Keep history
Four years ago the city of Carlsbad’s Citizen’s Open Space Committee ranked Quarry Creek as the No. 1 priority parcel for preservation in the entire city. With the sacred El Salto waterfall, regional wildlife corridor and 9,000 years of local history still present in this valley it is easy to see why. But don’t take our word for it. Come and see for yourself.
Come to an open house with tours of the Marron adobe and walks in the valley Nov. 10 from 2 to 4 p.m. See one of the 12 most endangered historic sites in San Diego County before it is too late. Last week the city of Carlsbad released the Draft EIR for the Quarry Creek project — with 656 homes. Our vision is a compromise — one that allows some development, but saves the Panhandle and the priceless sense of local history. Their vision is a nightmare — see the details here:
Carlsbadca.gov/services/departments/planning/Pages/QuarryCreekMasterPlan.aspx.
Contact us at [email protected].
Diane Nygaard,
President, Preserve Calavera
No deal
If what Encinitas Union School District Superintendent Timothy Baird, in Encinitas since 2009, said during oral communications at the end of the Oct. 24 Council meeting is true, by this time, Art Pulse and John DeWald should have dropped out of escrow for purchase of the surplus Pacific View school site. Baird first attempted to litigate, then heaped blame on Council for his mistakes in structuring a shaky deal, through closed-session negotiations, setting up an unnoticed “deadline,” as part of the pressure he’s applied, trying to force the city to rezone, to privatize public land that was donated “for the children” 129 years ago!
Mayor Jerome Stocks, arbitrarily and unilaterally, shouldn’t have cancelled, through the City Manager, the Oct. 17 Council meeting, temporarily avoiding criticism of his leadership by public speakers during oral communications, three weeks before he’s up for reelection. Baird then could have been informed that as Art Pulse/DeWald were private applicants requesting an entirely new zoning classification in order to upzone Pacific View to a mixed-use hybrid, then Art Pulse/DeWald, themselves, must request any special meeting. Baird isn’t in the business of being a broker or a rep for development interests.
Stocks and Bond were the only members of current Council in office when Pacific View School was permanently closed in 2003. Before the property was leased to the City for a temporary public works yard, 2003-2005, before the ballfields were paved over, Encinitas and EUSD should have contracted for an independent appraisal, so that 30 percent of the land, .84 acre, would be timely offered to the City and County for open space, at 25 percent of appraised value, as mandated by the Naylor Act. We envision a community art center and open space within the public domain, not back-room deals culminating in selling off donated assets for short-term profit!
Lynn Marr,
Leucadia
Vote no on bonds
I’m encouraging you to vote NO on the Mira Costa (Prop EE) the San Dieguito (Prop AA) and the Del Mar (Prop CC) school bonds.
I’m tired of dirty politics aimed at directly influencing the voters, aren’t you? Here is how the system works. First, the school board authorizes a preliminary investigation to raise the need for a bond issue. During this time they hire multiple consultants, some of whom will get significant business, if these bonds pass. They also hire a professional lobbying group to conduct surveys, prepare campaign materials, etc. Miraculously, the board then decides to put the bond before the voters. The campaign to pass the bond then gets generous donations from the lobbying group and other businesses that may benefit from the project. And where does ALL of this money come from? YOU and I.
Worse yet, the school then sends campaign materials, at taxpayer expense, under the guise of information only, because it’s illegal to use taxpayer funds for campaigns! Do you want this to stop like I do? Then stop rewarding the process. Vote NO on AA, CC, and EE.
Joe Kiraly,
Oceanside
I am writing this letter in opposition of school bonds contained in Propositions EE-Mira Costa, CC-San Dieguito, and AA-Del Mar.
Folks, we are mortgaging future generations with excessive debt to support strategies that historically have had little direct impact on education quality. The districts, like all of us taxpayers, need to live within their means and accomplish the repairs, upgrades, computers, safety and security requirements within the confines of their existing budgets. If we don’t do that today, we won’t be able to fund urgent capital requirements because a large slice of the budgets will be paying off these bonds.
Education is not failing because of a lack of funds, but rather by a lack of effort to address the REAL problems facing education. Administrative bloat, teacher union impacts, and bureaucracy should be addressed before these districts ask for another penny. School District administrative costs are inconsistent with oversight requirements and are stealing funds that could directly improve the quality in the classroom.
Props AA, CC, and EE are irresponsible, unnecessary and unjustified and an attempt to put a band aid on a broken education system. More money is not the answer.
Bruce Mathers,
Carlsbad
San Dieguito High School election
I live in the San Dieguito High School District and as such I am concerned about the upcoming school board election. Four out of five of our current school board members are doing a fantastic job. Two of the four are up for re-election; they are Joyce Dalessandro and Beth Hergesheimer.
Please vote for Dalessandro and Hergesheimer because they, along with the other two longtime boardmembers have built up General Fund reserve money, which, together with Federal stimulus money, has kept us completely out of the red during this most recent downturn. SDUHSD has a $13 million reserve in our General Fund budget today in spite of having lost $38 million in State funding over the course of the past five years. In spite of annual and mid-year cuts to SDUHSD income, unlike many school districts statewide, San Dieguito has managed to:
•Maintain a full calendar of instruction without resorting to furlough days shortened school weeks, shortened school years, program cuts or lowered credit requirements;
•Retain the best and the brightest of teaching staff without resorting to massive layoff notices;
•Add relevant new academic courses such as Chinese (1-AP) and elective courses such as Principles of Engineering, and Video Game Design;
•Maintain the highest Academic Performance Index (API) for middle and high schools in San Diego County;
•Attain unprecedented Advanced Placement (AP) gains, year after year, with the highest participation rate and pass rate in San Diego County;
•Attain the highest ACT/SAT participation rate and the highest scores in San Diego County;
•Achieve the highest proficiency rate and biggest gains, year after year, on the California English Language Development Test (CELDT);
All of this doesn’t happen by chance. It happens through dedication, hard work, collaboration and experience.
Please cast your vote for education, our students and our schools by voting for Dalessandro and Hergesheimer.
Sincerely,
Renee Evans,
Cardiff-By-The-Sea
