CLEAN Settlement / TPCPAB EstablishmentOn June 27th, 2007, the Coastal Law Enforcement Action Network ("CLEAN") settled a law suit that they had filed against the City of San Diego citing multiple violations at the Torrey Pines Gliderport. The settlement was codified in a Settlement Agreement dated June 27th, 2007. The Settlement Agreement required the City of San Diego to take a number of steps to correct ongoing problems at the Gliderport. One of those steps was the creation of the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board. Here is a copy of the CLEAN Settlement Agreement (also known as Resolution 302749 or R-302749):
On November 15th, 2007, Mayor Jerry Sanders stepped in with a memorandum to limit the scope and duration of the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board even though there were no such limitations in the original Settlement Agreement. Here's the November 15th, 2007 memorandum by Mayor Jerry Sanders:
Nearly 7 months after the original Settlement Agreement, the City of San Diego finally passed a resolution to create the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board on January 18th, 2008. It was passed mostly in accordance with Mayor Sanders' limitations as reflected in his November 15, 2007 memorandum. The resolution finally establishing the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board was passed by the City Council as R-303300:
R-303300 established the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board with these members (quoted from R-303300):
a. One at-large member
b. One member from the San Diego Hangliding and ParagUding Association , to represent paragliders, and one member from the Torrey Hawks Hang Gliding Club who is also a member of the San Diego Hangliding and Paragliding Association, to represent hangliders.
c. One representative from each of the following organizations:
(1) Associated Glider Clubs of Southern California (sailplane)
(2) Park and Recreation Board member
(3) Park and Recreation Board's Community Parks I Area Committee Member
(4) Sierra Club - San Diego Chapter (non-profit/environmental)
(5) Torrey Pines Association (non-profit/environmental)
(6) Torrey Pines Gulls Radio-Confrolled Soaring Society (radio-controlled model sailplane gliders)
(7) University Community Planning Group ;
d. One representative from a list of up to three nominations submitted by the Councilmember who represents Torrey Pines City Park .
If you count the members, you'll find that the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board consisted of 11 members. Of those 11, at least 4 were explicitly appointed by the City of San Diego itself (at-large, Park and Recreation Board member, Park and Rec Community Parks I member, Councilmember who represents Torrey Pines City Park). The Mayor's office also exerted control on the selection of members serving from some of the clubs. For example, despite the Resolution itself, the Mayor's office informed me that the Mayor would pick the Torrey Hawks representative from three choices that I had to submit. The Mayor's office also selected the Board's Chairperson, Virginia "Ginny" Barnes. Ginny Barnes consistently kept the Advisory Board from addressing any of the management issues at the Gliderport. Here is the membership roster:
The City also took nearly 15 months to actually start the Advisory Board despite the clear wording in the Settlement Agreement:
The City shall ... Establish a Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board whose members shall be appointed within 120 days of the effective date of this Agreement, absent good cause for delay, and in no event longer than within six months ...
The Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board first met on September 18th 2008 even though the settlement agreement was signed on June 27th, 2007.
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