VILLAGE NEWS LA JOLLA
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2010
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
La Jolla at forefront of reserves’ future BY CLAIRE HARLIN | VILLAGE NEWS Between the beaches of Windansea and Crystal Pier, extending three miles toward the depths of the Pacific, lies a marine wonder world. It’s been referred to as an “underwater Yosemite,” containing kelp forests as precious as endangered redwoods, a haven for hundreds of species. This proposed nine-square-mile Marine Protected Area (MPA) has the attention of stakeholders nationwide because it is one of three ocean areas in La Jolla that are up for review by the California Fish and Game Commission. The commission could decide this fall to entirely eradicate fishing in parts of those areas to comply with the 1999 Marine Life Protection Act, which requires the state to reevaluate and redesign California’s system of MPAs. The commission will hear public testimony on the issue at 10 a.m. on Oct. 20 at the Four Points Sheraton hotel, located at 8110 Aero Drive. “The world’s eyes are on this process,” said Kate Hanley, director of operations for Coastkeeper, an environmental advocacy organization. “People are looking into MPAs all over the world, and California could be a role model.” Also being considered in La Jolla is an area extending south from Scripps Pier to the projection between Casa Beach and La Jolla Cove, whose protection laws stand to be expanded from a “marine conservation area,” which allows
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for some fishing, to a “marine reserve,” which allows for any kind of swimming, diving or boating but absolutely no extraction — fishing — of any kind. An area north of Scripps Pier is also being proposed as a “marine conservation area.” These designations are part of a plan called the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA). Created by a governor-appointed, seven-member blue ribbon task force (BRTF), the plan is a “compromise” of three different proposals produced by a 60-member stakeholder group that includes experts, municipalities, fishermen and environmentalists. A science advisory team (SAT) worked with the task force and stakeholder group throughout the process, with the purpose of providing scientific recommendations and identifying which areas would be best to protect in order to save ecosystems in their entirety. In drawing proposed boundaries of protected areas, Hanley said the science advisory team suggested that a properly functioning ecosystem needs at least nine square miles to operate, free of extraction. For example, she said that’s the amount of space needed for fish to become large enough to reproduce to their full potential. The area south of La Jolla is currently protected up to seven square miles, so the IPA would extend those boundaries two more miles. While environmentalists say the
Author writes about his intrigue with San Diego’s ‘main attraction’ BY CLAIRE HARLIN | VILLAGE NEWS To Olivier Dalle, La Jolla is somewhat of a paradoxical place. “It’s a place that is so wealthy and so elegant, but it also feels like home,” Dalle said of La Jolla, which he profiles in his new book “La Jolla/92037.” Dalle will discuss and sign the release today at Warwick’s, located at 7812 Girard Ave. The book is the first of a series of coffeetable books written by Dalle and photographed by Paul Burlingame, chronicling different ZIP codes in the San Diego region. Dalle, a French professor at Palomar College, fell in love with La Jolla when he moved from Paris to the Windansea area seven years ago. He spent four years researching the community, meeting notable La Jollans and experiencing local businesses and landmarks. The final product is a series of photos, facts and 37 poetry-like tales bound by a single black cover and adorned with a delicate lavender-colored skyline of rooftops and palm trees. The number “37” is inscribed on the left corner, representing not only the last digits of La Jolla’s ZIP code but the average age of people living in the SEE 92037, Page 6 TOP: Peter Schumaker stands outside his café, the Brick & Bell, located at 928 Silverado St. MIDDLE: A woman smokes a hookah at Living Room Coffee, located at 1010 Prospect St. BOTTOM: Palm trees are jostled during a storm at La Jolla Cove. Photos courtesy of Paul Burlingame
SEE RESERVE, Page 2
California’s education budget woes loom Educators, parents mull effectiveness of Prop J BY LAUREN VENTURA | VILLAGE NEWS
This map of the La Jolla coastline indicates proposed marine reserves, which will be up for discussion on Oct. 20. Photo courtesy of San Diego Coastkeeper
University City High School, parents, educators and administrators met Oct. 7 for a San Diego Unified School District (SDUSD) town hall meeting to discuss the looming state budget crisis, how it could affect schools and how possibly to fix it. Audience members and trustees appeared to grow weary as it was made clear time and again that this year marks the
fifth year San Diego has been forced to make budget cuts for its public schools. Cuts for the 2010-11 budget year are estimated to be around $141.6 million. “We’re trying to balance the core of our academic goals with the harsh realities of this crisis,” SDUSD Superintendent Bill Kowba said. Kowba presented the before-and-after numbers, showing that in 2007 each student was allocated $5,787 per year. For the 2010-11 budget period, that number declined to $4,957. “There’s limited options left over,” said Kowba. “The only options left are massive teacher and certificated staff layoffs. We have a convergence of a number of things happening SEE SCHOOL, Page 4