Chaos, confusion continue with La Jolla Town Council’s actions

LA JOLLA Just now wracked by internal dissension the La Jolla Town Council on July swore in five new trustees to replace members who resigned in protest over the policies and leadership style of the current president This the bulk fresh action came in response to weeks of infighting and serious disagreements among group members that have led specific society members to call for the current council to be dissolved The current council has complained that specific of its members have been bullied and harassed at work for continuing to aid the present council and its policies The July LJTC meeting was remarkable in numerous strategies For one the five new LJTC board members Arthur Myo Don Searcy Karan Gurung Kevin Healy and Simeon Rosas were sworn in by Jamul tribal elder Kenny Meza rather than by a city official as is customary The newly sworn-in members were also appointed by LJTC president Mary Soriano not vetted or elected by LJTC board members Also for the July meeting the group s bylaws were unexpectedly amended decreasing the number of council members from to seven That was done so that a quorum the number of members necessary to vote and take action could be satisfied with fewer board members present Previously LJTC s board comprised to members But the latest departure of eight trustees two dismissed by Soriano who ve resigned since April from the LJTC board has hamstrung the board because trustee defections rendered the group unable to achieve a quorum precluding their taking any actions On July Soriano defended the council s performance during her tenure We have so multiple accomplishments she noted noting as one example We filled potholes in La Jolla She also cited repairs made in recent days to the Children s Playground at La Jolla Rec Center as another instance of positive developments made during her administration It s the unity of this council that s pulled together through all of this disclosed Soriano As council president my responsibility is to protect this council and our trustees We ve had specific hardships lately We ve gone through quite a bit An official message by the reconstituted LJTC board was then read into the record to address ongoing concerns of inappropriate conduct that has impacted our organization s ability to serve the public Excerpts from that announcement read The purpose of La Jolla Town Council is to promote the social cultural educational and environmental betterment of the society We respectfully request that you council critics discontinue all communications to current LJTC trustees and cease inhabitants statements that may be detrimental to the organization LJTC has experienced ongoing disruptions that have raised concerns for our trustees well-being and our operational effectiveness These ongoing disruptions have unfortunately affected LJTC s ability to conduct business efficiently continued the official comment We have experienced delays in presentations to our public and have had to modify meeting formats to accommodate these challenges Any and all harassment and bullying will not be tolerated by LJTC Moving forward LJTC remains committed to serving the La Jolla region with integrity and professionalism Let us just continue mentioned Soriano after the reading of the new group s official message We re just serving the district That s all that we re trying to do Several people from the audience including a couple of LJTC board members who have resigned spoke out against the current town council alleging various of its actions have been done unilaterally and without the proper consent or authorization of the general membership The decisions that have been made here are wild announced LJTC trustee Cody Petterson who has been dismissed from the LJTC board It s honestly such gaslighting I m shocked All I ve ever questioned for is that we have a residents discussion This is not an honest or transparent process You re going to have empty meetings because people are just not going to feel connected to this at all From the audience Catharine Douglass also expressed shock at the ongoing proceedings pointing out her surprise that pillars of the area have been called out by name publicly during LJTC board infighting One audience member pointedly questioned the current council How can you appoint new trustees when there wasn t a quorum to do it Another person suggested this council debate is destined to ultimately end in legal proceedings La Jolla Town Council Established in La Jolla Town Council is a long-standing group association serving the residents and businesses of La Jolla It was initially begun to amplify La Jolla s voice to the San Diego City Council Renowned scientist Roger Revelle who was instrumental in founding UC San Diego played a key role in the council s formation and early maturation The council subsequently evolved from the unification of different civic groups in the area including its then chamber of commerce merchant association and conservation society LJTC acts as a liaison with the city on land use beautification crime and other pertinent neighborhood issues It also serves as a forum for neighborhood discussion and debate LJTC continues to be an current force in La Jolla holding regular meetings participating in society events and working with city executives The group is supported by volunteer members whose work is accomplished through numerous committees