Volume XV, Issue 42
www.solanabeachsun.com
Oct. 13, 2011 Published Weekly
Police, fire agencies work on
emergency response times BY JOE TASH Contributor Police and fire agencies from La Jolla to Solana Beach and Rancho Santa Fe are working to maintain or even improve emergency response times in the face of challenges such as increased traffic congestion and tight local government budgets. Although clogged roads can impede emergency responders, innovations in technology and cooperative agreements between agencies can help them reach people faster, officials said.
■ Local native’s line of leather handbags a hit. Page 8
■ Learning the moves of Aikido. Page B3
In the city of San Diego, whose jurisdiction includes La Jolla and Carmel Valley, the Fire-Rescue Department said response times, are expected to decrease after “rolling brownouts” — in which staffing was reduced across the city for budget reasons — ended on July 1. San Diego Fire Chief Javier Mainar said that prior to the brownouts, the Fire-Rescue Department responded to emergency calls within 5 minutes 54 percent of the time. He
SEE RESPONSE, PAGE 6
Solana Vista Sing
East Solana Beach residents take issue with lane reduction plan
Solana Vista students joined together to belt out a few tunes during the school’s recent “Sing” event. Coming up is the Halloween Carnival on Oct. 23, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., which will benefit the Solana Beach Foundation for Learning. Look for more on the event in the next issue of the Solana Beach Sun. Photo/Jon Clark
BY CLAIRE HARLIN STAFF WRITER Solana Beach officials have a proposal in the works to put Lomas Santa Fe Drive on what they call a “road diet” — a reduction from two lanes to one — a measure many residents say isn’t necessary. Nearly 100 residents gathered at the Lomas Santa Fe Country Club on Oct. 5 to learn about and ask questions regarding the plan, which is aimed to calm traffic and make eastside Solana Beach more pedestrian-friendly. City staff and almost the entire City Council were in attendance. “I’ve been hearing concerns for years,” said Solana Homeowners Association Group Chairman Steve
Goetsch, referring to the intersection of Lomas Santa Fe and Highland Drives. “People have had problems crossing the street, walking baby strollers — there are no real sidewalks.” The proposed plan would implement roadway improvements like large crosswalks, pop-out sidewalks at intersections and the creation of a sidewalk along the west side of Highland between Lomas Santa Fe and Sun Valley. The main point of contention for residents, however, is the idea to narrow traffic from two lanes to one lane in each direction on Lomas Santa Fe from Highland to Las
SEE LANE, PAGE 14
Trailer park land on 101 Check out our new classified marketplace sells for $6.85 million
■ Obstetrician creates nonprofit to help babies in NICUs. Page B1
BY CLAIRE HARLIN Staff Writer The 1.76-acre former trailer park site at 329 and 343 S. Highway 101 recently sold for $6.85 million, a coastal commercial land transaction that’s said to be one of the largest in the past five years, according to a release. Lee & Associates, one of the largest national real estate brokerage firms, closed
the deal, representing both the seller, Maganda Corporation, and the buyer, American Assets Trust, which has other major investments in Solana Beach. American Assets declines to comment on the sale at this time. Lee & Associates lead broker Steve Bruce said in a statement that the land will
SEE TRAILER, PAGE 14
The Solana Beach Sun has launched a new, locals-only classified website that features house and apartment rentals, stuff for sale, jobs with local companies and cars being sold by your neighbors. Readers can conveniently find and place classified ads in the newspaper and online by going to delmartimes.net and clicking on classifieds on the main navigation bar. The new site is an easy way to “shop and sell locally,” said Janice Rosborough, micro-business sales manager for the Sun and MainStreet Media San Diego. Ads will appear in the paper and on delmartimes. net and on the classified sites of our sister newspapers in the upscale communities of Del Mar, La Jolla, Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach, Poway, Rancho Bernardo and Ra-
mona. Families can also place their obituary notices and memorials online, taking their own time to create and edit their loving tributes. The notices also appear on the national website legacy.com to reach out-oftown friends and relatives. And the Sun site is the first in the county to accept legal notices such as fictitious business name statements online, so you no longer have to come in to the office to place your legal notice.