sdnorthparknews.com Vol. 20 No. 8 August 2012

Serving San Diego’s Premier Urban Communities for 20 Years

A 2000 federal law that giveschurches and other religious institu-tions a way to avoid burdensome zon-ing law restrictions on their propertyuse is at the center of a legal battlethat the Academy of Our Lady ofPeace is waging against the city of SanDiego for the right to enlarge its Nor-mal Heights Catholic high school forgirls.

Federal district court Judge CathyAnn Bencivengo has scheduled a trialdate for Oct. 1 to settle a 2009 lawsuitthat the 130-year-old high school filedagainst the city after the San DiegoCity Council denied its request forcertain permits associated with itsplans to modernize its campus.

The Academy of Our Lady ofPeace, or OLP, claims in the lawsuitthat the city’s denial of its expansionplans is a violation of the The Reli-

SEE SCHOOL, Page 10

Vernetta with dance studio students during a show at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in National City.

OLP vs. Cityof San DiegoCatholic girls schoolraises religious free-dom issue in courtfight for expansionBY MANNY CRUZ

Change of the kind not seen in decadesis coming to San Diego City Hall.

When Republican City CouncilmanCarl DeMaio and Democratic Congress-man Bob Filner advanced to the mayoralrunoff in June, it set up a partisan fightSan Diegans aren’t used to seeing whenthey pick their leader.

“What we have had really in the entirepost-World War II era has been center-right and center-slightly left mayors,” saidSteve Erie, a UC San Diego professor whowrote a recent book on the city’s politicalhistory. “They don’t fit the pattern.”

DeMaio and Filner defeated the twoother candidates who did fit the pattern.Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, whoseRepublican-turned-independent bid inMarch was the race’s biggest surprise, lostground throughout election night. Repub-lican District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis,who had courted the same moderate sup-port as Fletcher and backed it up withnearly 40 years of history in San Diego

government, never caught fire during thecampaign.

The success of DeMaio and Filner setsup a monumental clash between twopoliticians rarely victorious in city politics:anti-Downtown partisans. Even more theirtemperaments, which tend toward con-frontation rather than consensus, makethem outliers. If current Mayor JerrySanders reminds you of your kindly uncle,then DeMaio and Filner are your crankycousins.

Despite DeMaio and Filner’s differencefrom the San Diego norm, it looked likeFletcher and Dumanis were done in byforces larger than themselves. Voter turnoutappeared anemic. And primary voters tendto be more partisan. The endorsed candi-dates of the Republican and Democraticparties both advanced.

On its own, this simple calculation couldexplain Filner’s success on Election Day.He’s a long-time liberal who has a 30-yearhistory in San Diego politics. The 69-year-

Sitting in the hot summer sun, Vernetta Bergeon— or just “Vernetta” as everyone knows her —scoops down a few spoonfuls of vendor food beforewrapping up the day at a busy church festival in theSouth Bay. “This is what Sunday is like,” she said.

The preparation for her dance show is the worstpart, she said. “The little green men — I had tohave head pieces with little eyes — I made thosethings!”

At 72 years young, Vernetta is a one-woman bandwhen it comes to the operation of Vernetta’s DanceStudio on Utah Street in North Park. “I don’t knowany 72-year-olds, so I don’t know how I’m supposedto act at 72,” she said.

Shortly after sunrise, and into the evening hours,for the past 50 years, Vernetta has done everything ather dance studio — teaching, marketing, creating fly-ers for events, bookkeeping and shopping for student

costumes. Dancing is the easy part, she said. “It’swhat I’ve always done. It’s sort of like built in. A pas-sion to teach ... dance ... to pass on all I’ve learned.”

“My observation of her,” said Fred Bergeon, Ver-netta’s husband of 12 years, “She’s a great artist. Mostartists are not, in my opinion, good business people— she’s both.”

By eschewing the traditional moderates, San Diegans have set up a rare partisanbattle in the November mayor election

SEE VERNETTAS, Page5

Stand Down Assists Homeless VeteransThe annual three-day “Stand Down

for Homeless Veterans” event kicked offat San Diego High School last month,where former armed services membersliving on the streets received free access toshowers, food and a wide range of med-ical, legal and other social services. Theupper athletics fields at the Downtown

NORTH PARK SCENE

SEE SCENE, Page 4

Miss Vernetta Gets Her Day BY CECILIA BUCKNER

D e M A I O v s . F I L N E RBY LIAM DILLON VOICE OF SAN DIEGO

SEE MAYOR, Page 6

Mary Young of South Park tends to a home-less veteran.

2 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

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4 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

campus took on a military atmosphere,with tents and cots set up for the event,which is in its 25th year under the spon-sorship of the Veterans Village of SanDiego. The Stand Down was held in thewake of a report that showed the numberof homeless veterans in San Diego Coun-ty is rising, and that the area’s cost ofhousing is too high for the positions thatare the focus of federal veteran job train-ing programs. The study from theNational Housing Conference cited fig-ures from the San Diego Regional TaskForce on the Homeless showing that thenumber of veterans without a place tolive in San Diego County climbed 6 per-cent over the past year to well over 1,700— or 28 percent of the total homelesspopulation.

Hillcrest Medical Building Sold for $9.7MillionThe Hillcrest Medical Building at 330Lewis St., occupied by UC San DiegoHealth System, has been sold for $9.7million to Coast Income Properties Inc.The four-story, 22,461-square-foot build-ing, purchased as a triple net leasedinvestment property, will continue to beused for a primary care clinic as part ofthe UCSD Health System. The seller wasKAMF San Diego LLC. Brokers fromColliers International and California

Commercial Properties represented theparties in the transaction.

Attic Treasures Boutique and AntiqueCar Show

The San Diego Woman’s Club asks,“Do you want to have fun shopping whilesaving money? Who doesn’t?” The club isinviting you to its annual Attic TreasuresBoutique shopping event on Saturday,Aug. 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the club-house at 2557 Third Ave. in Bankers Hill.You’ll find a variety of “treasures” for salesuch as ceramics, recycled items, uniquefinds, collectibles, vintage decorative items,one-of-a-kind pieces you cannot find instores. The Poway Cruisers Car Club willput on an antique car show at the sametime. There’s no admission.

World Rhythms Dance FestivalEveoke Dance Theatre, in collabora-

tion with community partners BombaLiberté and Tribal Energy, will presentthe World Rhythms Dance Festival onAug. 18-19, a gathering of master folk-loric teachers from various dance tradi-tions of the African and Latin Diaspo-ras. The weekend program at EveokeDance Theatre, 2811-A University Ave.,will focus on cultural exchange through

SCENECONTINUED FROM Page 1

SEE SCENE, Page 5

Vernetta began dancing at the tenderage of 3 as a Meglin Kiddie at Holly-wood Professional School in Los Ange-les — learning dance steps with thelikes of “whoever was working thatday.” Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire and Don-ald O’Connor, to name a few, wereamong the entertainment icons thatstrolled onto the dance floor to teachthe toddlers a step or two.

In recognition of Vernetta’s long andimpressive career and her deep involve-ment in the community, the San DiegoCity Council will proclaim Aug. 19 as“Miss Vernetta Day.”

That tribute was sought by KathiDiamant and students from Vernetta’sDance Studio. Diamant has been a stu-dent of Vernetta’s for nearly twodecades and is a San Diego State Uni-versity adjunct professor and formerKPBS on-air fundraising anchor. “She’snot just a successful businesswoman,”Diamant said of Vernetta. “She’s really

given back to the community over theyears.”

Vernetta has designed dance sessionsfor visually impaired SDSU studentswho wanted to attend college dances,for the hearing impaired, as well astherapy dance sessions for individualswith head injuries.

Her generosity is also reflected inthe way she runs her studio. A specialarea is reserved for leotards, shoes, legwarmers and whatever else a studentmay need for class. She also offers“two-fers,” a two-for-one discount,when she sees the need. “So if there’s astudent that can’t afford to dance, theycan take lessons. They don’t have tobuy anything,” she said.

Bryan Tarr, 45, a social media coach,began taking ballroom dancing classeswith Vernetta about four years agowith his girlfriend. “I never knew I hadthe passion for dance,” he said. “She’spatient, understanding and direct. NowI will break out into swing, a two-step,a waltz or cha-cha for no reason!”

Andrea Roman’s 7-year-old daugh-ter, Siobhan Cameron, has been a stu-

dent of Vernetta’s for five years. “She’san overall real nice person,” saidRoman. “You’re not just another facewith Vernetta. She’s great with the kidsand gets to know every family. Shemakes you feel welcome.”

While Vernetta loves passing on herpassion for dance, she finds great satis-faction in her relationships with herstudents and mentoring the childrenwhen the opportunity arises. “I thinkI’m a kid whisperer, as opposed to ahorse whisperer,” she said.

“She talks in a manner that theyunderstand,” said husband Fred. “Andthey just listen to her.”

A master tap teacher, Vernetta alsoteaches jazz, hip-hop, ballet, ballroom,classical jazz, lyrical and tumbling andhas choreographed for Bob Hope andCarol Channing.

Vernetta’s Dance Studio adjoins theNorth Park Lions Club building, whichshe manages. She’s been a Lions Clubmember since 1992 and faithfullyattends the club’s Wednesday lun-cheons.

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 5

Vernetta and husband Fred Burgeon have been married for 12 years. ‘She’s a great artist,’ says Fred.

Vernetta leads a group of students onto a dance floor prior to the start of a dancing program.

VERNETTASCONTINUED FROM Page 1

dance, song, storytelling, music, chore-ography and performance. Featuredteachers include Eveoke’s Araceli Car-rera, Bomba Liberté’s Jade Power-Sotomayor, Tribal Energy’s SuzanneForbes-Vierling and other artists includ-ing Cybele Peña, Silfredo La O, and Wil-fredo Guilbiac-Rodriquez. The danceforms include Latin Rhythms Modern,Afro-Venezuelan, Franco-Haitian, Afro-Cuban, Bomba, West African, andRumba. Festival hours are 10 a.m. to 7p.m. on Aug. 18 and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.on Aug. 19.

San Diego Reader to Get New HomeThe family trust that owns the San DiegoReader has purchased the Art UnionBuilding at 2323 Broadway in GoldenHill for $1.96 million and intends to useit to operate the Reader. The purchase ofthe 17,297-square-foot property wasmade by the Holman Family Trust. Thesellers were Harmon Nelson and Cyn-

thia Weiber. The two-story office proper-ty features loft-like spaces, period detailsand high ceilings. Brokers from ColliersInternational and Walsh Property Grouprepresented the parties in the transac-tion. The Reader’s current address is at1703 India St. in Little Italy.

Scenes from San Diego LGBT PrideThe festival July 20-22 attracted an esti-mated 200,000. Some of the loudestcheers at the gay pride parade were foractive-duty troops marching in militarydress, the first time that U.S. servicemembers participated in such an eventwhile in full uniform. Photos courtesy ofCouncilman Todd Gloria, whose District3 hosted the event.

SCENECONTINUED FROM Page 4

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old was the only Democrat in the raceand these bona fides carried him throughdespite a lackluster campaign. He was ableto hold off a furious fight from Fletcher,who courted interest groups as diverse asbike advocates and dog owners.

DeMaio, who has seemed like he wasrunning for mayor since he first arrived inSan Diego a decade ago, led the race fromstart to finish.

“San Diegans have been clear,” DeMaiosaid in his victory speech at the U.S. GrantHotel. “They don’t want business as usualat City Hall anymore.”

The Move to the MiddleThe success of DeMaio and Filner

means they’ll have to do the opposite ofwhat made them winners on primarynight. They have to court San Diego vot-ers in the middle who aren’t used to thiskind of mayor’s race.

DeMaio’s already telegraphed his nextsteps. He’s announced his pivoting frompensions to potholes, a prime issue in acity notorious for its rough roads and onethat doesn’t discriminate between Repub-licans and Democrats. His victory speechtouched on themes he’s never made a bigdeal out of before: education, renewableenergy, clean water, beaches, bays andopen space.

“Reform in San Diego has no partylabel,” he said. “It’s a San Diego cause.”

DeMaio also could try to find moder-ate support through his backing of the$520 million proposed Convention Cen-ter expansion. Despite his anti-tax per-sona, DeMaio has championed a big hotelroom tax hike to pay for it, somethingFilner opposes. The project has the majorbacking of the city’s powerful tourismand Downtown business lobbies, andDeMaio can make the case that only hecan deliver.

Meanwhile, Filner could go after jobsand education. he could draw a contrastwith DeMaio’s slash-city-fees-and-burn-city-regulations economic developmentplan and reposition the issue as a fightfor middle-class jobs. Filner also coulduse his college teaching background andtime on the school board to take the leadon schools. It’s one big issue DeMaiodoesn’t have a plan to fix.

DeMaio’s Two-Year Mayoral BidThe seeds of DeMaio’s first place finish

were laid almost two years ago when thecouncilman had his greatest political fail-ure. He had spent $450,000 and sixmonths on a dramatic outsourcing initia-tive designed to be the big issue for theNovember 2010 election. It imploded.DeMaio collected too many duplicate sig-natures and it didn’t make the ballot. Thiscollapse fed the most damaging criticismagainst DeMaio: he could throw bombs,but not lead.

But talks between the city politicalpower players about DeMaio’s measureturned into the first serious discussionsabout a sales tax hike once DeMaio’seffort failed. The tax increase made theballot. DeMaio found a new cause. Hebecame its most outspoken and energet-ic opponent and danced on its gravewhen it lost by almost 25 points.

Three days after the tax hike failed,DeMaio used his momentum to beginhis mayoral campaign. He released the

financial plan that’s become the founda-tion of his bid for the mayor’s office. Theplan included a proposal to give mostnew city workers 401(k)-style retirements,instead of guaranteed pensions. He bro-kered a deal with Mayor Sanders, whoalso wanted to eliminate pensions, for anew ballot measure.

DeMaio made the initiative, Proposi-tion B, synonymous with his campaign.The measure’s popularity and Republi-can support forced Fletcher and Duma-nis eventually to endorse it and even Fil-ner couldn’t escape it on the trail.DeMaio’s yard signs had “Carl DeMaioFor Mayor” on top and “Yes on B: PensionReform!” on bottom. Prop. B won on pri-marly election night, passing by morethan 32 points.

DeMaio’s success happened as part ofa growing Republican and business insur-gency. Groups like the Lincoln Club, theSan Diego County Taxpayers Associationand the local Republican Party united todefeat the sales tax and stayed togetherto push a more aggressive 401(k) initia-tive. DeMaio’s combative and uncompro-mising stance fit their worldview betterthan those who shared the city’s tradi-tional, moderate Republican outlook.

The Republican insurgency solidifiedin March. The party endorsed DeMaioover Dumanis and Fletcher, both Repub-licans at the time, despite Fletcher’s fran-tic efforts to block the decision.

Fletcher Goes IndyThe party’s endorsement led to the

race’s turning point. Less than three weeksafter the GOP went for DeMaio, Fletcherdecided to cast off the Republican Partyand become an independent. This wasno small move. When he was in his mid-20s, Fletcher worked as a political direc-tor for the state Republican Party. Hemarried a campaign staffer for formerPresident George W. Bush. Big-nameRepublicans — Newt Gingrich, KarlRove, Mitt Romney and Pete Wilson —had supported personally Fletcher’s bidfor office.

He seemed to be following in Wilson’spolitical footsteps as well. A career in theMarines, followed by a stint in the Assem-bly, followed by a bid for San Diegomayor, followed by statewide success. Itdidn’t hurt that Fletcher is 35, a few yearsyounger than Wilson when he ran formayor, and has matinee-idol good looks.

”Fletcher is right out of central casting,”Erie said.

But a big part of Wilson’s political iden-tity as mayor was his moderate Republi-canism. When Fletcher shed that label hesold it as if the party had left him. Heargued his consensus-building style nolonger had a home in the party.

Fletcher and his campaign executed thisdeclaration of independence without ahitch. In the days before he announcedthe switch, he flew to Washington to meetwith New York Times columnist DavidBrooks. Brooks’ subsequent column toldthe story of a pragmatic Iraq war veteranwho the polarizing Republican partycould no longer tolerate.

Brooks’ piece cemented Fletcher’s inde-pendence narrative and made him anational cause célèbre. He raised $1.3 mil-lion from donatons, by far the most ofanyone in the race, attracting the likes offashion designer Diane von Furstenbergand the mayor of Tupelo, Miss.

The decision gave Fletcher the namerecognition he needed to boost his stand-ing in the polls. His quick climb from sin-

gle-digits made it a three-way race withDeMaio and Filner. This unnerved hisrivals. But initially any efforts to bluntFletcher’s rise only seemed to strengthenhim. DeMaio blamed an intern for onefailed hit. And Filner’s campaign contin-ued its long slumber.

Filner Wakes Up With Some Help Froma Rival

In the race’s first 10 months, Filner hadmade a habit of talking big on the trail. Hehad promised “the most aggressive cam-paign San Diego has ever seen,” an over-flowing fundraising treasury and a waltzinto the general election because he wasthe only Democrat in the race. Instead, herelied more on his past stances and broadideology to win people over rather than adetailed vision of where he wanted to takeSan Diego. If DeMaio’s yard signs toldthe story of his campaign, Filner’s did,too. Filner didn’t buy many of his own.Instead, they read, “paid for by labor” atthe bottom.

Immediately after Fletcher’s move, Fil-ner’s campaign continued its downwardtrajectory. Filner was so lost on educa-tion policy at a debate that Fletcher had toexplain a school reform law to him. Filnertopped off his flubs over his major Uni-fied Port of San Diego expansion planwhen his cell phone rang in the middle ofa television interview about it.

But soon Filner began receiving seriousassistance fron an unlikely source. As farback as the winter, DeMaio would walkup to Filner at events and deliver a mes-sage, according to Filner’s campaign. “I’mreminding people that Bob Filner is theDemocrat,” DeMaio would say.

DeMaio’s strategy was simple. A runoffagainst Filner would produce the kid ofright vs. left battle that the councilmancould win. A runoff against a moderatewould be much tougher. And DeMaiohad the money, campaign infrastructureand standing near the top of the polls totry to pick his opponent.

Once Fletcher started surging, it meantDeMaio and his supporters had to takeout the assemblyman. When the cam-paign entered its final month, they beganexecuting a plan relentlessly.

Voters’ mailboxes overflowed with mailfrom DeMaio attacking Fletcher’s poorattendance record in the Assembly. Andthe television airwaves showed an adblasting the assemblyman for engineeringa middle-of-the-night deal to send bil-lions in tax revenues Downtown at theexpense of state school funding.

DeMaio’s supporters believed these hitswould work. Polling done by a politicalaction committee backing DeMaioshowed that 81 percent and 74 percent ofFletcher supporters were less likely to votefor the assemblyman once their heardabout his abswenteeism and the Down-town dea, respectively. DeMaio also wentso far as to send mail to Democrats, quot-ing left-wing politicians and using left-wing rhetoric to blast Fletcher’s standingwith liberals.

Filner realized he benefited from all this,calling DeMaio his “best weapon” againstFletcher. He also began hitting a stride ofhis own. His debate appearances becamesharper and crisper. He brought down Lt.Gov. Gavin Newsom, a stae Democraticheavyweight, for a fundraiser. And hespoke more humbly abougt his own cam-paign. He admitted that he should havespent more time raising money and thathe had underestimated Fletcher.

It became impossible to pay even theslightest attention to the campaign andnot hear the Filner-as-Democrat message.

Where’s Bonnie?Lost in all this drama was Dumanis.

The 60-yeear-old district attorney enteredthe race as one of the favorites. She hadcultivated powerful political relationships,and endorsement from the popularSanders and a well-known law-and-orderreputation with voters. But her problemsbegan from the start.

Dumanis’ most powerful message, herexperience and steady hand, took a hitearly on when she fired her first cam-paign manager, reported lacklusterfundraising totals and flip-flopped onProposition B. Fletcher’s endorsement bythe city’s police union and other publicsafety groups made it so that she couldn’tclaim to be law enforcement’s choice forthe job. And she struggled to communi-cate a simple vision for what she wantedSan Diego to be under her leadership.

She tried to make San Diego’s flaggingK-12 public education system her signa-ture policy platform, even though the cityhas no control over schools. Dumanissucceeded in making education a cam-paign issue, but again couldn’t sell herideas enough to make it a dominant one.Once Fletcher’s independence play suc-ceeded, her efforts to capture the tradi-tional San Diego middle fell short. Timeand again, Fletcher supporters imploredher to quit the race.

But Dumanis didn’t go out without afight. She showed feistiness in the cam-paign’s last few weeks that cut againstFletcher and Filner and put them on thedefensive.Fletcher Fights Back, But It’s NotEnough

Meanwhile, Fletcher was strugglingunder th weight of all the attacks. Despitehis fundraising prowess, Fletcher didn’thave enough money to chase the growingnumber of mail-in voters, maintain a con-sistent presence on television and orga-nize a get-out-the-vote drive on ElectionDay. Besides, while Fletcher’s indepen-dence move was a stunning success at thetime, it happened 10 weeks before ElectionDay. Fletcher didn’t have a second act,something other campaigns noticed.

“How does John DeLorean really fol-low up the DeLorean with anything else?”said Ron Nehring, a Dumanis consultant.“You have a really cool car, but then whatdo you do next?”

Fletcher turned his attention to Elec-tion Day. The campaign targeted peoplewho typically don’t turn out in force forprimaries: voters under 50, decline-to-states and moderates from both parties.

The election’s initial results showedFletcher five points behind Filner. AndFilner’s lead inched forward throughoutthe night.

But the election wasn’t about the mid-dle or any one candidate who tried tocourt moderate support. Instead, the rulesof a low-turnout primary held strong.Enough Republicans went Republican.Enough Democrats went Democratic.Everyone else didn’t vote.

“You do everything you can to ward offgravity,” said Jennifer Tierney, a Duman-is consultant. “But eventually, everythingalways hits the ground.”

(Editor’s Note: This article firstappeared in the June 2012 issue of Voiceof San Diego Monthly. Reprinted withpermission.)

MAYORCONTINUED FROM Page 1

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 7

Marish Castle as Alexi

8 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

The third of South Park’s quarterly Walka-bouts will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, tohighlight the variety and abundance of localart in shops and eateries throughout theneighborhood.

As always, the Walkabout will be held from6 to 10 p.m. in businesses located in SouthPark, from Kalmia Street to Beech Street. Afree trolley service provided by the mer-chants circulates throughout the neighbor-hood, and most shops are open late.The Walkabouts are produced by the mem-bers of the South Park Business Group Inc.,with support from a Micro-BID grant bythe city of San Diego’s Small BusinessEnhancement Program. The fourth and finalWalkabout of 2012 will be the annual Holi-day Walkabout, this year scheduled for Sat-urday, Dec. 1.

Two special festivities created at earlier eventsthis year have been popularly received, andwill return to South Park on Oct. 6. Theeateries on the southern end of the neigh-borhood get together to offer the “Beech St.Barbecue,” and the Fern Street trio of JuncLife & Style, Bad Madge and Make Goodwill again host an outdoor movie party.More details on the ArtOberfest plans will beavailable on the website southparkscene.comand on the South Park Facebook Page atFacebook.com/southparkbiz.

PHOTOS BY CRYSTAL HOYT, PHOTOGRAPHER.ArtOberfest Returns To South Park

Organized by local dance impresario Meeshi Ravi, the ‘South Park Soul Train DanceAbout’ was a highlight of the Summer of Love Walkabout in July. Several dozen dance-walkers inthemed costumes gathered at Captain Kirk’s Coffee on Fern Street, then roamed the sidewalks performing to the music of Robert Wishner’s ‘Full Strength Funk Band,’ entertaining theWalkabout guests from Juniper to Beech streets. The dancers also raised contributions for Shakti Rising of Golden Hill. Photos by Crystal Hoyt, Photographer.

South Park merchants, residentsand visitors celebrated the ‘Sum-mer of Love’ Walkabout in throw-back fashion — including this1960s-themed Volkswagen bugspecially decorated to match theflyers that promoted the July 14event. Rebecca Zearing, owner ofRebecca’s Coffeehouse, spon-sored this combination convertibleand plant garden, which amusedthousands of walkers on JuniperStreet. ‘I don’t know what we willdo for an encore,’said Zearing. Sheinvited locals to stop by for sug-gestions for decorations during theOct 6 ArtOberfest Walkabout.

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 9

South Park Business Group Steps Up For Neighborhood MaintenanceThe businesses of South Park have assumed respon-sibility for various neighborhood maintenanceactivities.Through an agreement with the city of San Diego,the nonprofit South Park Business Group will beresponsible for maintenance of trash cans, planters,bicycle racks and benches in the community.Individual businesses have volunteered to “adopt”each item, to maintain its cleanliness, and to reportany repair or repainting needs. Two neighborhoodbusinesses — Mooch North Park Nursery and EdLandsberg Realty — are leading the effort by pro-viding weekly services to maintain the planters thatdot several corners in South Park. Albert EinsteinAcademies is also participating.Costs associated with the effort will be handled bythe South Park Business Group Inc., through fundsraised by the annual Old House Fair.

“Our business community is made up of individ-uals who live locally, many right here in South Park,and we all agree that this project is important forthe well-being of the neighborhood,” said MattThomas of Alchemy Restaurant, a member of theSPBG board. “We appreciate the city agreeing to letus maintain these items rather than removing themfrom our community.”The group has also created a telephone hotline soresidents may report litter or repair problems. Thecalls will be addressed as appropriate by the individ-ual “adopting” business, or by the SPBG itself. Thehotline number will be published on signs to beaffixed to each trash container, bench or bike rackmaintained by the group. The items included in this program are locatedalong 30th Street, Juniper Street, Fern Street, GrapeStreet, Beech Street and Ash Street.

Where is South Park?South Park extends from A Street on the south, 28th Street along Balboa Park on thewest, the 34th Street canyon on the east, and depending on viewpoint, to JuniperStreet or Switzer Canyon, under the 30th Street bridge, to the north. ZIP codes 92102and 92104 split South Park right along its heart — Grape Street.At Home Ec Studio, young entrepreneurs and artists display and sell some of their creations at the Summer of

Love Walkabout in South Park. Home Ec Studio offers year-round classes for adults and children, as well as sum-mer fashion and crafting camps.

10 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

gious Land Use and InstitutionalizedPersons Act of 2000 (RLUIPA), whichwas signed by President Clinton 12 yearsago.

The statute reads, in part: “No gov-ernment shall impose or implement aland use regulation in a manner thatimposes a substantial burden on thereligious exercise of a person, includinga religious assembly or institution,unless the government can demonstratethat imposition ... is in furtherance of acompelling governmental interest; andis the least restrictive means of further-ing that compelling governmental inter-est.”

Critics of the law, which include athe-ist groups, claim the legislation creates alarge loophole that enables any religiousinstitution to virtually ignore local landuse and zoning regulations.

Expansion PlansOLP, one of the oldest Catholic

schools in San Diego County, has beentrying for more than five years to obtainthe necessary governmental approval toconstruct one new school building anda parking structure on land that it owns.It said the new facilities would give stu-dents state-of-the-art science laborato-ries, enhanced library and media centerand additional classroom space as wellas off-street parking.

However, a group of neighboring res-idents has vigorously opposed theschool’s plans, claiming that the newconstruction would mean the destruc-

tion of three historic homes on theproperty — one on Collier Avenue andtwo on Copley Avenue. The single-fam-ily houses, built around 1930, reflect theSpanish Colonial style homes that theneighbors want to save.

“You really don’t get to do anythingyou want to do. Sensitivity is involved.We’re all looking to be sensitive of ourenvironment,” Dionne Carlson told theNorth Park News in 2010. Carlson is amember of Between the Heights Neigh-borhood Group or BeHi, the group thatformed to oppose the expansion pro-ject. BeHi takes its name from its neigh-borhood’s location between UniversityHeights and Normal Heights.

“Religion has never been an issue forus. It’s always been a straight land issue,”Carlson said at the time. “If you look atNorth Park, large areas that were onceSpanish Revival homes and Craftsmanhomes over the years have been torndown and pretty unattractive familyhousing has been put up.”

Other Land Use CasesOLP’s attorney in the case is Daniel

Dalton of Dalton & Tomich. Dalton haspreviously won land use cases on behalfof Catholic churches and other religiousinstitutions across the country againstmunicipalities found to be in violationof RLUIPA.One of the largest settle-ments included a $550,000 cash awardgranted to Church of the Open Door ina case against the city of Bellmead,Texas, the largest such award in thestate’s history.

Although OLP’s plans were approvedby the city’s Developmental Services

Department and affirmed by the cityPlanning Commission in 2008, the CityCouncil rescinded those actions.

“The school had no choice but to takethe matter to court,” Dalton said. “Theproposed modernization plan is theonly way the Academy of Our Lady ofPeace can continue upholding its mis-sion to meet the educational needs of itsstudents, the future leaders of the SanDiego community. The Academy asksonly that it be treated fairly under thelaw.”

Although City Council heard theappeal of the favorable Planning Com-mission ruling and voted to deny a per-mit that would have enabled OLP todemolish the houses, its decision didnot preclude the academy from mod-ernizing its property. In fact, the CityCouncil noted that it supported theoverall project so long as it could beimplemented in a way that preservedthe character of the surrounding neigh-borhood.

Councilman Todd Gloria, whose Dis-trict 3 includes OLP, said through aspokeswoman that he stands behind theaction taken by the City Council “andwill not comment further because ofthe ongling legal dispute against thecity.”

The Academy is located on OregonStreet in Normal Heights and is thecity’s oldest high school. The privateschool is administered by the Sisters ofSt. Joseph of Carondelet.

SCHOOLCONTINUED FROM Page 1

Aerial view of Academy of Our Lady of Peace. OLP Photo.

In 1953, people who lived in San Diegomulled whether to let the Padres build abaseball field in the city’s central park.The Union newspaper’s Joe Brookspenned the news with a haven’t-we-seen-this-before air:

“San Diego is expected to resume oneof its favorite indoor sports — squab-bling about the development of BalboaPark,” Brooks wrote. The baseball bid wasunsuccessful, but it wasn’t the first or lasttime private interests proposed parcel-ing off sections for their own use.

Brooks continued:“The whole history of the park is one

of civic controversy dating back almost ofMay 25, 1868, when the City Councilauthorized acquisition of 1,400 acres ofhard pan and chaparral as site of a park.

“History shows San Diegans have beenproud of their park and jealous of itsuses since then. Almost every proposal tolocate something in the park has metwith opposition — even the things thattoday are regarded as the park’s primeassets. Sometimes public opinion hasprevented use of the park property forwhatever plan was being considered atthe moment; other plans have beenadopted despite the opposition.”

Fifty-nine years later, people who livein San Diego are mulling the latest plan,and “squabbling” is a nice word for the

discussion the plan has sparked.The idea is to remake the park’s west-

ern entrance in order to remove trafficand parking from the park’s Plaza dePanama and Plaza de California, whichfront structures built for the park’s 1915Panama-California Exposition. The City

Council gave its approval in July, handinga victory to Mayor Jerry Sanders andQualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs.

It did so over cries that the remodelingwould destroy the park’s historic featuresand public access. Opponents describedJacobs and his committee as the latest

interests to exert private influence over apublic park. Though his plan doesn’tcarve out parkland and restrict it fromthe public in the manner of the hospitalor the landfill, the iconic park’s rocky his-tory hangs heavy over the debate.

It’s the latest in a long history of pas-

sionate and sometimes hyperbolic dis-cussion over what is one of the city’s bestassets.

Some of the fighting was about prefer-ence: Architecture for the 1915 expothat's being fought so vehemently overwas itself contentious to people whothought the park should remain naturaland open.

Other arguments dealt with big foot-prints for puzzling uses. The park lostmore than 100 acres to freeways andmore than 90 to the naval hospital. Inthe ’50s, ’60s and ’70s, we thought it’d befine to dump garbage in it. Now the Ari-zona Landfill is closed but unstable, yet tobe reclaimed for the park.

“Yes, San Diego got a park in 1868,but from that day forward the questionof whether or not we can keep it has beenon the table,” said University of SanDiego law professor Nancy Carol Carterat a luncheon last year, telling storiesfrom her Balboa Park research.

“The number of assaults on park landover the past 143 years is nothing lessthan shocking,” she continued. “Some ofthe schemes for converting the park forother uses were outlandish and othersare so brazen and avaricious as to takeyour breath away.”

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 11

A view of the Plaza de Panama looking east in 1915. Source: The Committee of One Hundred.

A PARK PAVED WITH 143 YEARS OF CONTROVERSYIrwin Jacobs’ plan for Balboa Park not the first to spark debate

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SOHO Plans Lawsuit to Defeat the PlanThe Save Our Heritage Organisation, the most vocal

critic of Irwin Jacobs’ Balboa Park plan, intends to legal-ly challenge the City Council’s July 9 plan approval,claiming it would “irreparably damage” the park andjeopardize its status as a National Historic LandmarkDistrict. The nonprofit organization also said there havebeen talks about putting a referendum on the ballot,and indicated that the issue “will have a tremendousinfluence” on the mayor’s race between CouncilmanCarl DeMaio, who voted for the Jacobs’ plan, and Con-gressman Bob Filner, who spoke against it.

“SOHO supports the widely shared goal of removingparking from the Plaza de Panama in time for the cen-tennial of the 1915 Panama-California Exposition,” theorganization said. “But the costly Jacobs plan is indefen-sible in terms of minor net parking gains, huge publiccosts for construction and maintenance, and the intro-

duction of paid parking for park visitors.”The park is in Councilman Todd Gloria’s District 3.

Gloria defended his vote to approve the Jacobs plan:“After walking the park, talking to you, reviewing hear-ings on the topic, considering the input of local groups,reading your emails and social media posts, my decisionfinally hung on one question: what is the best thing I cando for the park and for current and future generationsof San Diegans? I believe voting to support the projectwas the right answer to that question.”

Community leaders and the most expert authoritieson planning, design, transportation, sustainability, eco-nomics and historic resources from all over the regionjoined SOHO in arguing that there are many alternativesto the Jacobs’ plan that will protect and enhance thepark and comply with applicable laws.

BY KELLY BENNETT | VOICE OF SAN DIEGO

12 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

After two years of debate, the CityCouncil voted last month to move for-ward with a plan to take back the heart ofBalboa Park from cars and return it tothe people. When completed in late 2014,this $45 million project will represent thelargest park improvement since 1935.

The vision for removing cars from thecenter of the park has been nearly univer-sally shared for decades, but there is littleconsensus on how to achieve that goaland, until recently, no funding to do it.

Irwin Jacobs’ PlanIn 2010, in response to Mayor Jerry

Sanders’ call to pedestrianize the Plazade Panama in time for Balboa Park’s cen-tennial in 2015, local philanthropist Dr.Irwin Jacobs proposed a bold plan andpledged funding to accomplish it.

Initially, I opposed Dr. Jacobs’ plan.His proposal has significant impacts tothe park’s historic resources and wouldintroduce paid parking in Balboa Park.Both of these things are of great concernto me. These costs are balanced againstthe benefits of restoring over six acres ofparkland for the exclusive use of people,increasing the amount of available park-ing, eliminating numerous vehicle/pedestrian conflicts, increasing disabledaccess to the park, and a new tram systemto service the park.

Benefits Outweigh CostsAfter reviewing the environmental

impact report, considering dozens ofalternatives, and discussing the issue withmany of you, it became clear to me thebenefits of Dr. Jacobs’ plan far outweighed

its costs. I voted to support the project.I recognize my vote has disappointed

some of my constituents. While I don’texpect everyone to agree with me, I assureyou that this decision was made after athorough impartial review by my staffand me and upon receiving assurancesthat this project would not result indegradation to Balboa Park’s historic sta-tus. It was made not because of any pres-sure by either side but simply because Ibelieve it’s the right choice for BalboaPark.

Moving ForwardI expect to be deeply involved in all

aspects of the project as it moves for-ward to ensure that when it is complet-ed, it will be embraced by a majority ofSan Diegans as an improvement worthy

of our city’s crown jewel. I hope that youtoo will engage with this and other pro-jects that will prepare Balboa Park for its2015 centennial.

Councilmember Gloria can bereached at ToddGloria@sandiego.gov;(619) -236-6633; 202 C Street, MS 10A,San Diego, CA 92101; and on Facebookand Twitter. Visit his website atwww.sandiego.gov/cd3.

(Editor’s Note: Do you agree or dis-agree with Todd Gloria’s assessment ofthe Irwin Jacobs proposal? Let us know.Email your comments to editor MannyCruz: manny@sandiegometro.com.Include your name, phone number andarea you reside in. Your comments will bepublished in future issues.)BY COUNCILMAN TODD GLORIA

Shining the Jewel of Our CityIrwin Jacobs’ plan was the right choice for Balboa Park

Community Board MeetingsGreater Golden Hill Community Devel-opment Corp. The CDC normallymeets at 6:30 p.m. the third Thursday ofthe month at the SDYS Golden HillCenter, 2220 Broadway. For informa-tion, call (619) 696-9992.

Greater Golden Hill Planning Commit-tee meets at 6:30 p.m. the secondWednesday of the month at the BalboaGolf Course clubhouse, 2600 GolfCourse Drive. For information, call(619) 533-5284.

The North Park Redevelopment Pro-ject Area Committee meets at 6 p.m.the second Tuesday of the month at theLafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd.Meetings focus on redevelopment pro-jects in construction or planning. Forinformation, visit sandiego.gov/redevel-opment-agency.

The North Park Main Street boardmeets at 7 a.m. the second Wednesdayof the month at its storefront office,

3076 University Ave. North Park MainStreet has more than 250 members, pri-marily businesses paying annual assess-ments in the city-authorized North ParkBID. For information, call 294-2501.

The North Park Maintenance Assess-ment District Committee normallymeets at 6 p.m. the second Monday ofevery other month at North Park Com-munity Adult Center, 2719 Howard Ave.

The North Park Planning Committeemeets at 6:30 p.m. the third Tuesday ofthe month at North Park Christian Fel-lowship, 2901 North Park Way. Thecommittee is an advisory group to thecity on North Park land use, includingthe general plan, infrastructure and den-sity. For information, visit northpark-planning.org.

The North Park Community Associa-tion meets from 6 to 8 p.m. the fourthWednesday of each month at theLafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd. The

Community Association provides aforum for issues and concerns aboutpublic safety, education, land use, pub-lic facilities and services, commercialrevitalization, community image andcultural activities. For more informa-tion, visit www.northparksd.org.

The North Park Historical Societymeets from 6:30 to 8 p.m. the thirdThursday of each month. The HistoricalSociety conducts research and educa-tional outreach in order to facilitatepreservation of North Park's culturaland architectural history. For moreinformation, visit www.northparkhis-tory.org.

The South Park Business Groupmeets on the last Wednesday of eachmonth at 8:30 a.m. at Alchemy Restau-rant, 30th & Beech. The SPBG is com-prised of business owners with store-fronts and service businesses located inSouth Park. The organization producesthe quarterly South Park Walkabouts

and the annual Old House Fair. Formore information, call (619) 233-6679or email PBG@lucyslist.net.

The University Heights CommunityAssociation meets at 7 p.m. the firstThursday of the month in the auditori-um of Birney Elementary School, 4345Campus Ave. For information, call 297-3166.

The Adams Avenue Business Associ-ation board of directors normallymeets at 7:30 a.m. the first Tuesday ofthe month at the Normal Heights Com-munity Center, 4649 Hawley Blvd. Fortime, place and more information, call(619) 282-7329 or visit adamsaveon-line.com.

The Kensington/Talmadge PlanningGroup meets at 6:30 p.m. the secondWednesday of the month at Kensing-ton Community Church, 4773 Marl-

borough Drive. For information, call287-3157.

The Lions Club of North Park meets forlunch every Wednesday from noon to1:30 p.m. at the club, 3927 Utah St.Prospective members are welcome toenjoy their first lunch on the club. Forinformation, call (619) 692-0540.Uptown Rotary welcomes prospectivemembers at its 7 a.m. Thursday break-fasts at Jimmy Carter’s Mexican Café,3172 Fifth Ave. For more, call (619) 500-3229 or visit sdurotary.org.

The North Park Recreation Councilmeets at 6 p.m. the fourth Monday ofevery other month at North Park Recre-ation Center, 4044 Idaho St. For infor-mation, call 235-1152.

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14 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

In preparation for the debut of the San Diego Zoo’sReptile Walk exhibits, Rachel Walton, keeper(above) places a young Roti Island snake-neckedturtle into a terrarium. Reptile Walk opened to thepublic on July 4 with more than 50 species of ani-mals including turtles, amphibians and a collec-tion of animals native to California. There is also anew open-air pool exhibit for the endangered Chi-nese alligators. Reptile Walk leads guests past ani-mals that make their homes in various types ofwetlands including marshes, swamps, bogs and fensand seasonal wetlands called vernal pools and wash-es. The exhibit describes threats that are drasticallyreducing populations of reptiles and amphibians,

for example, the Roti Island snake-necked turtle is classified as criticallyendangered due in part to the pet trade. The San Diego Zoo has one of themost successful breeding programs for this species and has hatched more than70, including this youngster.

San Diego Zoo Opens Reptile Walk

Underwater Fun Without Getting WetFleet’s ‘Deep Sea’ takes viewers on an amazing journeybelow the ocean’s surface

The underwater adventure film “Deep Sea” has returned tothe Reuben H. Fleet Science Center’s Heikoff Dome Theater.Del Mar’s veteran underwater filmmakers and explorersHoward and Michele Hall take film viewers below the oceansurface to swim with some of the most unusual, dangerousand colorful creatures.

The IMAX film is directed by underwater cinematogra-pher Howard Hall and produced by Toni AMyers andMichele Hall. Graeme Ferguson is the executive producer.Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet narrate the film, which fea-tures original score by Danny Elfman.

“IMAX provides such an immersive experience that you’reable to get up close to the creatures much like I did shootingthe film, but without getting wet,” said director Hall. AddedMyers: “Even with a large number of people who do scubadive, lots of them have never met these characters or seen howthey interact with other animals. ‘Deep Sea’ includes momentsthat Howard himself has never filmed before, even in hislong and varied career in undersea photography. These crea-tures are scary, beautiful, funny — it’s such a vivid illustrationof the astonishing array of the diversity of life.”

Hall and his crew produced the first IMAX underwater film“Into the Deep.” For “Deep Sea” they filmed in multiple locations toprofile animals that have never before been seen in any IMAX film.

For information on tickets and showtimes, call (619) 238-1233.

The WorldBeat Afro-Latin Ensemble will perform at the WorldBeat Center onPark Boulevard at 9 p.m. on Aug. 10. The ensemble is made up of a group of WestCoast musicians and long-time friends who have played together for years inmany projects. This group will feature dynamic interplay between West AfricanPercussionist Nana Yaw Asiedu and Brooklyn native Irving Soto, who is PuertoRican by descent. Cuban bassist Ignacio Arango from Havana is on bass and gui-tar, Paul Ruiz is on trumpet and Turiya Mareya is on piano performing originalworks and arrangements.

WorldBeat Afro-Latin Ensemble in Concert

Reef fish nibble algae from a green sea turtle’s shelf off Hawaiianshores.

The San Diego Museum of Art’s First Friday Films program will feature“Metropolis” on Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. in the James S. Copley Auditorium. “Metropo-lis” is an iconic Expressionist film depicting the struggle between classes in adystopian future. A pre-film lecture will be presented at 7 p.m. by Nicolas Rev-eles, director of education for the San Diego Opera. He will discuss GermanExpressionism and the movement’s artistic breadth. The screening costs $5 formuseum members, students and the military, and $10 for nonmembers.“Metropolis” is a 1927 German expressionist science-fiction film directed by FritzLang. The film was written by Lang and his wife, Thea Von Harbou, and starredBrigitte Helm, Gustav Fröhlich, Alfred Abel and Rudolf Klein-Rogge. A silent film,it was produced in the Babelsberg Studios by UFA. Made in Germany during theWeimar Period, “Metropolis” is set in a futuristic urban dystopia, and follows theattempts of Freder, the son of a wealthy intellectual, and Maria, whose backgroundis not fully explained in the film, to overcome the vast gulf separating the clas-sist nature of their city. Metropolis was filmed in 1925, at a cost of approximate-ly four million Reichsmarks. The film was met with a mixed response upon itsinitial release, with many critics praising its technical achievements while derid-ing its simplistic and naïve storyline.

Museum of Art Film Series Presents ‘Metropolis’

Producer Michele Hall and director Howard Hall enjoy a sunset inBritish Columbia.

Internationally recognized organist Carol Williams will play the Spreckels organfor 12 hours straight on Sept. 2 — from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — in a special benefitfor Operation Rebound. For the special one-day event, Williams has prepared alarge repertoire of pipe organ music, including compositions of her own. If sheis successful, Williams will have played the longest performance on an outdoorpipe organ. During the marathon, representatives of Operation Rebound willgreet the public and explain the nonprofit organization’s mission of supportingdisabled veterans.

Marathon Spreckels Organ Benefit

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 15

SOHO’s Modernism Committee will present “Clairemont:The Village Within a City,” a historic architecture tour on Sat-urday, Aug. 11.

This self-driven tour takes Mid-Century modernism fansthrough the architectural treasures of one of the nation’s firstand largest planned postwar communities.

At the end of World War II, an influx of families began tosettle in San Diego and the need for additional housing andrecreation spaces became clear. Clairemont was one of thosecommunities that met the needs of a growing postwar gener-ation. As a result, its suburban landscape catered to the mod-ern family’s American dream, two-car garages and functionalcommercial, public and religious buildings.

The comprehensive tour introduces visitors to over 40 ofClairemont’s best Mid-Century modern buildings includinglibraries, schools, religious institutions and residential neigh-borhoods. Tour visitors will learn about the people behind thedevelopment of the “Village within a City” and indulge in thespirit of post-war optimism.

The registration begins at 9:30 a.m. with a lecture and ori-entation beginning at 10 a.m. by noted local historian andlong-time Clairemont resident Alexander D. Bevil at St. Mark’sUnited Methodist Church.

Self-guided tours will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and beginat St. Mark’s United Methodist Church, 3502 Clairemont Drive.The cost is $15 for SOHO members and $20 for nonmembers.Tickets can be purchased at the Marston House Museum Shop,3525 Seventh Ave. in Balboa Park, or the Whaley House Muse-um Shop, 2476 San Diego Ave. in Old Town. For more infor-mation, call SOHO at (619) 297-9327.

Clairemont HistoryIn 1950, Carlos Tavares and Lou Burgener developed what

became San Diego’s largest post-war subdivision. Originallydubbed, “The Village Within a City,” people started living inClairemont in May 1951.

Clairemont’s design represented a new concept in commu-nity living because it did not incorporate the traditional gridsystem of uniform blocks and streets. Instead, winding streetsand scenic view lots took advantage of the canyons and bluffsoverlooking Mission Bay. The first homes, built by Burgenerand Tavares Construction Co., had highly customized floorplans.

The developers assembled the necessary acreage to developClairemont from three primary land holdings: the Peavey Cat-tle Ranch, Mission Bay Heights (owned by the Hazard Fami-ly), and Tecolote Heights (owned by Jack and Dan Danciger).

Before any homes were built in the new development,Tavares and Burgener invested $125,000 in off-street improve-ments including sewers, water, and access roads. This was nec-essary because the proposed development was not adjacent toany developed areas. The original subdivision map that usedthe name “Clairemont” for the first time was approved andrecorded by the county of San Diego on Oct.16, 1950. The mapwas named “Clairemont Unit #1, Map #2725.”

According to Burgener, “Between 1952 and 1954, sevenhomes were constructed a day.”

Within a few years, several thousand houses had been con-structed, including single-family homes, duplexes and apart-ments. Since Clairemont was somewhat removed from thecity proper, commercial business and retail shopping, schools,libraries and other city amenities were designed into the over-all plan. Although the concept of suburban living is common-place today, this approach was considered novel and Tavares’vision for Clairemont had far-reaching implications for SanDiego as it stretched the city limits outward and began the nowfamiliar pattern of migration from city to suburb.

Today, the only land that remains vacant in Clairemont(once a vacant prairie) is San Clemente Canyon and TecoloteCanyon. Local residents rallied to save both canyons fromdevelopment and were designated parks in the 1970s.

SOHO’s Historic Architecture Tour

Focus on Clairemont: ‘The Village Within a City’

North Clairemont Branch Library.

16 | sdnorthparknews.com | August 2012

BY STEVE HON PRESIDENT, NORTH PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Bird Park — Hatched from a VisionA short history of the avian-themed park

In 1902, Samuel Parsons, President ofthe American Society of LandscapeArchitects and the Superintendent ofCentral Park in New York City, accepteda commission to design San Diego’s “CityPark.”

When taken for a tour of the vast,undeveloped area that had been set aside,Parsons became lyrical about the viewfrom the northeast comer of the parkthat subsequently became the corner of28th and Upas streets. Standing there, hecompared the view of the CoronadoIslands to the “stately pleasure dome ofXana Du decreed by Kubla Khan.” Thecomer was for years thereafter called“Parsons’ Gate.”

Despite Samuel Parsons’ identificationof the northeast corner of what would beBalboa Park as having one of the bestviews in the entire park, that cornerwould be one of the last areas within Bal-boa Park to be developed. It would be 95years before Parsons’ vision wouldbecome Bird Park.

In 1992, the East Mesa Precise Plan

(EMPP) published by the city of SanDiego called for a new children’s park onthe land south of Upas Street between28th Street and Pershing Drive. Ques-tions were raised, meetings were calledand the traffic study outline in the EMPPwas revised to the satisfaction of the cityengineers and the residents of Pershingand 28th Streets.

The Pershing Spur was closed in orderto prevent fast-moving Pershing Drivetraffic from entering Pershing Street athigh speed. Additionally, at the five-wayintersection of 28th/Pershing/Upasstreets, the entrance to the narrow 28thStreet was closed with the same intent.Construction began on Bird Park basedupon a designed created by local artistRobin Brailsford, situated on 28th Streetsouth of Upas.

The hardscape of the park resembles abird as seen from the air and Brailsfordcarried the avian theme over to the side-walks in the park by having the names ofmany of the species of birds native toSan Diego stamped into the sidewalks.

Robin Brailsford and Wick Alexander“hatched” the idea of Bird Park in theirhome studio in North Park. “Every ele-ment to make it look like a bird is there:wing, tail, foot, beak, gizzard and a nest”said Brailsford in an interview with theNorth Park News in 2002. She begandesigning the six-acre park in 1994 andfound inspiration from the lay of theland.

“Pershing looked just like a branch,and the topography looked like a bird,”she further stated.

Bird Park opened officially in Septem-ber 1997. It was immediately popularwith the community as it provided sore-ly needed additional developed parkspace and two more children’s play areas.The community also quickly identifiedthat Bird Park was an excellent area toview Fourth of July fireworks displaysfrom San Diego Bay.

In 2002, the North Park CommunityAssociation began exploring the idea ofholding community concerts at BirdPark. Based upon the Friday night con-

certs held at Trolley Barn Park in Univer-sity Heights, an NPCA committee thatincluded Beth Swersie, Lorraine Halac,Nellie Harris, Maureen Westfall and Lor-rie Moore began work on holding one ortwo concerts in the summer of 2002. Nel-lie Harris was the driving force behindthe effort. Ultimately, two concerts wereheld that summer. The first concert washeld on July 12 and featured the TamiThomas Big Band; the second concertwas held on Aug. 30 and the Bill MageeBlues Band performed. The first concertalso featured a comedian, Wally Wang,who performed at intermission. By thetime Wally Wang took the microphone,the size of the crowd had doubled.

The two concerts in 2002 were incred-ibly well received by the community andhave become a regular staple of the sum-mer scene in North Park.

The final aspect of the development ofBird Park was the completion of the Per-shing Portal on the north side of UpasStreet at 28th Street to replace the tempo-rary barriers installed years earlier when28th Street at Upas was closed off.

In late 2003, the Pershing Portal Pro-ject was completed, forming an attractivepedestrian entry into the heart of thisunique historic North Park neighbor-hood from Pershing Drive and adjacentpark areas. The entry plaza permanent-ly terminated 28th Street, and provided acontinuous curb line along Upas Streetfrom west to east.

The landscaped plaza is at the samelevel as the existing sidewalk and con-tains stamped and colored concreteincluding plaques commemoratingDavid Dryden and his wife. Concretetowers 7 1⁄2 feet high with copper roofsmark the entry, and a quote from the lateNorth Park historian Donald Covingtonis stamped into the pavement betweenthe entry towers.

This project was years in the making.Mark Weis, city project engineer andNorth Park resident, said, “I believe thePershing Portal Project is a realization ofthe community’s efforts to commemo-rate the uniqueness and historical signif-icance of North Park.”

A plan to close 28th Street at Upas wasinitiated in 1987 and championedthrough the years by many North Parkresidents. Homeowners gathered trafficdata in 1992 to substantiate the heavy traf-fic on 28th Street from Pershing. In 1993,the city agreed to close 28th Street at Upasif homeowners agreed, and in May of thatyear, a petition circulated among residentsconvinced the city to create the cul-de-sac. The original conceptual design of theentry portal was conceived in 1995 andardently supported, but funding was anissue that took more than eight years tosolve completely. (The final Bird ParkConcert will be on Aug. 11 with music byWhitney Shay — 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.)

Dancing at the Bird Park concerts. Photo by Lynn Elliott.

Diagram of the park. Photo courtesy of Steven Hon.

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 17

ELSIE’S GARDENA little piece of floral heaven’

On a tiny lot of land in front of a small apartment building in North Park is a pre-cious and well-tended garden where the birds, bees, and everyone else is welcome.As you stroll down Polk Street, you can’t help but stop for a moment to enjoy thiscolorful and whimsical garden by a cheerful German gardener, Elsie Horath. It’s afeast for the eyes and senses, and just might bring a smile to your face.

Dozens of decorative animals and creatures adorn Elsie’s garden. With swans,ducks, dogs, hummingbirds, frogs, bears, and cats, there is a little something for every-one. Elsie has a rubber snake that she moves to new spots every few days so the localkids have fun searching for him. Amidst the myriad of flowers, bushes, small trees,and creatures, the bright red bark provides a dramatic backdrop.

Although it may seem a bit crowded at first sight, there is just enough spacebetween the plants for Elsie to move about, and always room for a new whimsicalcharacter to augment her collection. She has received new critters and gifts from afew admirers who appreciate the hard work and passion that she has for her petitegarden. But her favorite “assistant” gardener is her 7-year old grandson, Cort, wholikes to dodge the garden hose when she chases him with it.

Even at 80+, Elsie rarely misses a day in her garden, picking up fallen flowerpetals, weeding and watering, primping and pruning, and hoping that one of her reg-ulars will walk by and wave to her while admiring the bounty of flowers and whim-seys. If you ask her what keeps her going, she will say that the main reason she worksso hard is to see the joy in the faces of the kids and adults who walk by and stop fora moment, smiling at this little piece of floral heaven. Check it out the next time you’reon Polk Avenue, just west of Kansas.

Elsie Horath and grandson, Cort.

BY DINAH SATTERWHITE

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Jazz Pianist Mike Woffordto Receive LifetimeAchievement AwardBlues musician Candye Kane willreceive Courage in Music Award

On a tiny lot of land in front of a smallapartment building in North Park is aprecious and well-tended garden wherethe birds, bees, and everyone else is wel-come. As you stroll down Polk Street, youcan’t help but stop for a moment to enjoythis colorful and whimsical garden by acheerful German gardener, Elsie Horath.It’s a feast for the eyes and senses, andjust might bring a smile to your face.

Dozens of decorative animals and crea-tures adorn Elsie’s garden. With swans,ducks, dogs, hummingbirds, frogs, bears,and cats, there is a little something foreveryone. Elsie has a rubber snake thatshe moves to new spots every few days sothe local kids have fun searching for him.Amidst the myriad of flowers, bushes,small trees, and creatures, the bright redbark provides a dramatic backdrop.

Although it may seem a bit crowded atfirst sight, there is just enough spacebetween the plants for Elsie to move

about, and always room for a new whim-sical character to augment her collection.She has received new critters and giftsfrom a few admirers who appreciate thehard work and passion that she has forher petite garden. But her favorite “assis-tant” gardener is her 7-year old grand-son, Cort, who likes to dodge the gardenhose when she chases him with it.

Even at 80+, Elsie rarely misses a day inher garden, picking up fallen flower petals,weeding and watering, primping andpruning, and hoping that one of her reg-ulars will walk by and wave to her whileadmiring the bounty of flowers andwhimseys. If you ask her what keeps hergoing, she will say that the main reasonshe works so hard is to see the joy in thefaces of the kids and adults who walk byand stop for a moment, smiling at this lit-tle piece of floral heaven. Check it out thenext time you’re on Polk Avenue, just westof Kansas.

Mike Wofford Candye Kane

North Park Welcomes Music IndustryPros and PerformersSan Diego Music Thing scheduled for Sept. 14-15

The San Diego Music Thing, the annual ritual that bringsmusic industry professionals and musicians together for talksand performances, comes to North Park again on Sept. 14 and15 for its fifth consecutive year.

As usual, daytime events including panels, mentoring anddemo review sessions and an acoustic pool stage will be heldat the Lafayette Hotel on El Cajon Boulevard.

In the evening, more than 170 performers will take to stagesat various venues around San Diego. Performers will includeAlejandro Escovedo, Stone Foxes, Hunx and His Punx, Shan-non and the Clams, Nite Jewels, He’s My Brother, She’s My Sis-ter, Voxhaul Broadcast and more.

Featured speakers for this year’s event include WayneKramer (MC5) and Martin Atkins (TourSmart).

Other notable panelists will be Corey Daniel (ToolShed),

Nadine Gelineau (The Muse Box), Kristin Thomson (Futureof Music Coalition), Howard Han (ReverbNation), StefanGoldby (Buzzine), Tim Godwin (Taylor Guitars), Glenn Lit-wak (Law Offices of Litwak and Havkin), among others.

The annual event is presented by the San Diego MusicFoundation (sandiegomusicfoundation.org), a nonprofitorganization that provides experiential music programs to SanDiego County schools via its Guitars for Schools Program.

The foundation organizes the San Diego Music Awardsshow and provides professional development opportunities tothe community’s musicians. Proceeds from both the SanDiego Music Thing and the San Diego Music Awards benefitthe Guitars for Schools Program.

For more information on the event or to purchase ticketsvisit www.sandiegomusicthing.com.

Wayne Kramer of MC5. Ramona Gonzalez of Night Jewels Voxhaul Broadcast

August 2012 | sdnorthparknews.com | 19

Rendering of the USO building.

By Bart Mendoza

Uptown Rhythm Makers Kick Up a StormPlaying traditional New Orleans jazz, aka Dixieland, the seven-piece combo Uptown Rhythm Makers

formed in 2003. The band has a first Friday of every month residency at Claire de Lune, which has helpedestablish them as local favorites. While the music itself dates from the 1920s to 1960s, this is no mere nos-talgia trip. The band kicks up a fair storm and is a lot of fun to both watch and listen to. The casual atmo-sphere of this coffee house is the perfect place for the Uptown Rhythm Makers’ vintage tunes.

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The Uptown Rhythm Makers: Friday, Aug. 3 at Claire de Lune, 2906 University Ave. 8 p.m. All ages. Free. clairedelune.com

Adrenaline Rush with Coda ReactorCoda Reactor may be considered by many to be a punk band, but anyone who simply likes exhilarat-

ing rock ‘n’ roll will also love them. Appearing at Eleven on Aug. 30, 9 p.m., the band generally plays atbreak-neck speed, excelling at aggressive riffs, with a set list full of instantly memorable songs like “The

Pyramids Were Built in the Future.” Coda Reactor’s music was custom made to play loud and shoutalong to, an instant shot of adrenaline.

Coda Reactor: Thursday, Aug. 30 at Eleven, 3519 El Cajon Blvd. 9 p.m.

21 and up. $5. elevensandiego.com

Tom Russell: Mixing Storytelling with Songcraft

Americana aficionados won’t want to miss an appearance fromsinger-songwriter Tom Russell at AcousticMusic San Diego on Aug.12, 7:30 p.m. He’s released 26 albums since his debut album wasreleased in 1976, but it’s as a tunesmith for others that he’s arguablymade the biggest impact. Russell’s songs have been immortalized bythe likes of Johnny Cash, k.d. lang, Ramblin Jack Elliott and SuzyBogguss. The best introduction to Russell’s recordings is likely the2008 collection, “Veteran’s Day: Anthology,” but it’s live where Rus-sell excels, mixing storytelling with songcraft.

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Tom Russell: Sunday, Aug. 12 at AMSD Concerts, 4650 Mansfield St. 7:30 p.m. All ages. $27-$54. amsdconcerts.com

Slow Jam With Kev Rones andDrew Decker

Dubbed an acoustic song slow jam and social club, KevRones and Drew Decker’s combination guitar workshop andjam session takes place on the second Monday of each monthat New Expression Music. Helmed by the two impressiveguitarists, the event is interactive with attendees encouragedto bring along acoustic instruments to join in, or sing-a-long on a mix of indie tunes and pop and rock classics. Par-ticipation isn’t mandatory, but it does make things morefun.

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Kev and Drew: Monday, Aug. 13. 4434 30th St. 7 p.m. All ages. $5. sdoldtimemusic.com

East of Sweden’s Radio Friendly Music

On Aug. 18, indie rock trio East of Sweden play a CD releaseshow for their debut album at the Soda Bar. The band’s soundis hard to pin down, but it’s basically radio friendly rock,heavy on melody and production. The band’s intricatelyarranged tunes range from atmospheric and anthemic tuneslike “Faceless Crowd” to others that introduce a dance element,such as “We Will Be Further West.” Time will tell how the newalbum fares, but East of Sweden definitely has tunes worthhearing.

East of Sweden: Saturday, Aug. 18, at The Soda Bar, 3615 El Cajon Blvd. 8 p.m. 21 and up. $7. sodabarmusic.com

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