The Brains Behind the Clairemont Community News

Janett Lewis
Director North
Chair, Communications Committee

From time to time we bring you a unique interview with an interesting person in the Clairemont community.

This week we got the chance to sit in with the dynamic Janet Miller, energetic and insightful publisher behind the Clairemont Community News. Janet took the time to tell us a little bit about her vision for the Clairemont community and how she became the publisher and editor-in-chief of its most stellar newspaper.

Janett Lewis: What are you most passionate about?

Janet Miller: Well, I got engaged this week; I’m excited about that. I’m very into words, reading and writing. I’m passionate about Clairemont, at least making Clairemont more of the place I’d like to live. One thing that I think is missing is public art, which is a big deal to me and I’m distressed that we don’t have anything like that in Clairemont. I’d love to see more of that happen. I’m excited about the small community theater group that started here in the last couple of years. I’m excited about helping them. I’d like Clairemont to be not so much “Squaremont,” but a little more cultural.

Councilman Kevin Faulconer Op-Ed

I am proud to have been at the forefront of solving the financial scandals that dogged the city of San Diego for nearly a decade. Now, our city faces a new challenge. The mayor and City Council must return tax dollars to our neighborhoods by continuing to reform City Hall.

That is why it’s disappointing that Mayor Bob Filner’s first proposed budget shortchanges core neighborhood services, including street repair, and seeks to repeat the financial mistakes of City Hall’s troubled past.

The city’s finances affect every service it provides: public safety, clean drinking water, paved streets and much more. A financially sound city can provide these services. A mismanaged city cannot. Instead of continuing with fiscal discipline, accountability and voter-approved reforms, the mayor’s proposed budget contains major flaws that, combined and left unchecked, will impede the city’s turnaround.

Poem: My Emergency Kit

My Emergency Kit

I need to build an emergency kit
Making sure I put the right stuff in it
Water, at least a three-day supply
A non-electric radio for news to get by
And, of course, I’ll need my trusty flashlight
And batteries to keep it burning so bright
Food lasting awhile, can opener too
A sleeping bag or some blankets, a few
A first aid kit in case someone gets hurt
Extra car keys, if they’re lost in the dirt
Some cash money, gotta have that
And meds for everyone, including the cat
Warm clothing, sturdy shoes, TP I’ll need
Documents in oilskin, include the house deed
Put it all together in a little backpack
Spare for the car, prepared with my sack.

Joanne Phillips
Director-at-Large

President's Letter: May 2013

By the time you read this, the 17th Annual Clairemont Garden Tour will be in full swing! Special THANK YOU to all the homeowners, volunteers, and the Garden Tour Committee who have put in hours upon hours of work to make this year's tour extra special. If it is not already May 4, then you can still pick up tickets for the tour. Visit our website: ClairemontOnline.com for more information.

FYI... If you've already purchased tickets for the Garden Tour and need your maps and programs, they will be available on Friday and Saturday (May 3rd and 4th) for pick-up at the following locations: Sandwich Emporium at 3054 Clairemont Dr., and The UPS Store at Clairemont Town Square. Please Remember: bring your receipt with you to any location. Additional maps and programs will also be available day-of at Cadman Elementary (4370 Kamloop Avenue).

Commentary: Balboa Mesa is Right for Clairemont

Commentary by Julee Jenkins, Clairemont Community Schools

The Revitalization of Balboa Mesa Shopping Center is Right for the Clairemont Community

The Balboa Mesa Shopping Center renovation proposed by Regency Centers will invest $10 million, bringing new life to the shopping center and to our community with new shops and restaurants, including a drive-thru In-N-Out Burger. The renovation is LEED® certified and includes an updated parking lot design which will improve traffic movement within the center. Other elements of the proposed revitalization are outdoor seating areas, pedestrian pathways, new exterior signage and stone accents, and new shopping center lighting and landscaping.

Some community members have raised questions about the potential traffic related to the project. The good news is the plans call for a total overhaul of the parking lot at the center to enhance circulation. In addition, Regency has worked closely with the City to minimize impacts and ensure better access to and from Balboa Avenue.

Clairemont Garden Tour Tickets: On Sale Now!

The gardens have been selected, the programs are going to print, and tickets for the 17th Annual Clairemont Garden Tour are on sale now! As you may know, the Clairemont Garden Tour is an annual fundraiser that benefits our community through grant funding.  This self-guided tour presents the most beautiful and exquisite homes and gardens of our neighborhood.

This year's Garden Tour will present a variety of creative, unique and sustainable gardens displaying tropical and native plants.  We hope to provide you with inspirational ideas for your own garden! For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit our website: ClairemontOnline.com

Also, we are still looking for volunteers for our Preview Tour (the Saturday before) and day-of event (May 4). If you'd like to volunteer for either weekend, please contact Dana Sortwell at GardenTour@ClairemontOnline.com

There's a lot going on at our April meeting! SANDAG will present an update on the Mid-Coast Trolley. Also, we'll hear from guest speakers Supervisor Ron Roberts and Assemblyman Brian Maienschein.

We look forward to seeing you at 7:00pm on Thursday, April 4^th, in the Cadman Elementary cafeteria.

Working for you, Clairemont!

Ryan Trabuco
CTC President

Clairemont Garden Tour 2013

The Clairemont Garden Tour

This year's Garden Tour on May 4th will be an event you won't want to miss! The Clairemont Garden Tour boasts an amazing set of gardens handpicked by the Clairemont Town Council's Board of Directors. This year's bounty of beautiful new gardens that promises to be even more breathtaking than last year’s, when some gardens were so enthralling they were difficult to leave. Clear your day so you can linger in each garden until you experience the joy and fulfillment only nature inspires.

Last year’s first-place winner, Jim, will showcase his garden again this year for those of you who may have missed it in 2012. Jim's garden consists of many orchids, lush tropical palms and exotic bromeliads. The varieties of plants are far too numerous to list, as he has been tending his garden with love for several decades. This marks the first time in Garden Tour history that we're showcasing a previous year’s winner. Don't miss this opportunity to see Jim's garden.

 

The gardens range widely in form and purpose: there are decorative gardens,  tropical gardens, food gardens, and methodically crafted sustainable gardens. The Clairemont Garden Tour also promises to exhibit myriad returning artists as well as people showcasing their work for the first time.

You won’t want to miss the 17th Annual Clairemont Garden Tour this May 4th. These fastidiously kept gardens are reflective of an aesthetic sensitivity and dedication that is reflective of the spirit of the Clairemont community. Each gardener undoubtedly spends months, even decades, tending their gardens, elevating the activity of gardening from the mundane drudgery of manual labor to a constantly changing, living work of art.

The Clairemont community is centrally located in beautiful San Diego, California. Many homes have breathtaking canyon and ocean views. This topography creates the perfect backdrop for our Garden Tour. The Clairemont Town Council works diligently to create a forum for discussing the issues that arise in our community and is firmly committed to improving the community in every way we can. By offering a platform to review the conflicts and issues that face the Clairemont community, the Town Council creates the kind of discourse that allows the people of Clairemont to address and amend these problems.

The Clairemont Garden Tour is our main fundraiser and provides the funds our community grants every year. It’s still early enough to submit your garden and contribute in many other ways. It truly takes a village! Email: GardenTour@ClairemontOnline.com to let us know how you can help out.

One of the other ways the Town Council works to improve the community is by bringing the whole of Clairemont together to celebrate holidays and the seasons. Well, spring is in the air and summer is riding fast its tail. The gardens will be in full bloom. These colorful gardens will be a welcome relief after our long, cold, and rainy winter. Be sure to kick your summer off right with your family and friends and usher in the new seasons with our invigorating Clairemont Garden Tour!