ninja
Novice Class
Posts: 81
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posted July 15, 2004 09:44 PM
Racelegal possible shutdown
Don't know if their are many members from this site in this area BUT, this is a street racing program that has been very sucessful in San Diego California
Hopefully they will get this straightened out!!
I will be trying to go on the 30th to show my support(I have to take vacation as I work evenings). Where will the street racers go--back to the street. I believe this program has worked really well. I wish I could go more often.
From their webpage www.racelegal.com
HELP SAVE YOUR RACELEGAL PROGRAM
By now you are aware of the City of San Diego's latest action, they have taken their own RaceLegal program to collection for $ 49,000. They have also chosen not to release any additional race dates at the "Q" beyond our July 23rd and 30th race dates.
Union Tribune columnist Bill Center sums it best in his article of July 15th. Mr. Center's article is reproduced below for your reading.
By Bill Center
UNION-TRIBUNE
July 15, 2004
The award-winning program to redirect would-be street racers into organized drag racing meets will close down Aug. 1 unless a funding problem can be worked out between the city of San Diego and the RaceLegal drag racing program.
RaceLegal owes the city $49,000 for rental of the eighth-mile, four-lane drag strip on the west access road to Qualcomm Stadium plus storage fees and salary for San Diego Police officers assigned to the meets. But RaceLegal also has a grant of $350,000 from the California Office of Traffic Safety - which the city is supposed to bill for funding RaceLegal's meets. "We're caught in a giant Catch-22," said RaceLegal program director Lydia DeNecochea earlier this week. "The money is there, that's the ironic thing. Overall, we're inside our budget for this year. We just can't access our money.
"We're facing being shut down because we can't access our money."
The highly successful RaceLegal program hosts Friday night runs at Qualcomm Stadium. Through the middle of 2003, RaceLegal was run out of a San Diego State University program founded by Dr. Stephen Bender. When Bender decided to retire, he also decided to shift the program from the control of San Diego State to the city of San Diego's Traffic Division. "There was never a problem accessing the grant money while we were with San Diego State," said DeNecochea. "With Steve retiring, the timing of the switch seemed to make perfect sense."
But the flow of funds has dried up. And now there is another twist.
The grant money, which is in an escrow account, is designated to pay for administrative expenses and salaries. RaceLegal is supposed to pay for rent and operating expenses from gate proceeds. On an average night, RaceLegal attracts 250 cars at $20 each and about 2,500 spectators at $5 each.
But with the grant money not flowing, Bender and DeNecochea have used the gate receipts to pay salaries. They have also borrowed $110,000 from themselves believing the grant money would be released by the city. "We've been borrowing money from one fund to finance the other so that we can keep operating," said DeNecochea.
Because the city has sent the $49,000 bill to collection, it has not granted RaceLegal any additional dates beyond July 23 and July 30. "If we're not racing in Qualcomm in August, who knows where those kids will be racing," said DeNecochea. It is not a hollow warning. The RaceLegal program has won high marks from both the San Diego Police and San Diego County Sheriff's departments for its efforts in getting racers off the streets.
Said DeNecochea: "We can't get additional dates until we clear our debt with the city. We can't clear debt until the city gives us our grant money."
Here's how you can lend your support and possibly help save your RaceLegal program. A short concise note expressing your concern to the Mayor, City Manager, City Attorney, the entire City Council as well as your County Board of Supervisor if you reside in the county will help get the ball rolling. We have 2 weeks to get this turned around if RaceLegal is to continue to play a roll as the safer and sanctioned track alternative to illegal street racing. Your correspondence needs to be immediate to be effective.
The vital email addresses are listed below, please copy us at: info@racelegal.com.
Also, here are samples of what our supporters wrote to some of the community leaders listed:
""I just read the article in the paper this morning where the city is attempting to shut down the RaceLegal program. That really sucks because that is what got me and my friends off the street. I guess there will be no choice now...""
""Why would the city shut down a program that has such a positive change in San Diego? I am betting racers will be getting killed street racing all over again before you know it.""
""You say you want us off the streets, then you take away our program!""
Send & call your comments today to:
Mayor Dick Murphy - dickmurphy@sandiego.gov
Mr. Lamont Ewell - manager@sandiego.gov
Atty Casey Gwinn - caseygwinn@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Charles Lewis - cllewis@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Toni Atkins - toniatkins@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Donna Frye - donnafrye.cd6@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Jim Madaffer - jmadaffer@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Brian Maienschein - bmaienschein@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Ralph Inzunza - rinzunza@sandiego.gov
Councilmember Scott Peters - scottpeters@cd1.sannet.gov
Councilmember Michael Zucchet - mzuccet@sandiego.gov
Greg Cox (District 1) - gregcox@sdcounty.ca.gov
Dianne Jacob (District 2) - dianne.jacob@sdcounty.ca.gov
Pam Slater-Price (District 3) - pam.slater@sdcounty.ca.gov
Ron Roberts (District 4) - ron-roberts@sdcounty.ca.gov
Bill Horn (District 5) - bill.horn@sdcounty.ca.gov
  
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VincentHill
Needs a life
Posts: 6520
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posted July 16, 2004 07:14 AM
That is messed up!
____________
Made History @ Daytona and still one fast old man!!
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frEEk
Administrator
ummm... yeah
Posts: 9660
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posted July 16, 2004 10:05 AM
unfortunately not an isolated incident tho. a very similar situation is happening here with stunters. a local shop was running stunt days, including instruction, out at one of the regional airports for the last year or so. great idea as it gets the stunters off the streets and teaches them better=safer technique and requires them to wear gear. but i just heard the city, which controls the airport, is shutting it down cause some area residents are annoyed at bikers playing there and cause of the occasional wheely while leaving the airport at the end of a session. so they all return to the st to hurt themselves, potentially other peoplem, and just generally scare and annoy other people (whether they have a reason to be scared/annoyed or not). genius move people. yet another example of NIMBY syndrome.
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DR JOE
Expert Class
Posts: 352
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posted July 16, 2004 07:42 PM
Ninja
Call a local T.V. station and tell them your story, if your willing to go on T.V. and tell your story then they will investgate where all the money is going. T.V. reporters are always looking for a good scandal. And I would bet that it's going into someones pocket and not where it was intended to go.
Good Luck and I hope that you save your program.
DR JOE
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