Del Mar Union School District board of trustees lacking in leadership

By Corinne Hackbart
Resident, Del Mar

Well, I must admit I am a bit upset with the Del Mar Union School District board. I feel they have not taken on the leadership that they should have.

With the current situation regarding the dismissal of the superintendent, Sharon McClain, they should have let her go a long time ago. There have been a few instances where Sharon has not acted as a sound superintendent. The most recent situation is the recommendation by her to form the 7-11 committee.

I feel so bad for all of those parents and volunteers that dedicated so many hours of their family time to try to come to some conclusion about the school attendance numbers and how to handle the redistribution or closure of a school, just to have it sabotaged by Sharon’s inaccurate numbers.

Israel mission provides another perspective

By Monica Bauer
Assistant director for outreach and interfaith, Anti-Defamation League, San Diego

Last week, I was in Israel on a mission with the Anti-Defamation League. Upon my return, I read your article “Couple to spend Christmas on Gaza convoy.” Obviously, Faith Attaguile and Larry Hampshire are well-meaning individuals who are genuinely concerned with the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the conflict in the Middle East.

While Palestinians in Gaza are indeed living in terrible conditions, Israel unilaterally evacuated the Gaza strip in 2005 only to be followed by Hamas’ electoral victory, which in turn resulted in brutal fighting between them and Fatah leaving many Palestinians dead and injured. Since then, Hamas has fired countless rockets into Israel.

The article fails to present any contextual information about George Galloway and mischaracterizes Viva Palestina as a peace-promoting organization. The Viva Palestina convoys led by Galloway delivered cash and vehicles directly to Hamas, a United States-designated terrorist organization. Hamas stands on three non-negotiable commitments: no to peace with Israel, yes to the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic republic from the Mediterranean to the Pacific.

Del Mar Farmers Market supports charities

By Nicole Holliday
Board member, Del Mar Farmers Market

When shopping at the Farmers Market in Del Mar, buyers are not only purchasing the freshest local produce, flowers and prepared foods, but 0.06 percent out of every dollar generated goes back to the community. Del Mar is the only farmers market in the county to donate 100 percent of net profits to charity supporting education, the library and environmental conservancy.

The Del Mar Farmers Market has donated nearly $200,000 since the inception in 1987.

“There are other generous organizations in Del Mar making important contributions, but not many people know that the Farmer’s Market is completely self sustaining — we do not receive any funding from the city or community foundations,” said Barbara Anderson, board president.

EDUCATION MATTERS: Del Mar dominates local 2009 education stories

By Marsha Sutton
Contributor
Retrospectives, common this time of year, provide perspective on where we were 12 months ago, where we traveled, and how far we’ve come.

The biggest news for education in California in 2009 was, of course, the devastating effects of the state’s miserable financial condition on public schools.

Del Mar Village changes to begin

Reactions from businesses mixed

Del Mar’s downtown streetscape improvement project will get underway on Jan. 11, smoothing out deteriorated sidewalks and curb lines and evening out the pavement to make them Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant — not to mention easier to walk over in heels.

A collection of Del Mar Village business owners met at Jimmy O’s on Dec. 21 with City Manager Karen Brust and Public Works Director David Scherer as the city hopes to make the work the least disrupting to local businesses as possible.

“It’s never a good time to do a project like this,” said Scherer. “We apologize in advance for the project and we hope to be in and out as quickly as possible.”

Curtain calls

Compiled By Linda McIntosh
Contributor

Concerts. Theatrical performances. Art exhibits. The local arts scene is poised to offer many uplifting inspirational moments this year. We talked with the directors of nine area institutions and gave them center stage to share their plans.

Resolutions made easy with so many local trails

With a New Year comes new resolutions, many of which will be to exercise more. Instead of hitting the gym, why not take to some of our local trails and get a workout while enjoying our amazing natural surroundings?

With all these spots, remember to respect the environment by staying on marked trails, not disturbing the habitat and picking up after your pet. Be courteous with fellow trail users, be they equestrians, bikers, runners or walkers.

School board elects officers

New officers were elected on the San Dieguito Union High School District’s board of trustees during the Dec. 17 meeting. The new officers are: board president Barbara Groth, vice president Beth Hergesheimer, board clerk Joyce Dalessandro, and board trustees Linda Friedman and Deanna Rich.

The board also adopted a meeting schedule for the coming months. Go to www.sduhsd.net.

Zandra Rhodes designs a life in fashion fast lane

Zandra Rhodes was born in Kent, England, in the 1940s and was introduced to the fashion world by her mother, a fitter in a Paris fashion house and a teacher at Medway College of Art. Rhodes studied textile design, first at Medway and then at the Royal College of Art in London.

Her early designs were considered too outrageous by the traditional British manufacturers, so in 1969, she established her own retail outlet on Fulham Road in West London. Rhodes’ lifestyle has proved to be as dramatic, glamorous and extroverted as her fashion designs. With her bright green hair (later changed to a spectacular pink and sometimes a radiant red), theatrical makeup and art jewelry, she has stamped her identity on the international fashion scene.

Rhodes’ inspiration comes from organic material and nature. Her innovative approach to the construction of garments can be seen in her use of reversed exposed seams, and jeweled safety pins and tears during the punk era.

Race season dates set

The Del Mar Thoroughbred Club will continue managing horse racing at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 2010, as the state agency that operates the fairgrounds approved the DMTC’s contract for one year.

“It’s been extended for one year, and then an RFP is scheduled to go out probably ballpark in February, and the goal would be to solicit bids and then make a selection in the fall and go forward with a new contract beginning 2011,” fairgrounds General Manager Tim Fennell said.

Horse racing in Southern California will run from Dec. 26 until Dec. 19, 2010, after the California Horse Racing Board met to decide dates for the state Oct. 15.