Last week, Rep. Peters helped pass the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which contains provisions specifically aimed at mitigating airplane noise. The bill includes measures and amendments added by the Quiet Skies Caucus, which Rep. Peters joined at the urging of several San Diego neighborhoods. The story was reported in a May 2 piece for the La Jolla Light, posted below:
La Jolla News Nuggets: Trolley causes four more overnight I-5 closures and more newsworthy items
By Corey Levitan
May 2, 2018
Trolley causes four more overnight I-5 closures
Before the Mid-Coast Trolley crosses Interstate 5, it will cross its motorists with four more overnight closures this month. On May 3, from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., the northbound I-5 will be closed from State Route 52 to La Jolla Village Drive, according to SANDAG. Northbound motorists will be detoured via State Route 52. Then, on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday (May 6, 8 and 10), the southbound I-5 will be closed from the Interstate 805 merge to Gilman Drive. Southbound motorists will be detoured via I-805.
Occasionally, SANDAG says, lanes on the open sections of I-5 will be closed to accommodate the heavy equipment, which will include 34 cement trucks pouring supports for a bridge crossing I-5 just south of Nobel Drive.
Traffic controls and detour signs have been placed to alert motorists in advance. Nearby residents may hear back-up alarms, drilling, and concrete-pumping noises.
Fletcher speaks at career fair
San Diego County Supervisor candidate and former State Assembly member Nathan Fletcher spoke as part of an extensive career fair at La Jolla High School April 25. Parents and volunteers led mock job interviews with students to help sharpen their skills, and speakers in the realms of science, business, real estate and more visited classrooms to talk about their career fields. During lunch, the students organized a club and college fair with booths on the quad.
La Jolla student’s art on display in Solana Beach
A La Jolla artist will have her work exhibited until May 15 at the Solana Beach City Hall, 635 S. HWY 101. Tara Ravanbach, who went to La Jolla High School, contributed 17 pieces to be displayed. She created some just for the City Hall exhibition and pulled some from her existing collection of works.
“It feels amazing to express who I am through oil paintings, abstract paintings, realism pieces and so on. I try to make a statement and I see power in the people and colors and animals, gives people the chance to see through my eyes,” she said.
Tapping into church service
Rev. Tim Seery, the pastor at Congregational Church of La Jolla, continues his “Beer with a Pastor” series 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at Absolution by the Sea, 7536 Fay Ave.
“We live in uncertain and unprecedented times,” Seery said of his mission. “If I can help anyone work through a challenging situation, or provide a non-judgmental spiritual context to their questions — climate change, social justice, finding their way in a world where happiness and heartbreak co-exist — then I will believe that Congregational Church of La Jolla is a relevant and dynamic force for good in our community.”
The quarterly series, begun in January by the recent Harvard Divinity School grad, finds Seery at a local brewery, restaurant or bar addressing whatever in the world people want to discuss with him — although he’s not buying.
Postal food drive set for May 12
La Jolla postal carriers will participate in a Saturday, May 12 food drive to help collect canned goods and non-perishables for local food banks, homeless support organizations and more. To participate, leave canned goods and non-perishables by your mailbox on May 12, and mail carriers will pick them up and take them to a central location for distribution.
According to U.S. Postal Service reports, the timing is crucial because many food banks and pantries receive the majority of their donations during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons. By springtime, many pantries are depleted, entering the summer low on supplies at a time when many school breakfast and lunch programs are not available to children in need.
La Jolla Film Festival changes
The date and location of the seventh annual La Jolla Film Festival have changed. The student-run festival of short films will now take place in La Jolla High’s Parker Auditorium, 750 Nautilus St., 7:30-9 p.m. Saturday, June 2.
La Jolla biotech firm to treat cancer with artificial life
Synthorx, a small La Jolla startup with 17 employees, has raised $63 million to make cancer drugs from a partly artificial life form: a modified form of the bacterium E. coli. The organism’s unnatural DNA would allow it to improve on natural cancer-fighting proteins. (One of these proteins, interleukin-2, has been studied for years as a cancer treatment but has serious side effects.)
The organism can potentially make drugs for many other diseases, along with other useful materials. And encoding its structure in DNA allows for precision difficult to obtain from other manufacturing methods. Clinical trials could begin next year, the company says. If approved, these would be the first drugs made this way.
First San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame Awards, May 10
Did you realize that San Diego surfing have never had its own hall of fame? The organizers of the San Diego Surf Film Festival did. So they’re incorporating an induction ceremony for 22 legendary surfers into their upcoming seventh annual film fest.
“If we don’t do this, then some of these people’s stories will get lost,” said festival co-founder Petra Kavanagh, who co-owns La Jolla’s Misfit Pictures. “People deserve to have the history and the knowledge and understanding of those who came before — people who did a lot with so little, who were braver than most of will ever be, and who made it a lot easier for everyone to enjoy surfing who came later.”
In addition to the 22 initial inductees, attendees can nominate up to three of their own choosing. (The top three write-in votes will be inducted afterward.)
The inaugural San Diego Surfing Hall of Fame dinner, emceed by Hank Warner of Hank Warner Custom Surfboards, will be held 6-9:30 p.m. Thursday, May 10 at the La Jolla Community Center, 6811 La Jolla Blvd. Tickets — including a multi-course dinner and beer and wine — are $75 through sdsurffilmfestival.com/thursday-tribute/
Council member Bry announces infrastructure improvements
In the bi-monthly “Bry Bulletin,” District 1 City Council member Barbara Bry announced infrastructure improvements that were made in 2017 throughout District 1.
Repairs include: 15.2 miles of repaired streets with paving or concrete; 19.9 miles of repaired streets with slurry seal; 2,917 potholes repaired; 5,301 trees trimmed; 7,410 square feet of sidewalk replaced; 16,768 square feet of graffiti abated; and 1,002 street lights repaired.
Service requests can be made through the City’s Get It Done app or by calling the Public Works Dispatch Center at (619) 527-7500.
Congress member Peters brings the noise mitigation
U.S. Congressman Scott Peters has helped pass the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which contains measures to address airplane noise — including studies to better understand the effect of noise on communities, programs to address the specific subsets of noise impacts, and funding to execute these programs.
“I joined the Quiet Skies Caucus in 2016 at the urging of Point Lomans and other San Diegans concerned about airplane noise, flight paths, and other changes taking place as part of a nationwide overhaul of air traffic procedures,” Peters said in a statement. “Working with my colleagues in the caucus, we were able to get some significant changes in this FAA authorization bill to help resolve many of the problems raised by residents. These are important modifications that will help retain the quality of life in our neighborhoods.” (See related Guest Commentary, A23.)
The bill directs the FAA to study health impacts of aircraft noise and study the benefits of phasing out older and louder planes, and allows funding for the Airport Improvement Program to be used for noise-mitigation projects.