by: Bradley Weaver
City Council candidate Scott Peters says his experience working for both the government and the private sector could give him an edge over his opponents in the race to represent District 1’s interests downtown.
The private attorney says infrastructure improvements, traffic, smart growth planning and environmental protection are some of La Jolla’s most pressing issues.
"I’ve always been interested in issues having to do with government," Peters said. "While I was representing the Board of Supervisors, I realized these folks were doing some pretty important and interesting stuff downtown. I thought it would have been beneficial for them to have someone with professional background in infrastructure, environmental protection, and municipal law, which is what I had been doing my whole career. That’s when I really started to think seriously about running for City Council."
A former deputy county attorney for San Diego from 1991 to ’96, Peters says sewer upgrades are key to improving La Jolla’s environmental protection. He added that coastal contamination from aging lines or storm drain runoff should be stopped at the top of the watershed, not at the drain’s end.
"I think one of the things about La Jolla that we fail to recognize is that we are an older community." Peters said. "In terms of infrastructure, we are more like Ocean Beach and Hillcrest than we are like Carmel Valley or Rancho Penasquitos. Our streets and our sewers are old and they need special attention."
If elected, Peters says he plans to spearhead an effort with other communities to redirect resources into a massive repair effort.
"In the past there was too much yelling and screaming at the city," he said. "That is not the kind of strategy that develops friends or wins votes, so I intend to be more of a team player with other older communities in terms of taking care of our deferred maintenance and infrastructure needs, which includes our sewers."
Peters says the storm drain diversion system, under which runoff from city streets is channeled into sewage treatment systems before it reaches the ocean, may not be the answer. The process, Peters argues, works only on low-flow days but is not capable of diverting heavy amounts of rainfall.
"The diversion plan is a great plan, but in isolation it’s going to be overwhelmed if we don’t plan all the way up the watershed to deal with storm water," he said.
Another concern for Peters is solving La Jolla’s parking dilemma. A member of the Parking Advisory Committee, he says downtown parking garages could alleviate much of the problem. Peters says one location could be behind Union Bank; the other near the La Jolla Recreation Center, which would also serve two churches, the Woman’s Club, Museum of Contemporary Art and downtown interests.
"I think the ways we are dealing with parking in the village is pretty dysfunctional," Peters said. "We’re letting people develop without requiring additional parking because we don’t have an alternative."
Peters also said he would support passing in lieu parking fees to help fund the additional parking structures.
With an unprecedented growth due to hit San Diego in the next decade, Peters says finding alternative forms of transportation for San Diego is more important than ever. He said the city needs better land use and density should be moved downtown. He vows to support an effort to bring trolley stops to convenient areas, making it easier for residents to leave their vehicles at home.
"We have a lot of money to spend," said Peters, who added that SANDAG’s (San Diego Association of Government’s) Regional Transportation Plan has $4 billion penciled in and $350 million for a mid-coast trolley line. "We need to make sure we spend that money in a way that competes with the automobile. We don’t want to force people out of cars, but we want to build a system that is so convenient that in terms of quality and service people will see it as an alternative to the car. It’s really unrealistic to think that road building alone is going to solve this problem."
Peters said he would continue funneling of Transient Occupancy Tax monies into La Jolla, support development in telecommunications and biomed research jobs to La Jolla, and make affordable housing available for all socioeconomic levels.
The City Council District One primary is March 7. The winner will replace Councilman Harry Mathis, who will vacate his seat due to term limit restrictions.
A graduate of New York University School of Law, Peters is a trustee for the La Jolla Town Council, member of SANDAG’s Integrated Waste Management Advisory Committee, former president of Friends of La Jolla Library, and former economist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. He has also taught natural resource law and regulation at UCSD.
His downtown firm, Peters & Varco, specializes in environmental law for business and local government. He lives in La Jolla with his wife, Lynn, and two young children.
San Diego City Council District 1 includes La Jolla, Carmel Valley, University City, Golden Triangle, Rancho Penasquitos, Sorrento Valley, Del Mar Mesa, San Dieguito, Black Mountain Ranch and Pacific Highlands Ranch.
Scott Peters’ website is www.scottpeters.net.
La Jolla Village News
March 1, 2000
