January 31, 2026 – Pam Reynolds Last August, I broke my neck very badly while surfing at 15th Street and, but for the kindness of others, I would be dead or quadriplegic. I owe my eternal gratitude to so many – to the surfers who helped me out of the water, the retired EMT who stabilized my neck at the water’s edge and the Del Mar lifeguards who expertly immobilized me and
MorePipe Up! Letters to the Editor
Guidelines: Letters to the Editor
- The Sandpiper welcomes readers’ letters and articles.
- Material submitted must include the writer’s name, street address and phone number, and should not exceed 400 words.
- Material selected to be published may be edited or shortened.
The Sandpiper, 1155 Camino Del Mar #436, Del Mar, CA 92014; or editor@delmarsandpiper.org
December 1, 2025 – A big shout out to the writers and editors who have been volunteering for almost three decades to produce the only paper in print that focuses exclusively on things Del Mar. I keep the Sandpiper on my desk all month to remind myself of all of the goings on that make this community special: its people, community-based organization projects, government processes, grass roots activities, cultural events, and especially our
MoreMay 20, 2025 – Justin Kulongoski Recently, city council members have proposed using city funds for projects including building levees to protect the Beach Colony. I am in favor of helping our neighbors protect their homes, and new levees and seawalls can be designed to also provide public walking paths. Requiring public walkways for approval of new seawalls and levees will help ameliorate the adverse impacts these structures have on our beaches
MoreJune 1, 2023 - Linda Holland
As a 56-yr resident of Del Mar, I would like to express my relief that none of the 3 sculptures recommended by the Arts committee was selected for display at the City Hall. None was aesthetically pleasing. None conveyed any sort of message about the city itself. Perhaps one could have been added to the tot lot as playground equipment. I am reminded of the sculpture ostensibly of
MoreMay 23, 2023 - Robin Vanderlaan
When I read that the City Council had turned down a donation of a sculpture by Isamu Noguchi I thought maybe this wasn’t THE Isamu Noguchi? But then I saw a photo of the Noguchi on offer in the Sandpiper . How is it possible that a town known for it’s mid century design. architects and architecture failed to grasp the significance of this piece? Even a
May 16, 2023 - Art Olson
While travelling in the U.K., walking the rugged coastal landscapes of the Shetland Islands and enjoying the cultural riches of London, our joy was unfortunately disturbed. Watching the recent Del Mar City Council meeting on public art for our Civic Center, my wife and I gasped in disbelief as councilmember and lapsed ballerina Terry Gaasterland politically pirouetted with her two Council cohorts, Tracy Martinez and Dan Quirk,
August 8, 2022 - Shirley King
Dear Editors, I, too, have a response to council member Quirk’s request for comments regarding his July 15, 2022 email correspondence assigning his recommendations to solve homelessness to one set of data collection.
July 17, 2022 - Anne Farrell
Dear Editors, Dan Quirk’s “rumination” on homelessness, widely distributed by email last Friday, was simplistic and myopic. A commentary in the LA Times on Saturday tells a compelling story of how deeply complex homelessness is, all the failures of government, and the many layers of humanity it takes to get someone off the streets. (Steve Lopez, “He Was Homeless and in Hospice. His recovery is a lesson in
MoreJune 21, 2022 - Maneck S. Wadia, PhD
Dear Editors,
Our children are being used as sacrificial lambs to the altar of the Second Amendment absolutist’s cult. Gun rights are seldom used for self-protection and mainly used for mass destruction, especially with assault rifles.
AR-15s, the civilian equivalent of the M16 military weapon, are semi-automatic and can hold up to 100 rounds of bullets that shatter the target. Because there were nearly 400,000 assault weapons
MoreApril 1, 2022 - Deb Lyons
Last September our City Council voted to phase out the City’s Rental Assistance Program that has helped four long time Del Mar residents for many years. These four tenants pay the affordable rental rates as established by county guidelines, and the city subsidizes the balance. To their credit the council, realizing the momentous effect losing this subsidy and probably their homes would have on these folks, directed
MoreMarch 7, 2022 - Tanya Young
Dear Mayor Worden and Councilors Gaasterland, Martinez, Druker and Quirk:
I am writing because I am concerned about circumstances affecting one of my Del Mar friends, David Ralph. As I know you are aware, last September the Council proposed discontinuing the rental subsidy program which currently supports five individuals and families in our town, including Dave. Losing this subsidy would have a devastating effect. There is no possibility that
MoreApril 10, 2021 - Joel F. Martin, Ph.D.
Dear Editor,
The statement in your editorial that, “… our electricity supply from SDG&E is currently less than 40% renewable, so charging your car with dirty energy defeats the goal of zero emissions”, is misleading in several ways. Of course, 40% renewable is a whole lot better than 0% renewable for gas at the pump, but you miss other advantages that make electric cars much more efficient
MoreApril 5, 2021 - Jan McMillan
Dear Editors,
William Forrest’s account of his cello practice during Covid19 was a delight to read.
His youthful optimism, self-discipline, and love of music shined through every sentence. To steal words from another kind of artist of a much earlier generation, it “has given my heart a change of mood and saved some part of a day I had rued.” (In remembrance of Robert Frost’s, “A Dust of Snow.”)
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