UCSD banner district gets support from La Jolla Shores Association

A proposal to establish a UC San Diego banner district that the La Jolla Shores Association at first viewed as one-sided has undergone changes amid further communication between the two organizations and now has the board’s support.

Under the proposal, UCSD banners would be hung on light poles on several streets near the university. The contents of the banners would focus on the university and “create a sense of place surrounding the community.” They would not be political, commercial or religious, according to UCSD.

“We feel these will help create a more welcoming environment surrounding the campus, highlighting some of the amazing cultural, entertainment and public value that the university brings to the community,” said Erin Shepler, UCSD’s executive director of marketing.

After meeting with LJSA President John Pierce and former president Janie Emerson, Shepler and Anu Delouri, UCSD’s senior director of local government and community relations, presented a modified map at the association’s meeting Sept. 17.

The proposed district now encompasses La Jolla Village Drive, Regents Road, North Torrey Pines Road, Torrey Pines Scenic Drive and La Jolla Shores Drive beginning after Horizon Way and ending at Naga Way. It previously included Genesee Avenue.

Shepler and Delouri first presented the proposal to the Shores Association on April 16 after it was redirected from the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board following a presentation in March.

Emerson previously disputed a claim by the presenters that the banner district would not overlap with La Jolla Shores’ banner district, saying it would do so at La Jolla Shores Drive adjacent to UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Now, Naga Way west of Scripps’ Birch Aquarium serves as the end of the university’s banner district and the beginning of The Shores’ district.

During the September meeting, Emerson asked that La Jolla Village Drive and North Torrey Pines Road not have banners “down both sides of the street all the way down.”

Shepler said the university can’t put banners on light poles that have other signage, meaning not every pole will be used.

Should the proposal gain approval from the city of San Diego, UCSD will examine which poles are most “desirable” and “strategic,” with a focus on campus edges and entry corridors, Delouri said.

She said in April that because the banner district is proposed for city streets, it will require City Council action but not local action. She said council President Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla, “was very particular that we bring it to the community.”

That caused some LJSA board members and others to question the collaborative aspect of the proposal.

“That’s not community partnership,” board member Mike McCormack said. “It’s not that I don’t support banners on La Jolla Shores Drive and their use. I support us having control over it so the university comes to us and asks us.”

The banner district, though developed “in close partnership with the city,” would be paid for and maintained by the university, according to Shepler. The banners would be installed at “low-impact times” to avoid disrupting traffic, she added.

A motion to support the proposal passed 7-1 on Sept. 17, with board member Karen Marshall dissenting.

“It sounds to me like you guys have a lot of space and people know who you are,” Marshall said. “I just don’t think you need to [have banners] in our area.”

A timeline for when the banners would be installed is unclear, and funds for the project are not currently allocated, according to Shepler.

“We’ve been working on this project for well over a year at this point,” she said. “We weren’t sure where we would be or how long it would take, so it’s more of a future plan.”

Other LJSA news

Election committee: With Emerson stepping down from the position, LJSA is looking for a new election committee chair. Emerson said she will serve in more of a mentor role moving forward.

The next annual LJSA board election is set for March, but Emerson said September, October and November are important for getting the word out about required meeting attendance for potential candidates and distributing registration forms.

Next meeting: The La Jolla Shores Association next meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Martin Johnson House, 8840 Biological Grade. Learn more at lajollashoresassociation.org.