San Diego Community Newspaper Group
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2009
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 14, Number 37
Beach booze party relocates to park BY ADRIANE TILLMAN | VILLAGE NEWS
It appears the beach party has moved up the hill to Kate Sessions Park. The number of visitors quadrupled on the Fourth of July. It’s the last large park in the area where businesses and weddings can serve alcohol to guests. Reviewers on the website Yelp rave about this hidden gem overlooking the entire city where people can still sip a cold one in the open. “[The alcohol ban] worked well at the beach, but we have seen some spillover,” Police Chief William Lansdowne said. “The
largest congregation is showing up at Kate Sessions Park. [On the Fourth of July] there were 300 people last year and 1,200 this year. We’re paying very close attention to it. If it continues to build, we’ll have to look at the alcohol drinking ability there.” Police and park and recreation staff responded to the July 4 crowds by adding more portable toilets and sending more police officers. Someone had tapped into a public water line and set up a Slip n’ Slide, which was illegal given the water restrictions. SEE PARK, Page 3
WHEN SUNFLOWERS LAST IN THE DOORYARD BLOOM’D Georgia O’Keeffe's “Sunflower, New Mexico II” is recreated by (left to right) Cade Kronemyer, Ava Jabari, Sayeh Kohani and Cade's sister Makena Kronemyer on July 17 at the Athenaeum, 1008 Wall St. As part of a week-long half-day Chalk Painting Workshop taught by Christina Snell, two classic paintings were recreated by eight students with pastels on VILLAGE NEWS | PAUL HANSEN the Athenaeum’s sidewalk. The next available art day camp for kids 6-11 is Aug. 3-7.
Council gives builders a break BY ANTHONY GENTILE | VILLAGE NEWS
City councilmembers adopted their own economic stimulus package of sorts July 21, lending approval to two ordinances aimed at helping builders affected by the sour financial climate. One ordinance defers specific building fees and was approved with a 6-2 vote. The proposal was opposed by District 1 Councilwoman Sherri Lightner and District 6 Councilwoman Donna Frye. The second ordinance grants a one-year extension for builders struggling to obtain financing for current projects that have permits about to expire. The item was approved unanimously.
District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer helped introduce and support both ordinances. “It helps a lot of people throughout the city and also helps a lot of homeowners who need extra time,” Faulconer said. The first ordinance allows deferred payment of Facilities Benefit Assessments (FBA) and Developer Impact Fees (DIF) until the final inspection of a project. Before the new ordinance was passed Tuesday, these fees were paid before a building permit was issued. Fees vary depending on the scope of the project. According to a July 16 report by the Independent Budget Analyst’s Office, FBA provide all of the funds for public facilities projects
that service a designated area of benefit and are identified in community plans. DIF have been collected in urbanized communities near the time when the build-out capacity of the land is identified. “These changes will also provide a stimulus for construction projects by allowing developers to defer the payment of FBA and DIF, thus freeing up limited capital,” the report said. The second ordinance grants a one-year tentative map extension for building projects already approved but that expired July 15, 2008. Because it provides a one-year extension on top of SEE BUILDERS, Page 5
Seal deal goes back to court this morning BY ALYSSA RAMOS | VILLAGE NEWS
Despite a judge’s ruling Monday, which ordered the city of San Diego to start dispersing La Jolla’s harbor seal colony within 72 hours, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger hours later approved a bill that representatives from the mayor and city attorney’s office said would nullify the judge’s order saving the colony. “The city’s going back to court on Thursday,” said Animal Protection
and Rescue League’s SealWatch attorney Brian Pease regarding an emergency ex parte hearing to introduce the signed legislation. “It’s looking good [for the seals] and it was just in the nick of time.” Ongoing court battles over the Children’s Pool — mainly whether Judge Yuri Hoffman could enforce a previous ruling ordering the city to return the area to its 1941 condition by dispersing a colony of seals — climaxed July 20 at Hoffman’s hearing to decide which seal
dispersal plan was most efficient. A statement released from Mayor Jerry Sanders’ office said the city would comply with Hoffman’s order, “while all research indicates the costly undertaking of seal dispersal is unlikely to achieve the goal of improving water qualiSEE SEAL DEAL, Page 5 Alexia McKay, 11, takes what may be her last photo of seals on Children’s Pool beach July 22. VILLAGE NEWS | PAUL HANSEN
La Jollan stars in new flamenco rock opera BY ALYSSA RAMOS | VILLAGE NEWS
Native La Jollan Cihtli Ocampo fell in love with flamenco dancing — and composer Ethan Margolis — after moving to Spain. Margolis drew upon his musical upbringing while writing and composing “Spanish Day,” a flamenco rock opera starring Ocampo and Arte y Pureza Flamenco Troop that debuts 8 p.m. Saturday, July 25 at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center’s Garfield Theater. “Spanish Day” is about “a boy from the States from a broken home that goes to Spain and falls in love with a woman and the culture of dance and the marriage of the two,” said Kelsey Tyree of J Public Rela-
tions. “And he is tormented because he can’t be without it.” Margolis — a member of San Diego-based flamenco rock band Sir Sultry and head of Arte y Pureza Flamenco Troop — combined many cultures for “Spanish Day,” which uses a total of 16 performers, he said. But Margolis said his inspiration was drawn from his American rock upbringing. “One of the most interesting things is the multitude of cultures going into this project — we’ve got classical musicians, an African-American soul singer, a gypsy singer from Spain — it’s a huge cultural joining,” Margolis said. “And this has never been SEE FLAMENCO, Page 4