Letters to the editor: Dec. 6, 2012

Kudos to councilman

I was walking down Poway Road on Nov. 25, past a neglected lot where Wendy’s used to be. As I approached, there was a car parked partway onto the sidewalk. I was annoyed at first thinking it was someone parking there and going to the Salvation Army Store, until I noticed it belonged to someone who was cleaning up the vacant lot. He was clearing debris and trimming some of the foliage on the property.

As I got closer, I realized that it was Councilman Dave Grosch. No crew helping, no cameras for photo ops. Just a citizen who cares so much for his community that he is willing to get dirty and sweaty to make sure it is taken care of.

Thank you, councilman, for your willingness to serve Poway in the many ways you do. It is very much appreciated by this citizen.

I disagree with your recent “Thumbs Down” given to City Hall for taking down Gary Vineyard’s triple-wide campaign signs.

Campaign signs have been getting bigger with every election and I don’t appreciate the visual blight they create. I am glad that we have laws to limit their size.

While Vineyard may have found a loophole in the law, he clearly violated the spirit of the law. This doesn’t speak well of his character or fitness for public office.

I am disinclined to vote for “My-Sign-Is-Bigger-Than-Your-Sign” candidates in general and that went triple for Gary Vineyard.

Ellen Emery,

Many long and hard-fought elections are over. The 2012 general election, like any other, produced winners and losers. As Americans, though, we can all be thankful that one of the world’s largest electoral exercises came and went without violence, intimidation or meddling. Voting in America is truly an awesome privilege.

As I prepare to retire from public service, I am thankful to leave county government in good hands, with its bills paid and with ample savings for a rainy day. Like any family or any public agency, we face challenges and always will. That’s why I am thankful that despite our differences, we can agree that growing the economy, protecting our environment and staying out of debt are goals that define us.

I am thankful that voters elected Solana Beach Deputy Mayor Dave Roberts as my successor. Supervisor-elect Roberts ran a strong and clean campaign, in which he clearly communicated his passions and his values. The voters have elected an independent leader who we can trust.

It was laughable to read that the Rancho Bernardo Maintenance Assessment District hopes to raise the annual “fee” (can we call it a tax?) from $18 to $22 per year, after raising it from $15 to $18 in 2011.

In the adjacent article, we are informed that the same district plans to spend some $50,000 to replace a sign. The proposed costs appear to be high:

• $1,661 for the “planning (pre-design) stage”?

• $9,877 for a six-month “design stage”? (The design is depicted in the photo in the article).

• $38,642 for construction?

Planned completion in 14 months, more than four years after the prior sign was destroyed?

Really?

Any Rancho Bernardo homeowner can add a 200-square-foot addition to his home for under $50,000, and get it done in a few months at most.

The concrete pad is there. The electricity is there.

A few questions present themselves from this proposal:

Could there be a reason that the insurance settlement for the accident that destroyed the sign was in the amount of $10,000?

Do the people of Rancho Bernardo want to spend $50,000 for a sign?

Can we expect similar four-year, $50,000 proposals for the several other entrances to the community, such as Rancho Bernardo Road eastbound, Espola Road, Bernardo Center Drive, and Pomerado Road?

Traffic around schools can be extremely frustrating for parents and surrounding neighbors, but do we compromise our children’s safety for the sake of a few minutes?

The City of San Diego created two lanes out of what used to be just one lane in order to alleviate traffic congestion in the afternoon at Creekside Elementary School, 12362 Springhurst Drive in Sabre Springs. The lane closest to the children is 8 3/4 feet wide. A Honda Odyssey is 7 feet, 4 inches wide, including side mirrors. Large SUVs are even wider. If the SUV is in the middle of the lane that means there is 8 inches of space between it and our precious children.

There is no protection against incoming cars going 25 miles an hour, and that’s if they are obeying the speed limit! One slip of a toddler’s foot can mean death. A side view mirror has actually caught a child’s backpack. Mothers with wide strollers can not pass one another on the sidewalk without stepping into the street.

It truly is an accident waiting to happen.