‘Every problem has a solution’: New grass replaces dead patch in La Jolla’s Scripps Park

La Jollans and visitors alike got a “holiday surprise” last week when new grass was unveiled at Scripps Park.

The new sod, which covers a patch that had long been dead or dying, is near the La Jolla Cove Bridge Club and Point La Jolla. It was installed through a public/private collaboration between the city of San Diego and the San Diego Parks Foundation, with the foundation providing the materials and the city providing the labor.

The ribbon was cut on the new grass Dec. 19.

Calling the area “an early holiday surprise,” San Diego Parks Foundation President Leona Sublett said “This is a perfect example of what a private/public collaboration looks like. [When we bring] together our philanthropists, our community members, the work of the San Diego Parks Foundation in partnership with the city of San Diego, look what can happen.”

Representatives of the city commended the work of the Parks Foundation and said the dead grass was caused by frequent foot traffic and the influx of sidewalk vendors during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Ellen Browning Scripps Park is one of the finest and most scenic parks in all of San Diego. So it’s no surprise that, because of that, it is also the busiest and receives the heaviest foot traffic,” said San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla. “Previously, too many street vendors [were] all accelerating the wear and tear on the grass. Fortunately, every problem has a solution, and today we celebrate the community effort that made this solution possible.”

LaCava said the work “made Scripps Park better for today and tomorrow” and “erased the memory of overuse and restored the area to its former glory.”

Sublett and LaCava credited La Jolla resident Ann Dynes, a San Diego Parks Foundation founding member, with getting the project going.

Dynes, a former president of La Jolla Parks & Beaches, was part of the team that launched the Parks Foundation in 2018. Since then, the group has raised $8 million to invest in parks and recreation centers throughout San Diego County. That has included tree plantings, resurfacing gym floors, creating new fields and more.

At the Scripps Park event, a statement from Dynes said “New sod may not seem like a big deal in and of itself, but it is a bit of a big deal for the investment being made in both grass and relationships. We wanted to introduce our own community of La Jolla to what the Parks Foundation is doing … so we are hopeful that this minor project will help get the word out to La Jollans … who might be interested in our work.”

A little over 6,000 square feet of sod was planted, Dynes said.

Andy Field, director of the San Diego Parks & Recreation Department, said the “next big project” planned for Scripps Park is widening the sidewalk next to Coast Boulevard. The plan was approved by a San Diego hearing officer Dec. 17.

“This park is visited by millions year-round,” Field said. “The beautiful natural setting we have here brings people back time and time again. But that comes at the cost of sometimes losing some of the resources along the way. … We want to bring this back to being a world-class destination.”

Down the line, he said, “we are also working hard to really open up [Point La Jolla] and The Cove for interpretive experiences so visitors from around the world can come and get information and enjoy, from a distance, their ability to observe the marine animals.”

Point La Jolla, a rocky area between La Jolla Cove beach and Boomer Beach, has been closed to the public year-round since the California Coastal Commission in 2023 approved San Diego’s plan to seal it off for seven years to keep people and sea lions apart.

Field said during the Coastal Commission meeting Dec. 10 that the city is looking into installing cameras and a new viewing deck at La Jolla Cove to provide visitors a place to view sea lions from afar. He said plans also are taking shape for rangers to speak to tour bus operators as they arrive and possibly developing a handout flier for buses that drop off tourists who might not be familiar with local rules.

Field added that the city would be working with the burgeoning La Jolla Coastal Conservancy on other public/private projects but did not disclose details.