Hyatt Regency damaged by laundry-chute fire
About 150 guests and employees evacuated the Hyatt Regency La Jolla on Sunday, May 13, when a fire broke out around 1:40 p.m. in a basement utility room, causing an estimated $3.5 million in damages to the hotel’s 16-story building.
A total of 76 firefighters from San Diego, Solana Beach, Del Mar and Miramar rescue crews responded to the La Jolla Village Drive scene, according to Maurice Luque, spokesman for San Diego Fire and Rescue.
“There was smoke throughout the entire 16 floors “” how much of that caused long-lasting damage, I don’t know,” Luque said. “There was damage on the second and first floor, where we had to open the walls to get to the laundry chute that had caught fire.”
Investigators were unsure what ignited the fire but guessed that clothing lint from the laundry chute is what caused the flames to spread, Luque said.
Hotel spokeswoman Ann Kelsey declined to comment on the fire, but a statement released from management at Hyatt Regency La Jolla said the facility estimated damages at $500,000 and that the cause of the fire was under investigation.
Discrepancies in damage estimates are not unusual, according to Luque, who said his office conducted the estimate less than an hour after the incident and always tries take all aspects of the fire into consideration.
“We take a very liberal view of what it would take to repaint rooms and hallways from smoke damage and to replace carpets that have water damage,” Luque said. “There is a big difference and that has concerned them [Hyatt Regency La Jolla]. We calculate lost business from the restaurant since it was Mother’s Day and the workers that couldn’t do their jobs because they were sitting across the way waiting to go back into the hotel.”
Three volunteers from the San Diego County American Red Cross canteen services also responded to the scene to provide relief services such as food and water to evacuees.

Pedal-pushers will get their day
SANDAG is urging commuters to switch from gasoline to pedal power on Bike to Work Day, Friday, May 18. The event was organized to encourage drivers to utilize alternative means of travel to and from their jobs.
For those whose commutes are too long to complete entirely by bicycle, the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) will be providing free bus and trolley rides to Bike to Work Day participants.
Pit stops will be set up around the city, with volunteers handing out free snacks and drinks from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. La Jolla-area pit stops include Amylin Pharmaceuticals, 9360 and 9390 Towne Centre Drive, San Diego County Credit Union offices at 7708 Regents Road and 3366 N. Torrey Pines Court and UCSD at the corner of Gilman Drive and Villa La Jolla Drive.
For additional event information and bike route maps, visit www.ridelink.org.

U.S. mail costs, size requirements change
On Monday, May 14, the cost of sending of a first-class letter went up 2 cents, from 39 to 41 cents.
The United States Postal Service also rearranged its pricing system so the shape of the package also determines the price of postage. Customers can lower the price per ounce through selective packaging.
For information about the new postal rates, visit www.usps.com/ratecase.

Las Patronas give grant to Sessions Elementary
Las Patronas recently awarded Kate Sessions Elementary School an $18,000 grant to fund the school’s new computer lab. Kate Sessions Elementary was selected for this need-based grant after Las Patronas identified the lack of technological resources available to Kate Sessions students.
“Kate Sessions is slim on technology ” we had nothing,” said Kat Odermatt, vice president of Partnerships and Grants for Kate Sessions Elementary.
The computer lab will be equipped with 20 new Apple IMAC computers and a laser printer. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade will have access to the labs, where they can practice keyboard skills and research math and science projects.
Las Patronas, a philanthropic organization based in La Jolla, strives to aid nonprofit organizations through its deliberate grant-awarding process, which includes on-site visits and interviews. The majority of the group’s grant money is generated by the annual Jewel Ball, held each summer at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club.
For information, visit www.laspatronas.org.

Seal activists to ask for rope barrier extension
The rope barrier protecting harbor seals at Casa Beach, or the Children’s Pool, was taken down sometime between May 15 and May 16 in accordance with a plan established Dec. 5 by San Diego City Council.
Activists with the Animal Protection and Rescue League (APRL), however, are not happy with the decision and hope to have council rehear the issue next month as an emergency agenda item, according to a statement released by the group.
District 1 Councilman and Council President Scott Peters did not taken a position on APRL’s request and the council did not discuss the rope barrier at its May 15 meeting, although one person did address the issue during public comment, according to Keely Sweeney, a representative from Peters’ office.
“Apparently some pro-seal activists are working on additional ways to manage what’s going on down there and are working on agreements so no altercations will take place this summer,” Sweeney said. “Our hope is that everyone is able to get along and balance their interests down at the Children’s Pool, and that people will be able to watch the seals and access the beach this summer.”
Conflicts between those advocating the protection of the Children’s Pool seal rookery and others who want full access to the beach have been ongoing since the early 1990s. Activists are concerned for the seals’ safety and keep watch at the beach to make sure people maintain distance from the animals.
Any agreements would have to go before the city’s Natural Resources and Culture Committee, which meets next on June 20, according to Sweeney.
Some preliminary ideas include keeping a rope barrier up during evening hours and regulating where seal activist volunteers could position themselves at the beach, Sweeney said.
Peters’ office was unsure whether any items related to the Children’s Pool rope barrier had been placed on the agenda.
An independent Zogby poll found that 80 percent of San Diego residents support the idea of maintaining a rope barrier year-round at the Children’s Pool.
For more information, visit www.aprl.org or log on to www.sandiego.gov.

Eco-Tours educate passengers about bay
This spring, visitors and residents are exploring the diverse sea-life of San Diego Bay through the Birch Aquarium’s new Eco-Tour program. Once aboard a Harbor Excursion boat, tour participants will glimpse the spectrum of marine mammals, fish and birds inhabiting the bay while learning about both the Port of San Diego and U.S. Navy’s restoration efforts and research conducted at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
On these one- or two-hour tours guided by Birch Aquarium naturalists and volunteers, participants can expect to see seals, sea lions and diverse bird species as they traverse the 22 square miles of San Diego Bay.
“[The tour] really tries to combine all of the history, ecology and environmental science of one beautiful area,” explained Jessica Crawford, public relations coordinator for Scripps Institution of Oceanography. “The bay is San Diego’s biggest tourist attraction, and important to the local economy.”
Eco-Tours of San Diego Bay run Fridays and Saturdays through mid-June. One-hour tours of North Bay run from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., while tours of South Bay run from 1:45 to 2:45 p.m. Ticket prices range from $8.50 to $17.
The two-hour tours of the full bay run from 12:30 to 2:45 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Tickets range from $11 to $22. Participants should meet at San Diego Harbor Excursions, 1050 N. Harbor Drive.
For information about the Eco-Tours and other programs, call (858) 534-FISH or visit http://aquarium.ucsd.edu.