Expanding the number of bylaw subcommittee members and ex-officio members to include representatives from five of the major planning agencies in La Jolla was requested Wednesday, Oct. 25, at the La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) subcommittee’s monthly meeting.
The bylaw subcommittee met to review decisions about bylaw revisions, which will influence critical issues such as LJCPA member requirements and how trustees are elected.
“Basically, the goal was to try and at least get a direction as to where we are headed with this,” said Tim Golba, LJCPA president. “Right now we are pushing because of the deadline to get the adoption done by March or April, but there are rumors the city might extend the deadline to get a better, more complete shell. In the interim, we’ll use the subcommittee to deal with the hot-button issues.”
At an LJCPA monthly meeting in September, the board of trustees voted against approving revisions to the bylaws, after members of the community complained that they would not be able to participate in the vote under rules set forth by current bylaws. The board voted to wait until January 2007 to vote on revisions.
Members of the audience also suggested that the bylaws document was unclear and needed editing, such as term definitions.
A revised version was presented at Wednesday’s meeting and addressed many of the issues that were brought up at last month’s meeting, Golba said.
When the LJCPA meets this evening, Nov. 2, Golba will recommend between 10 to 18 additional members ” from the La Jolla Shores Association, Bird Rock Community Council, La Jolla Town Council and Promote La Jolla ” to the board of trustees, who will then vote on whether to ratify that amendment.
If the committee decides to amend the bylaws to expand the number of its ex-officios to four people ” one from each advisory board ” it would boost the board to 22 members and could be met with opposition from the city, according to Golba.
The shell, or outline, that the city provides for each planning committee states that the groups can have no more than 20 members, he said.
“We are still deeply concerned that the City of San Diego may not accept that because it is rewriting the shell that they gave us as a mandate,” Golba said.
Many residents, including a watchdog group called La Jollans for Clean Government Inc., have alleged that the board of trustees comprises only businessmen, architects and lawyers who make decisions based on personal interests and not the community’s.
In response, the bylaws committee will also examine whether the LJCPA should amend its bylaws to implement designated business or community districts to ensure that an equal number of board members are elected from each.
A date for the next bylaw subcommittee meeting will be set at tonight’s LJCPA monthly meeting, 6:30 p.m., at the La Jolla Community Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St.
For more information, visit www.lajollacpa.org or send e-mail to info@lajollacpa.org.