Page 7
“Valentine” was rescued by SeaWorld staff after she was found malnourished, dehydrated and injured by a bullet in her flipper. She is being nursed back to health and is expected to be released in a couple of weeks. Photo courtesy of Mike Aguilera, SeaWorld San Diego