S.D. Planning Commission to hear Adelante Townhomes proposal
The San Diego Planning Commission will consider the controversial Adelante Townhomes project during its meeting at 9 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.
The plan includes construction of a new two-story mixed-use building consisting of 13 residential units, 1,060 square feet of commercial space and basement-level parking totaling 16,366 square feet.
It has been heard by local planning groups over several meetings spanning about a year and has drawn opposition from several Bird Rock residents. The Bird Rock Community Council ultimately did not take a position on the development.
The city of San Diego will make the final decision.
La Jolla cityhood team to present update meeting
Residents who have questions about the continuing effort to have La Jolla detach from the city of San Diego to form its own city can attend a meeting presented by the Association for the City of La Jolla at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave.
The meeting is intended to provide an update on the group’s petition signature-gathering process, answer questions and outline opportunities for increased public involvement.
The petition is the latest in a series of steps the association needs to take in promoting La Jolla’s potential cityhood. It must gather signatures of support from 25 percent of La Jolla registered voters, or about 6,600, by December.
If the group collects the required number of valid signatures, they will be submitted to the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO, for review. From there, another series of steps could begin.
“As we face critical deadlines, your continued involvement is vital to our success,” the association wrote to supporters. “In addition, we need to broaden the community’s involvement to get us to the next step.”
An RSVP for the meeting is requested at cityoflajolla.org/contact-us.
Athenaeum publishes artist book on Sol LeWitt
The Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla recently announced the publication of “Erika & Fred Torri Artists’ Books Collection: Sol LeWitt.”
The book includes detailed documentation of each of LeWitt’s 80 artist books, the complete collection of which is held by the Athenaeum. The book also features essays about LeWitt, artists’ books and sources for more information.
The Athenaeum’s Artists’ Books Publication project began in 2010. The eight previously published catalogs include artists Ed Ruscha (2010), Ida Applebroog (2011), Allen Ruppersberg (2012), John Baldessari (2013), Bruce Nauman (2013), Roberta Allen (2016), Allan Kaprow (2018) and Mel Bochner (2018).
All are sent to a list of national and international institutions interested in artists’ books. They also are available for sale to the public for $17.
For more information, visit ljathenaeum.org/artists-book-collection.
Athenaeum launches artist talks about La Jolla murals
To shed new light on some of La Jolla’s most iconic murals, the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library will launch an artist talk series with Roman de Salvo, a sculptor and conceptual artist whose mural “McCairn” was on view from 2019 to 2023 along La Jolla Boulevard in Bird Rock.
His talk will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Athenaeum, 1008 Wall St. A reception beforehand will start at 6:30 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for Athenaeum members and $20 for non-members. Learn more at ljathenaeum.org/artist-talks.
Crosswalk restriped in front of Bird Rock Elementary School
Just in time for the start of the school year, the city of San Diego recently restriped a crosswalk in front of Bird Rock Elementary School.
Before that, school Principal Eric Banatao had expressed concerns about potential hazards there.
“The crosswalk there is very faded and not painted anymore, endangering our pedestrians [and] the school safety patrols,” Banatao told the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board in August. “We’re going to trim back … bushes so the stop sign is more visible, but sometimes the traffic coming down that way is too fast. The crossing is not marked and it’s not being recognized by the people who travel there.”
The city’s Get It Done app can be used to recommend a crosswalk for repainting.
La Jolla Playhouse announces cast for ‘Primary Trust’
La Jolla Playhouse has announced the cast and creative team for its West Coast premiere of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Primary Trust” by Eboni Booth, directed by Knud Adams.
The production, running Tuesday, Sept. 24, to Sunday, Oct. 20, focuses on Kenneth, a 38-year-old bookstore worker in a small upstate New York town who spends his evenings sipping mai tais at the local tiki bar with his best friend, Bert. When he’s suddenly laid off, Kenneth faces challenges he has long avoided.
The cast includes Caleb Eberhardt as Kenneth and James Udom as Bert.
For tickets and more information, visit lajollaplayhouse.org.
Salk Institute creates new model to study syndrome affecting athletes
The International Olympic Committee in 2014 named a syndrome affecting many of its athletes: relative energy deficiency in sport, or REDS. It’s currently estimated that more than 40 percent of professional athletes have REDS and that the rate could be even higher among recreational athletes and exercisers.
Beyond athletes, REDS can affect others, such as people with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa.
Now, researchers at the La Jolla-based Salk Institute for Biological Studies have created a landmark model in mice for REDS and are using it to try to better understand the syndrome.
Their initial investigation indicated that REDS affects organ size and gene expression patterns across the entire body. What’s more, this energy deficiency appears to affect male and female mice differently: In males, kidney health was most significantly impacted, while in females, reproductive health and muscle mass were most affected.
The study, published this month in Cell Metabolism, identified potential biomarkers to more conclusively diagnose REDS and provide new molecular targets for future therapeutics that could halt, reverse or prevent the syndrome.
Using the new mouse model, the scientists measured how REDS affects the anatomy and gene expression levels of 19 different organs. Mice with REDS showed significant shrinkage of vital organs, including kidney and reproductive organs, and deterioration of bone quality.
The experiments also revealed several molecular changes in the blood that could be used as biomarkers to test patients for REDS, which would be a much more effective diagnostic approach than the current questionnaire-based methods, the researchers said.
Birch Aquarium to open Riveropolis and Coral Classroom this fall
Ahead of the opening of the new exhibition “Living Seas” next summer, Birch Aquarium at UC San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla announced new guest experiences debuting this fall.
The new attractions will be available through summer 2025 while “Living Seas” is being built.
Riveropolis, a hands-on water-play experience, will feature a miniature river, opportunities to build and launch boats along the river system and chances to learn how water interacts with the environment. Riveropolis will be located on Blue Beach, overlooking the La Jolla coastline. It opens Friday, Oct. 4.
Guests also will be invited for a behind-the-scenes look at Birch Aquarium’s coral care and conservation work through the Coral Classroom, where many of the corals from the Hall of Fishes will be relocated during the “Living Seas” renovation.
The new additions will be included with the cost of admission. Find out more at aquarium.ucsd.edu.
New symphonina album reaches No. 1
“Advent of the Symphonina: Spreading the Joy of Symphonic Music to Young Audiences Around the World,” the new second album from the La Jolla-based Symphonina Foundation, reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Traditional Classical Albums chart for the week of Aug. 31.
Symphoninas, or short symphonies, are intended to be more accessible than some longer pieces.
“This is a tremendous honor and a recognition of the appeal that symphoninas have,” said La Jolla native David Fogel, co-founder of The Symphonina Foundation.
“Advent of the Symphonina” features pieces composed by 21-year-old Alexander Unseth (winner of the 2023 Best Symphonina of the Year Competition), 29-year-old Jordan Jinsoko (runner-up), and Fogel and Daniel Fisher.
Find out more at symphonina.org.
‘We Will Dance Again’ to screen in La Jolla
The Murray Galinson San Diego-Israel Initiative will present the global premiere of the film “We Will Dance Again” in La Jolla.
The screening will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, 4126 Executive Drive.
It will be followed by a panel of visiting Israeli professors, historian Giora Goodman and filmmaker Tom Shoval as they share their insights on the film and their experiences of being in Israel on Oct. 7, when the current Israel-Hamas war started.
“We Will Dance Again” is a portrayal of the experiences of those who survived the initial Hamas attack and those who didn’t.
Tickets are free, but an RSVP is required at lfjcc.org/cjc/wewill.aspx.
MTS to offer free rides Oct. 2
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System and the North County Transit District recently announced that both will provide free rides Wednesday, Oct. 2, to encourage area residents to save money, reduce carbon emissions and shake up their routines.
Free Ride Day will include all MTS buses, the trolley, Coaster, Sprinter and Breeze.
“For those who’ve thought about riding transit as an alternative to driving, Free Ride Day is a great opportunity to explore the region or commute to work via the trolley or bus,” said San Diego City Councilman Stephen Whitburn, who is chairman of the MTS board. “It’s a day to celebrate transit and see what MTS has to offer.”
For more information, visit sdmts.com/free-ride-day or GoNCTD.com.
SDPD encourages safe walking and driving in September
In honor of Pedestrian Safety Month in California in September, the San Diego Police Department is reminding drivers to slow down and be alert for people walking on the roads.
According to projections from the Governors Highway Safety Association, 7,318 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes across the United States in 2023. In California alone, pedestrian deaths make up more than 27 percent of all traffic-related fatalities.
The Police Department will conduct additional traffic safety operations focused on the most dangerous driving behaviors that put the safety of pedestrians at risk. Those include speeding, making illegal turns, failing to yield and running stop signs or traffic signals.
SDPD also encourages drivers to slow down at intersections, be prepared to stop for pedestrians at marked and unmarked crosswalks, avoid blocking crosswalks while waiting to make a right-hand turn and never drive while impaired.
Pedestrians are urged to be predictable and use signalized crosswalks, watch for approaching vehicles and be careful when crossing the street, and make it easier to be seen at night by wearing light colors, reflective materials and using a flashlight. ♦