Residential Customer Del Mar CA, 92014 ECRWSS
Volume XVI, Issue 12
www.delmartimes.net
March 22, 2012 Published Weekly
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State politics leaves young kindergartners in limbo
■ Air Force flight medic tends to those wounded on battlefield. Page 8
BY MARSHA SUTTON Legislation requiring public schools to offer a prekindergarten class this fall for “young fives” — and California Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to override the law — has given many school districts a case of whiplash with the on-again, off-again debate. Learning last year that Brown wanted to eliminate
the requirement, many districts put their plans for transitional kindergarten, or TK, on hold. But last week, California’s Assembly budget committee solidly rejected Brown’s plan to eliminate the requirement for TK and stood behind the law as written. Transitional kindergarten is part of a larger bill known as the Kindergarten
Readiness Act, which passed in 2010 and advances the date by which children must turn 5 to start kindergarten. The law, Senate Bill 1381, takes effect this fall, when the cutoff date will be Nov. 1. In 2013, the date will be Oct. 1. And in 2014, the date by which children must be 5 to enter kindergarten will be Sept. 1, where it will remain. Prior California law
Del Mar Community Connections benefit
stated that children must turn 5 by Dec. 2 to enter kindergarten. SB-1381, sponsored by state senator Joe Simitian, includes a mandate for Calif. school districts to develop and implement a transitional kindergarten program for children with fall birthdays who will be too young to start kindergarten once the law kicks in.
According to Simitian’s office, TK will “improve the pre-first-grade preparation for those fall birthday children who would otherwise be the youngest in their class. This is especially important for low-income and English language learner children, who often receive less academic preparation.
SEE LIMBO, PAGE 7
SB deliberates use of community center BY CLAIRE HARLIN EDITOR@DELMARTIMES.NET
■ Foster agency finds ‘exceptional’ parents for ‘at-risk’ babies. Page 10
With sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and a pristine, newly renovated interior, the Fletcher Cove Community Center has residents excited about using the space for more than just the community meetings that have been held there for years. But being situated in a residential area, where noise is an issue and parking is scarce, city officials and residents are at odds on how much diversion to allow there. “Unfortunately, we’ve created this beautiful asset and we’ve got an administrative nightmare here in terms of trying to deal with this on a fair basis that’s equitable to the folks who want to use it but also respecting the concerns of the neighbors,” said Solana Beach City Councilman Tom Campbell in a March 14 council discussion about use of the center. The city presented proposed terms of use of the center, which underwent a $350,000 renovation
Above, Reiny Giesecke, Judy Giesecke, Kristin Allred and Richard Hoff and, right, Tom Moreno and Tom McCarthy enjoy Guest Bartender Night at Sbicca restaurant March 14. The event was sponsored by Del Mar Community Connections. See page B12. PHOTOS: JON CLARK
■ La Colonia de Eden Gardens has a storied past and present. Page B1
last year. The once-decrepit building now has new floors, a kitchen, upgraded bathrooms and wheelchair accessibility. Upgrades to the outside of the center, including picnic tables, benches, widened sidewalks and possibly barbecues, are also in the works. Expanding the use of the facility first came before the council in October in response to a growing number of requests from the public to use the blufftop venue. The facility is currently only being used for educational, city-sponsored and
SEE CENTER, PAGE 6
Del Mar releases first draft of long-awaited revitalization plan BY CLAIRE HARLIN EDITOR@DELMARTIMES.NET
The City of Del Mar has been for years working on a Village Specific Plan that will reflect the decades-long goal of having a vibrant, economically productive
downtown. City officials have finally developed a document that will serve as a guide for future land use and development and, as of March 20, the public will get its first glimpse of it. The first draft of both
the Village Specific Plan and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Village revitalization are available on the city’s website at www.delmar.ca.us, and the City Council on March 19 voted unanimously to open the
45-day public review period, in which residents can submit comments. The review period, which will end on May 4, also involves several informative meetings. There will be a drop-in questionand-answer session with city
staff in the city’s annex on March 26 at 4 p.m., the council will hold an April 2 discussion on the EIR and during the April 30 regular
SEE PLAN, PAGE 6
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