6 San Diego Uptown News | Jan. 21-Feb. 3, 2011


OPINION


3737 Fifth Ave. Suite 201 San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 519-7775


PUBLISHER David Mannis


(619) 519-7775 x101


dmannis@sduptownnews.com EDITOR


Lauren Ventura


(619) 519-7775 x103 lauren@sduptownnews.com


ASSISTANT EDITOR Pat Sherman


(619) 519-7775 x102 pat@sduptownnews.com


REPORTERS & COLUMNISTS Charlene Baldridge Joel Berlin


Jeff Britton Elena Buckley


Patricia Morris Buckley Dani Dodge Lauren Duffy Michael Good Erin Goss “Dr. Ink”


Beatrice Kemp Brook Larios Scott Marks David Nelson


Community Voices


'Green' cruising initiatives offered to motorists By Christine Kehoe


Park,


When I’m driving around North Hillcrest,


or University


Heights it’s not uncommon to see area residents proudly cruising their neighborhoods in a Toyota Prius, Smart car, or other fuel-effi- cient vehicle.


Uptown is home to some of the


most progressive residents—those who welcome change and em- brace new technology that benefits our environment. That’s why the neighborhood is likely to soon be graced by electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, which are available now in San Di- ego, and the Ford Focus Electric, which will go on sale in San Diego later this year.


These vehicles use less energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in California. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Nissan Leaf— which runs solely on electricity— will get the equivalent of 90 miles per gallon (mpg) while the Chev-


rolet Volt’s combined gas-electric engine is estimated to net 60 mpg, or 93 mpg when running only on its electric battery. To encourage consumers to pur- chase electric vehicles, the State of California is offering a financial in- centive. Models such as the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt, Ford Focus Electric and other plug-in electric vehicles are eligible for a $5,000 tax credit available on a first-come, first-served basis. The program is administered by the California Center for Sustainable Energy and will last until the $4.1 million fund is exhausted. The rebate is available for in- dividuals and business owners who purchase or lease new zero- emission or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Certain zero-emission commercial vehicles are eligible for rebates up of to $20,000. To learn more about the state program, visit energycenter.org. To further boost demand for


Letters to the Editor


I just saw your article on pub- lic transit (Issue 1, Jan. 7, shown here) and I was compelled to write you a response. The pub- lic


is against the mid-city rapid


transit project bus not because we are against public transit—we want it desperately, we voted for it—we are against it because it is a terrible idea. The project is very shortsighted. As a resident of North Park, I ride my bike almost everywhere to do my er- rands; this project completely de- stroys the pedestrian experience. Walk down Park Boulevard and imagine if that center median was destroyed and the four-lane road was expanded into a six-lane thor- oughfare.


What would happen? People would go flying down


Park Blvd. in both directions. The road would be much too in- timidating to navigate as a pedes- trian or a biker and forget the part where you could cross from east to west. That option is now gone. You would now decide rather than walking to Henry’s Market you will have to drive. The goal of public transit is to get people out of their cars. Ide- ally they would walk or bike and if not they would take the bus. What they may gain in a handful of bus riders they will lose 10 times that in the number of people that will now drive rather than walk or ride bikes. I have a master’s degree in


architecture. I took urban plan- ning classes and I can tell you with certainty that if I presented this solution in class on a project I


would receive an F. It goes against everything urban planning teach- es. You narrow streets and you create center medians. You do ev- erything to adjust the scale to the pedestrian.


This plan will hurt businesses along Park Blvd. It will hurt every- one except the contractors getting the 70 million dollars. Like most things the city does, this is nothing more than a ploy to get 70 million dollars of tax money. It’s like “rede- velopment” that takes millions in tax dollars and builds blight rather than fixing it. We must stop sup- porting things simply because they have good buzz words like “rapid transit” and we expect you guys to examine these issues with a critical eye rather than believing the song and dance of these paid city shills.


Christine Mann (North Park resident)


Sen. Christine Kehoe


these low-emission vehicles, I spon- sored two related bills that were signed into law last year. Senate Bill (SB) 1340 creates a state loan program to install electric vehicle charging stations in the homes of Californians who purchase these cars. And SB 1455 requires the State of California to create a web- site by July 1, 2011 with informa- tion about plug-in electric vehicles.


It will be a clearinghouse to help consumers decide which type of ve- hicle is best for them. In addition, the federal govern- ment is offering rebates of up to $7,500 for plug-in electric vehicles, and a separate tax credit that cov- ers 50 percent of the cost of install- ing electric charging stations at residences or businesses. To learn more about the federal program, visit fueleconomy.gov. I look forward to the success of these programs, and for the in- creased use of this new technology by area residents who take advan- tage of


state and federal entice-


ments. Buying an electric vehicle is a big step toward improving our environment and a great way to re- inforce Uptown’s reputation as ‘hip’ and ‘green.’


Senator Kehoe represents the 39th Senate District, which includes San Diego, Del Mar, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, La Presa, and Casa de Oro-Mount Helix.


Cynthia Robertson Dave Schwab Peggy Scott Ron Stern


Glenda Winders John Philip Wyllie


PHOTOGRAPHERS Paul Body


Michael D. Pawlenty


DIRECTOR OF SALES MARKETING


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SENIOR ADVERTISING CONSULTANT Sean Eshelman


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ART DIRECTOR Louis Guzman


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PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Becah Corbin


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ACCOUNTING (619) 519-7775 x112


accounting@sduptownnews.com OPINIONS/LETTERS


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We reserve the right to edit letters for brevity and accuracy. Letters and guest editorials do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher or staff.


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