La Jolla Town Council pushes forward following tumultuous stretch

Its current trustees have expressed hope that the La Jolla Town Council can move on peacefully from its recent turmoil involving a series of executive actions, member dismissals, resignations and impassioned public comments.

That wish came true, at least at the group’s Aug. 14 meeting, as the council announced appointments and activities, followed by a discussion of state Senate Bill 79. Unlike recent meetings, attention was focused solely on the agenda and presentations at hand.

Two newly installed trustees were officially announced as officers: Simeon Rosas as vice president and Arthur Myo as treasurer.

President Mary Soriano told the La Jolla Light after the meeting that the group selected officers July 14.

Rosas and Myo were sworn in to the board last month alongside new trustees Don Searcy, Kevin Healy and Karan Gurung after Soriano led an effort to bring in new members using a clause in California code pertaining to corporations.

In most cases, the code says, “vacancies on the board may be filled by approval of the board … or, if the number of directors then in office is less than a quorum, by the unanimous written consent of the directors then in office.”

Because the Town Council board for months had too many vacancies to reach a quorum — the number of members present required to take a vote — it could not take any action, including bringing on new trustees or reducing the minimum number of trustees needed to reach a quorum.

In the spring, when the trustees on the roster were asked to give their consent to apply the clause to replenish the board, the one dissenter, Cody Petterson, was told June 12 that his term as a trustee had expired and he could no longer serve.

With Petterson out, Soriano had unanimous support to install the five new members, bringing the total number to nine.

On July 10, the new lineup revised a Town Council bylaw to state the board will consist of seven to 12 members (previously 13 to 23), so a quorum could be met with four to seven members present.

Three officer positions were left vacant in April after Soriano’s controversial dismissal of then-vice president Peter Wulff (who also served as interim treasurer) and the subsequent resignation of interim secretary Charmaine Haworth.

The other officers, Soriano and chief technology officer Dave Talcott, have remained on the board through the shake-ups.

With Rosas being named vice president and Myo as treasurer, the secretary position remains unfilled. Soriano said the board expects to discuss ways to supplement the position through artificial intelligence to streamline the process of transcribing meetings.

During the August meeting, Soriano announced the Town Council’s involvement in a multicultural festival that she said will pay homage to the diversity of La Jolla and double as a celebration of the council’s 75th anniversary.

The inaugural festival originally was planned for Oct. 25 at the La Jolla Recreation Center, but with Bird Rock’s BirdStock Music Festival set for that day, the Town Council event’s date is undetermined. Organizers are working to secure food vendors, artists, community organizations and more.

Rosas estimated the event would accommodate about 40 booths.

Senate Bill 79

To address a California housing bill making its way through the Legislature, the Town Council invited a pair of San Diegans to argue in favor of and against it.

SB 79, introduced by state Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), would allow increased construction of multifamily homes near public transit such as rail stations and bus lines and allow some projects to bypass local regulations.

A statement from Wiener says the bill “tackles the root causes of California’s [housing] affordability crisis” and would boost transit use and slash harmful emissions.

The La Jolla Shores Association voted July 16 to write a letter opposing the bill, which was approved by the state Senate on June 3 and is being considered in the Assembly. LJSA contends the measure doesn’t account for community context, local topography, infrastructure limitations and quality of architectural design.

The letter was to be sent to members of the Assembly and Senate, as well as San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria and City Council President Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla.

Geoff Hueter, a leader of Neighbors for a Better San Diego, criticized the bill at the Town Council meeting as “too expansive” and not appropriately “transit-oriented.”

On the other side, Ryan Stock argued for what he described as “middle-density housing,” saying demand for housing is high.

Stock joined La Jollan Harry Bubbins, a board member of the Community Planning Association, and other coastal residents at a rally July 19 advocating transit-oriented housing and SB 79.

A separate rally 30 minutes later protested the proposed development of a 239-foot-tall residential and commercial structure on Turquoise Street in north Pacific Beach and other projects that opponents say don’t fit the character of coastal communities.

Groups express separate takes on housing as resistance to proposed high-rise continues

Next meeting

The La Jolla Town Council next meets at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11, at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. Learn more at lajollatowncouncil.org.