UC farmers market to reopen under new management
The University City farmers market at Spreckels Elementary School will be closed temporarily until the first weekend in March of next year, as it undergoes a change in management. It still will be held at the same location, but will be open on a different day of the week.
Ron LaChance, who currently runs the Friday night Pacific Beach market at the corner of Cass and Chalcedony streets, will be taking over the UC market and is waiting until March to provide an abundance of spring produce for market-goers, according to Michele Lolly, co-chair of the UC Farmer’s Market committee.
Lolly said a set day and time for the market has not yet been established.

Public can review draft MND for UCSD West Campus project
A draft Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND) was made available for public review as of Tuesday, Oct. 31, for a proposed project on the West Campus of the University of California San Diego.
A draft initial study was already conducted for the project, which consists of constructing a 184,000-gross-square-foot building at the southwest corner of the intersection of Voigt Drive and Matthew Lane for a structural engineering workshop, structural and materials engineering offices, and visual arts laboratories.
In September, the University of California regents determined that the project would not have a significant effect on the environment.
The UCSD physical planning department will gather public comments on the draft initial study, the draft MND and the notice of availability through Dec. 1.
The documents can be viewed at http://physicalplanning.ucsd.edu/pub_notice.html. Comments may be mailed no later than 5 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1, to Catherine Presmyk, UCSD Physical Planning, 9500 Gilman Drive, MC 0074, La Jolla, CA 92093-0074.
For more information, or for any questions regarding the project, contact Presmyk, (858) 534-3860.

Hanukkah Happening will celebrate holiday
The 23rd annual Hanukkah Happening will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 10, at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center (JCC), on the Jacobs Family Campus, 4126 Executive Drive.
The day will include games and crafts for children and a silent auction featuring theme baskets, which include spa packages and a trip to Manhattan. Live music and a large variety of food, including baked goods, will be offered.
Admission is $2 for JCC members, $3 for non-members. For more information, call (858) 457-3030.

SANDAG report shows slight increase in violent crime
The violent crime rate in San Diego County increased from its 10-year low in mid-2005 while property crime declined during the first six months of 2006, according to a report released Nov. 6 from the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
The report called “Crime in the San Diego Region: Mid-Year 2006” details crime for all 18 cities and other county communities and serves as a tool for local law enforcement agencies in gauging the effectiveness of various prevention programs.
A total of 6,740 violent crimes were reported to local law enforcement agencies from January to June 2006, an average of 37 per day.
While violent crime, including homicide, rape, robbery and assault, increased from 4.35 per 1,000 in 2005 to 4.40 per 1,000 mid-year 2006 across the region, the city of San Diego was among seven areas with a lower crime rate in mid-year 2006.
A total of 46,426 property crimes were reported to local law enforcement agencies in the first half of the year, about 256 per day. The majority of crimes (56 percent) were larcenies, 26 percent were motor vehicle thefts and 18 percent were burglaries.
For the third year in a row, the mid-year crime rate decreased from 32 per 1,000 residents in 2005 to 30.28 in 2006. Almost two-thirds of the 25 reporting agencies had a decrease in property crime rates mid-year 2006.
Numbers of actual crimes for communities including La Jolla, La Jolla Village and University City for the year 2005 were 166 total violent crimes and 3,410 total property crimes. Reports for January to September 2006 show 98 total violent crimes and 2,695 total property crimes.

Busby concedes 50th Congressional seat to Bilbray
Although elections came and went on Nov. 7, the race for the 50th Congressional District was not officially over until more than a week later, when Democrat Francine Busby finally conceded.
An e-mail statement released from her campaign headquarters on Nov. 15 congratulates Republican Rep. Brian Bilbray and wishes him and his colleagues the best of luck in serving the 50th District.
After initial election results indicated hat Bilbray had won, Busby announced that she owed it to her campaign supporters not to concede until all the votes were tallied.
Bilbray, who defeated Busby in the June 2006 special election to fill the remainder of Randy “Duke” Cunningham’s term, will serve a two-year seat in Congress, which recently established Democratic majority. Cunningham resigned from his position and was sentenced to eight years and four months in federal prison for accepting $2.4 million in bribes.
Approximately 42,000 absentee and provisional ballots still remained uncounted as of Nov. 14, and Bilbray continued to lead Busby by 10 percent of the votes (53 to 43 percent), according to election statistics from the County of San Diego Registrar of Voters.
On her campaign Web site, Busby acknowledged that she will not represent the 50th District, but stated she is pleased with the Democratic victories across the country.
Bilbray had not released an official statement to accept his re-election and does not plan to, according to campaign spokesman Kurt Bardella.
“The Congressman is happy to put the election behind him and is moving ahead to pursue an agenda that will continue to work on illegal immigration,” Bardella said. “He looks forward to working with the new Democratic majority to ensure the needs of the 50th Congressional District are met.”
The 50th Congressional District extends from Carlsbad to La Jolla, and includes Del Mar, Encinitas, Escondido, San Marcos, Solana Beach, Fairbanks Ranch, Lake San Marco and Rancho Santa Fe. Only parts of La Jolla and University City are included in the district.