San Diego, CA
Cove Access group progressing toward education-based, shared-use solution
In an ongoing effort to narrow down its options to one recommendation, the La Jolla Cove Access working group met again this month and is that much closer toward a shared-use solution for The Cove.
The group met at the La Jolla Recreation Center on April 2. There, they agreed to combine its leading options for reducing or eliminating interactions with people and sea lions at The Cove into one idea, and came up with action steps or proposals to carry it forward.
Public access to The Cove remains unrestricted, but La Jolla’s years-long issue of beach access rights for people and protections for marine mammals against human misconduct has led to the five-month annual public closure of the Children’s Pool, which is home to harbor seals, and the year-round closure of Point La Jolla, where sea lions haul out.
Some La Jollans worry that similar restrictions could be put in place at The Cove.
The working group was formed in September under the auspices of the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board and includes representatives from the city of San Diego, La Jolla Town Council, Village Merchants Association, Community Planning Association and Parks & Beaches, as well as the local swimming, diving and scientific communities.
The intent is to come up with a collaborative proposal, with the support of as many interested parties as possible, to present the city “a balanced, year-round access solution … preserving recreational access to The Cove while coexisting with the local pinniped population,” according to the group’s charter.
The group had two meetings in recent months. The first one on Feb. 25 yielded no recommendations, though an initial draft of their goals, objectives and charter was written. During their March 20 meeting, six options were discussed. Ultimately, it was narrowed down to two possibilities — legally deter the sea lions or combine a shared-use option with a behavior education program.
Thus, at the April 2 meeting, these two options were discussed in more depth in two small groups, and the two groups explored the potential impact to various stakeholders — from tourists to lifeguards, and beach access advocates to animal rights groups.
While discussing how to legally deter sea lions, working group member Chas. Dye said the conversation evolved into how to deter people from engaging in unsafe behavior.
“We realized deterrence can mean new signage, announcements that lifeguards can give, giving a script to the tour buses, fines, extra staff for enforcement, a designated viewing platform … that people can be directed to,” Dye said. The working group could consider applying for a grant to help fund any proposed solutions, he added.
The small group that discussed the shared-use option with a behavior educational program said educating tourists was going to be key. They discussed potential impacts, but did not propose any specific plans.
Given the overlap in goals and methodology between the two options, working group member Jodi Rudick said “deterring [unsafe human] behavior through education may be ultimately what we go for.”
Going forward, three members of the working group agreed to meet offline in the coming weeks to combine the two ideas and draft short-term and long-term action steps to present to the full group. From there, an all-encompassing proposal will be drafted.
The group’s meetings are closed to the general public for the time being. Once the group feels it has made enough progress, it may hold an open meeting to discuss its findings. The proposed timeline for a short-term recommendation is by May.
Originally Published:
SAN DIEGO, CA — A 12-year-old boy riding an e-bike suffered life- threatening injuries this weekend after colliding with a car in Carmel Valley, according to the San Diego Police Department.
The crash happened in the 5500 block of Del Mar Heights Road at about 5:40 p.m. Saturday, when the boy attempted to make a left turn from the westbound bike lane onto southbound Old Carmel Valley Road and was hit by the front passenger side of a Tesla, police said.
The unidentified boy suffered life-threatening injuries including a fractured collarbone and multiple brain bleeds, which required surgery, police said in a statement.
A 64-year-old man who was driving a 2023 Tesla Model Y westbound in the number one lane of Del Mar Heights Road was not injured and alcohol was not a factor in the collision, police said.
The SDPD’s Traffic Division is handling the investigation. Anyone with information related to the crash was encouraged to call SDPD or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
SAN DIEGO – Thomas Wolfe once wrote you can’t go home again. “You cannot return to the past, childhood, or places you once knew,” he said, “because time, change, and memory alter them.”
That wasn’t true this weekend for Will Venable. The White Sox manager returned to Petco Park where it all began for him as a young player, and it felt like home.
Venable was picked by the Padres in the seventh round of the 2005 draft, and he played there for the first seven-plus years of his nine-year career. Sitting in the visiting dugout down the third-base line, he glanced around at Petco and its familiar surroundings.
He arrived in San Diego in 2008, only four years after the Padres moved from Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley to the new $450 million ballpark downtown.
“It was my whole career playing here for the Padres,” Venable said in an interview. “I spent two months with the Rangers and two weeks with the Dodgers. Other than that, my whole career was with the Padres. I grew up in the organization and made my debut. Everything good that happened to me in baseball happened in a Padres jersey.”
He arrived just as veteran Bruce Bochy left for San Francisco and Bud Black took over the club’s reins. Venable played almost eight seasons for Black. Many of his old friends came by to visit on Friday as the Sox opened the three-game series against the Padres, outscoring them 12-2 to win the first two games.
Black is back with the Padres as a front office consultant. Tony Gwynn Jr. is a club broadcaster. Phil Nevin works for the Sox now as a minor-league coordinator. Chris Denorfia is Chicago’s big-league field coordinator.
“I got to see a number of guys,” Venable said. “The big thing about being here at that time was this was a special group, a pleasant group. So, to see Buddy, to see Tony Gwynn, I get to see Nev pretty frequently now that he’s in the organization. It’s been special to see some of those guys.”
The ballpark still looks pretty much the same. Some of the dimensions are different. The video boards have all been upgraded. The neighborhood and downtown skyline beyond and north of the outfield seats is certainly much denser, altering the wind currents.
In Venable’s early years as the Padres struggled on the field and the glow of the new ballpark opening began to fade, home attendance hovered at about 2 million and the Padres averaged about 27,000 a game.
Not now. The ballpark rocks as the Padres challenge the Dodgers for the National League West title and as always short of that for at least a Wild Card playoff berth. Last season, they drew 3.4 million, averaging 42,435 a game, second in the Major Leagues behind the Dodgers in both categories.
This year, they’ve sold out their first 13 home dates, already drawing 752,626 and averaging 41,979, again both figures shy of the Dodgers. It’s not like the old days, Venable acknowledged.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “What [general manager A.J.] Preller and the group have done here, bringing in all these great players and creating this environment has been incredible. More than everything I’m just happy for the fans. After a phase where we had a couple of good years, we were unable to generate the excitement they are creating now.”
It’s a road map for where the now 16-17 White Sox are heading. More wins mean more attention and better attendance.
After 121 and 102 loss seasons, if Venable learned anything from his first year in this job, it’s that it all takes incessant work to turn it all around.
“Oh, I learned something new every single day,” he said. “We learned a ton of meaningful things along the way. There’s been tons of help from baseball ops, which is what I signed up for. I have a great partnership with that group and they’ve been very supportive. Just look around you at what’s happened [in San Diego].”
You can go home again.
San Diego Padres
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