February 25, 2000

By: Jennifer McEntee

A simile to consider: Carmel Valley Doubletree is to the City Council District 1 seat what Iowa and New Hampshire are to the U.S. Presidential race.

Four of the five candidates vying for the local seat--Linda Davis, Paul Kennerson, Scott Peters, and Lisa Ross--squared off at the hotel last week in a forum held by community groups from Carmel Valley, Del mar Mesa, Sorrento Hills and Torrey Pines. Candidate Jim Ryan, who is a business attorney, declined to attend because of a heavy caseload.

With 50 or so residents in attendance, the candidates had a chance to turn the political tide in their direction.

Unlike national politics, though, no winner was declared and there was no limit to the range of questions--from "smart" growth to military aircraft noise to off-leash dog parks...

Moderated by the League of Women Voters, each candidate was held to specific time limits and all questions were posed by league member Joyve Tavrow. The questions were submitted by both the sponsoring groups and individual residents.

The evening began with opening statements... Peters said he hoped to make "growth work for us, not against us." His leadership style, he said, was to listen.

The six sponsor groups posed six complex questions, touching on traffic, growth, city planning, and military noise.

On the issues of traffic... Peters said traffic could be mitigated with better land use planning and a cost-effective transit system that can actually compete with the convenience of cars.

On the issue of growth... Peters said the city needs to commit to putting high-density housing where transportation already exists. "Dumb growth" he said, is building communities along freeways rather than along neighborhood arteries.

On whether the city should have its own planning department... Peters said he was in favor of a city planning department, and is among the group proposing the idea. He’s interested in regional planning with local input.

With plenty of residents concerned about aircraft noise, from MCAS Miramar, the candidates were asked what they might do to balance the impact to North County... Peters suggested bringing the issue to the attention of congressional representatives...

Residents posed more blunt questions, including about the San Diego City Council’s recent decision to re-open Sorrento Valley Road. Peters, Ross, and Davis agreed that a compromise must be sought, possibly with restricted driving hours...

Off-leash dog parks proposed for Carmel Valley made it into the discussion too. As a soccer parent, Peters said he would be concerned about "remnants" on playing fields and would support strict littering fines...

Carmel Valley Community Planning Board chair Jan Fuchs thanked the sponsoring groups, which included her board, the Carmel Valley Community Council, the Del mar Mesa Community Planning Board, the Sorrento Hills Community Planning Group, and the Torrey Pines Community Planning Board...

Carmel Valley News
February, 2000