High costs block ‘Season’s greetings’ sign’s return to its traditional La Jolla location

La Jolla’s “Season’s greetings” sign was expected to return to its traditional place on a pedestrian bridge over Torrey Pines Road, but a large price tag help nix that plan for the second year in a row.

The lighted sign again has a temporary home on resident Dan Courtney’s retaining wall while the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla looks to raise funds to return it to the bridge next year.

Kiwanian Glen Rasmussen told the La Jolla Light this month that the group had secured proper San Diego city permitting but that certain details like traffic control for the late-night installation needed to be shored up before work could begin. Those details were submitted the week of Dec. 8, he said.

Rasmussen said the Kiwanis Club would use a professional service to hang and maintain the sign. But he said the group learned the estimated cost of putting up the sign and taking it down was $15,000 and that the total cost, including a permit good for five years, would be $25,000.

That did not fit in the club’s budget, Rasmussen said.

In previous years, the banner had been placed on the bridge without undergoing the city’s permitting process.

Last year, Courtney, who lives near the corner of Torrey Pines Road and La Jolla Shores Drive — close to the bridge — offered the retaining wall outside his home as the sign’s temporary spot after a late start on the lengthy permitting process threatened to halt the annual tradition.

The sign was placed on his property six days before Christmas last year and stayed there until about a week after New Year’s.

“We need to cheer people up during the holidays,” Courtney said at the time. “People need to have some positive symbols and so forth. And it makes people happy, I think.”

When it became apparent the cost would be too high to resume putting the banner on the bridge this year, Courtney again offered his property, and the sign was installed there Dec. 14.

The sign was first put in limbo in 2024 after the La Jolla Village Merchants Association decided it would no longer put it up because of the permit issue, costs and risks and to focus on other decorations and enhancements.

In addition, the pedestrian bridge is in the La Jolla Shores banner district, not in the La Jolla Business Improvement District, or LJVMA, banner district.

The Kiwanis Club offered to continue the tradition, in part with proceeds from its La Jolla Half Marathon and La Jolla Shores 5K. The club bought the sign from LJVMA for $1.

Rasmussen said the club wants to continue displaying the message every year.

“La Jolla Kiwanis would like to resume installation again next year, per tradition, on the Shores pedestrian bridge,” Rasmussen told the Light. It is able to front $5,000 of the cost but “would like to ask the community for donations to cover the rest,” he added.

Tax-deductible donations can be made for the “Season’s greetings” sign through the La Jolla Kiwanis Foundation at kiwanisclublajolla.org/make-a-donation.