La Jolla Light
Enlightening La Jolla Since 1913
INSIDE
Vol. 100, Issue 14 • April 5, 2012
Online Daily at www.lajollalight.com
Hello Dalai! Campuses prepare for Dalai Lama’s first visit to San Diego
Teen filmmaker creates high school film fest, A8
Classic car buffs make Concours a hit, A12
Karma Lekshe Tsomo (left), an associate professor of theology and religious studies at the University of San Diego, meets with the Dalai Lama in Honolulu. Courtesy Another 1,500 were sold to students for $10 By Pat Sherman each and the remaining tickets were sold to he spiritual leader of Tibet, the Dalai the general public for $25 apiece. Lama, is headed to town for what The spiritual leaders’ representatives have organizers say is his first visit to visited the campus several times in anticipation America’s Finest — and students and faculty of his visit for logistical reasons. at San Diego’s major universities are awash “As far as security, (we’re) working with the with excitement. state department,” said DeVries, noting that Tickets for three speaking engagements — at attendees will be required to arrive early and UC San Diego and the University of San Diego go through metal detectors before entering. on April 18 and at San Diego State University “Television equipment has to get into the on April 19 — sold out well in advance. hall very early because everyHenry DeVries, assistant thing has to be inspected by dean for external affairs with On the web security teams from the deUC San Diego Extension, said ■ To find out more about partment of state,” he said. tickets for the Dalai Lama’s the Dalai Lama’s visit, go to “There are a lot of protocols symposium at Rimac Arena sandiego.edu/dalailama or we have to follow.” sold out in an hour. Some dalailamasandiego.org The Dalai Lama will receive 12,000 tickets for his appearno money or honorarium for his engagements, ance at SDSU’s Viejas Arena sold out within only some free tickets for local friends and two hours. “We were estimating, based on the demand, followers, DeVries said. A modest entourage of about 15 monks and support staff will that we could have sold out Qualcomm accompany him. Stadium or Petco Park, but that was not the While pop stars are notorious for arriving with interest of the Dalai Lama,” DeVries said. “He a laundry list of demands known as a “rider” wanted to be on campus so students could — including everything from Cristal chamhave easy access.” pagne and air purifiers (Mariah Carey) to black Of the 4,200 available seats available at roses and a male catering staff (Janet Jackson), Rimac, the university found underwriters to give about 1,000 tickets away to students, SEE Dalai Lama, A4 faculty and the university’s big donors.
T Spring events fill the April calendar, B8
Orchestra Nova salutes Spain, B14 Bill Gaylord
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Community says: Post Office should become civic center By Dave Schwab La Jollans could visualize their Wall Street post office building redeveloped as a visitor, civic or cultural center but not as a restaurant or movie theater. That was the consensus of more than 100 attendees at the March 29 public forum and panel discussion organized to “re-image” alternative uses for the federal facility. The financially strapped U.S. Postal Service in January announced plans to close the facility at 1140 Wall St., sell the building, and relocate services elsewhere in the Village. Shortly thereafter, a community Save La Jolla Post Office Task Force was formed to thwart the post office’s plans. The group has since filed to have the Depression-era building and its interior Public Works of Art Project (PWAP) mural by Members of the Save La Jolla Belle Baranceau Post Office Task Force rally at declared “historic” the March 29 forum. for protection. The task force’s intent has been to keep the facility as it is, where it is. Failing that, the objective would be to create a nonprofit to purchase the building, or to find a sympathetic buyer willing to preserve it. The “re-imagine” event had a festive, playful tone with versions of the tune “Mr. Postman” playing in the background prior to introductions by First District Councilwoman Sherri Lightner. The La Jolla Historical Society hosted the meeting. “We don’t want to lose another historical treasure,” said Lightner. “We’ve had that experience far too often in La Jolla.” SEE POST OFFICE, A5
La Jollans fill the Rec Center to hear options for ‘re-imagining’ the post office. photos by dave schwab
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