La Jolla dreams big,
signatures scrawled in ink waves,
new city whispers.Six months on the streets,
gathering hope, paper, faith,
freedom feels so close.La Jolla seeks more,
a study will show the cost,
San Diego waits.Money must balance,
a city stands or it falls,
payments bridge the gap.Hopes rise with the tide,
will the mayor take notice,
fix what has been lost?Votes will shape the fate,
a city’s dream in their hands,
choice divides the path.The people must choose,
stay or leave, both roads are hard,
La Jolla holds breath.San Diego shrugs,
calls it a world-class treasure,
neglect lingers still.Doubt lingers like fog,
will tourists still find their way
The people of La Jolla have made their move. They gathered the signatures. Thousands of them. Enough to take the next step. They want their own city. They want out of San Diego.
The people of La Jolla want out. They spent six months gathering signatures. Thousands of them. Enough to take the next step. They want their own city. They want their own money. They want their own streets fixed.
For six months, volunteers walked the streets. They knocked on doors. They spoke of independence. They needed 25% of the voters to sign. They got them. Now they will ask the state to study if they can stand alone. The Local Agency Formation Commission will decide. They will look at the numbers. They will see if La Jolla can survive without San Diego.
People have tried before. No one got this far. Now they wait for the next step. A study. The state will look at the numbers. They will see if La Jolla can survive on its own. If San Diego can live without it. La Jolla might have to pay San Diego to make it work. The idea is called net-neutrality. La Jolla’s money can’t leave a hole in San Diego’s budget.
Andrew Perry runs an art gallery. He wants La Jolla to stand alone. “San Diego doesn’t take care of us,” he says. “We could do better with our own money.” He points to the broken sidewalks, the cracked roads, the worn-down boardwalk. “This place should shine. Tourists come here. They bring their money. But look around. It doesn’t look like a world-class city.”
The city council president, Joe LaCava, lives in La Jolla. He represents it too. He doesn’t say much. He knows it’s a long road. Only one city has broken free in California. Coronado. That was a long time ago. The 1800s. “It’s tough,” he says. “But not impossible.”
Perry sees the cracks,
bumpy roads, broken boardwalks,
money lost, not spent.LaCava stands firm,
history a tough teacher,
one break, long ago.Cityhood may come,
if voters choose to agree,
future steps await.
The elite of La Jolla get richer while the rest of San Diego suffers. Should every rich neighborhood be its own city while the poor areas decay further. I mean after all, why should the rich care about how those who service them live? Let them eat cake.