The La Jolla Town Council is following up its inaugural board and officer installation gala in July by looking to local residents to direct its focus for the coming year.
“We have the ability to think outside the box and stretch our legs for a second and gain some scope,” new Town Council President Treger Strasberg said at the group’s Aug. 10 meeting, her first at the helm. She was chosen in June to serve a one-year term as president.
“It’s a great responsibility to be the representative of a very diverse community,” Strasberg said. “I look at it as an opportunity not only to serve our community but to better understand it.”
The Town Council’s executive team wants to address “how is this council serving the public and how does that change over the years?” she said. “It’s time to ask the residents of La Jolla what they want to see their council become.”
Strasberg then asked trustees and members of the public to put forth ideas for what they’d like the Town Council to cover. The ideas were recorded on a document onscreen and divided into two categories: meeting topics and public events.
Members of the public say what they’d like the La Jolla Town Council to focus on as they comment during the council’s Aug. 10 meeting at the Recreation Center.
(Elisabeth Frausto)
Meeting topics included beautification of sidewalks and roads, setting up Neighborhood Watch groups and strengthening La Jolla’s voice with city of San Diego administrators.
Launching Neighborhood Watch groups “will help keep the entire community safe,” trustee Jennifer Brown said.
Public events topics included community involvement in nonprofit events, holding trash pickups, strengthening relationships with neighboring town councils, appreciation events for first responders, and a monthly update from the Association for the City of La Jolla on its push for La Jolla cityhood.
“I would personally love to see our council get more involved in the nonprofits that are at The Shores on the weekends,” new trustee Christina Torres said.
Other speakers asked that nonprofit events in La Jolla be listed on the Town Council’s website so people can donate their time or money.
“It’d be really productive if we strengthened our relationship with, for instance, the Pacific Beach Town Council [and] Point Loma Association” to create stronger advocacy for San Diego’s coastal communities, trustee Cody Petterson said.
The input will be used in coming weeks to set the Town Council’s agenda for the next year, Strasberg said.
The council has always listened to public opinion, “which is what these public meetings are for,” she said, and the group has worked to amplify issues raised by residents to “the people who really need to hear them.”
The installation gala raised $18,078 for the organization, and Strasberg said she wants “to take the funds that you have entrusted us with and the ideas that you’ve entrusted us with today and actually do something for the next 12 months.”
Other Town Council news
Town Council trustee Peter Wulff (right) thanks San Diego city representative Steve Hadley for his service ahead of Hadley’s retirement.
(Elisabeth Frausto)
Hadley’s send-off: With Steve Hadley, La Jolla representative for San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava, retiring in September, the Town Council marked his final meeting with gratitude.
“We’d like to thank you for your dedication and hard work, energy, enthusiasm and supporting our community over the years,” said trustee Peter Wulff. “We’ve had several interactions and you’ve always been on time, responsive, helpful.”
“It’s just an honor to work with you,” Hadley said.
Next meeting: The La Jolla Town Council next meets at 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, online and at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. To learn more, visit lajollatowncouncil.org. ◆
