Del Mar Pact

Your recent news item concerning the “settlement” of Del Mar’s suit against the fair board to stop the proposed Grand Prix auto races makes me wonder who is really interested in the affected residents. (“Fair Board, Del Mar Agree to Kiss and Make Up,” Aug. 8.)

A review of the noise study by the fair board’s own consultant shows that most of the residents impacted by the noise live in the south part of Solana Beach. The report also states: “The suggested mitigations cannot nor is it intended to imply that they will remove significant impacts in some locales.” The community relations committee should include the City of Solana Beach if the fair board is really interested in the community.

It seems that Chairman Raymond Saatjian has pulled a fast one on Del Mar. The city agrees to postpone the suit until after the first race, giving the fair a chance to run it with quiet controls and thus get the right for unrestricted future runs. The fair agrees not to act toward de-annexing from the city until after the first race. The city gets nothing, as the fair cannot de-annnex without city approval, even if it could get alternate sources of service. I admit that Saatjian has a powerful ally in his brother-in-law, Gov. George Deukmejian, but even the governor cannot change the law without legislative action.

It is time the fair board realizes that it cannot operate as a private fiefdom with utter disregard of its neighboring laws and still retain the benefits of a public agency.

H.K. FRIEDLAND

Solana Beach