VILLAGE NEWS
Scott Appleby & Kerry ApplebyPayne
LA JOLLA
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THURSDAY, MAY 31, 2012
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
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www.SDNEWS.com Volume 17, Number 35
Lifeguards say they get the shaft in pending budget BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS Members of the Marine Corps Recruit Depot Color Guard Rifle Team, below, give a 21gun salute during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial on May 28. Vintage T-34 aircraft, left, performed a flyover during the celebration, and also performed a “Missing Man” formation (where one plane peels up away from the others). Photos by Don Balch
Eisenhower remembered at Memorial Day ceremony At a Memorial Day celebration atop Mount Soledad on May 28, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower was posthumously honored with a plaque dedication. Three generations of the Eisenhower family were in attendance at the ceremony: nephew Earl Eisenhower, Earl’s son, Barry, and his grandson, Scott Eisenhower. The keynote address was delivered by Maj. Gen. Frederick “Ben” Hodges, while Bob Lawrence, a 30-year veteran reporter with KGTV, who has extensively covered the military and veterans’ issues, served as emcee. Music by Navy Band Southwest Brass Quintet and soloist Vince Martin of the San Diego Opera entertained the crowd. Eisenhower’s tribute was delivered by longtime “voice of the San Diego Padres” Jerry Coleman. A distinguished World War II and Korean War combat pilot, Lt. Col. Coleman was awarded two Distinguished Flying Crosses, 13 Air Medals, and three Navy Citations. As a member of the New York Yankees, where he was both Rookie of the Year in 1949 and Most Valuable Player in 1950’s World Series, Coleman once met President Eisenhower at Ebbetts Field. — Staff and contribution
See more photos, Page 3
La Jolla loses those pesky poles BY MARIKO LAMB | VILLAGE NEWS Just when San Diegans thought La Jolla couldn’t get any more stunning, city officials and local utility companies swoop in to remove unsightly overhead utility lines and beach viewblocking poles around the Beach-Barber Tract neighborhood. The undergrounding of utility lines not only enhances coastal vistas for the neighborhood’s residents and visitors, it also lessens the threat of power outages, improves public safety, and
saves time and money for city services in the long run, said officials. District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner and representatives from SDG&E, AT&T and Time Warner Cable commemorated the removal of a utility pole near the intersection of Draper Avenue and Genter Street — one of the last poles left standing in the neighborhood — on May 24. The pole removal marks the near completion of an $8.1 million utilities SEE POLES, Page 6
Crews remove one of the last utility poles in the Beach-Barber Tract neighborhood. MARIKO LAMB | Village News
A newfound $12 million boost to the city’s budget allowed Mayor Jerry Sanders to augment funding for a number of San Diego services in the latest revision of his budget proposal, released on May 23. And although the mayor restored additional recreation center and library hours, augmented police and fire forces, triggered more street upgrades and infrastructure repairs, and increased support for the city’s arts and culture program in his revised fiscal year 2013 budget, not everyone was satisfied with his proposal. At the City Council’s May 25 meeting, San Diego lifeguards said they were left out of funding priorities. The lifeguard union, led by Sgt. Ed Harris, urged councilmembers to come to its rescue by allotting an additional $368,000 in budget revisions to fill three relief positions — which would cover lifeguards who are sick, injured or on vacation — and instate a wellness program to monitor health and prevent injuries. “The mayor touted us as the most efficient department [the city] has, but then he proceeded to cut us by the same margin,” said Harris. “We don’t think it’s right that the city try to maintain the same coverage but cut corners to the point where it’s starting to get dangerous.” Harris said low staffing levels tied to injuries have led to gaps in public safety at the city’s beaches and bays. “The reason we need the relief positions is quite simply that the lifeguard services has the highest injury rate. At any given time, we have two to nine lifeguards out on injury,” he said. “If [the city] can’t fund relief positions, we should consider closing a beach for safe-
Scripps’ lifeguard tower was reopened last July. City lifeguards wonder how they’ll continue to keep beaches safe if the current city budget proposal is adopted. MARIKO LAMB
ty during the winter months.” He said although lifeguards do not hope the situation comes down to beach closures, they also don’t want people to have a false sense of security on beaches and bays that are understaffed or staffed by underqualified or injured lifeguards. “One thing lifeguards can’t deal with is someone drowning in their waters,” he said. “We are a safety service, just like the police department and fire department. The city charter says public safety comes first, but there are 100 positions in this budget that are being funded before us.” He pointed out that both the lifeguard union and District 1 City Councilwoman Sherri Lightner have helped broker deals with UCSD and Toyota in the past to reinstate funding for beach safety essentials like lifeguards at Black’s Beach, lifeguard facilities and new lifeguard service vehicles. San Diego lifeguards have even been featured in a show on The Weather Channel, bringing in approximately $70,000 to the general fund, Harris said. “We’ve saved the city millions of dollars,” he said, urging the council to put that money back into lifeguard services. SEE LIFEGUARDS, Page 4
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vote! Check out our two-page spread bringing you pre-election coverage, pages 10 and 11!