Year in Review: Top La Jolla news stories from 2025

Town Council turmoil, dramatic cityhood developments and the explosion of e-bike popularity were some of the big topics in La Jolla this year.

Here’s a look at top local news stories from 2025.

January

Princess Street: The La Jolla Community Planning Association votes Jan. 9 to support a proposal to reinstate a long-closed beach access trail from the end of Princess Street. The plan by the Environmental Center of San Diego would build stairs running from the end of Princess off Torrey Pines Road on the bluff side to the ocean below. The stairs would be publicly accessible between two houses. A locked gate that has been in place for more than four decades would be opened.

Town Council: The La Jolla Town Council, chartered in 1950 with the mission “to unify, coordinate, foster and direct the civic, commercial, educational, cultural and general welfare activities of La Jolla,” begins celebration of its 75th anniversary.

Cielo Mar: After a series of presentations to subcommittees and despite continuing questions about the project, the La Jolla Community Planning Association gives its support Jan. 9 to a planned residential development in La Jolla Shores known as Cielo Mar. The project would consolidate three parcels and subdivide them into six for construction of one house on each in the 8300 block of La Jolla Shores Drive. The development would have common access to Calle del Cielo.

Gilman fire: A brush fire breaks out the afternoon of Jan. 23 in the area of Gilman Drive and Via Alicante in La Jolla but is contained to three acres. The blaze, named the “Gilman fire,” spurs evacuation orders for the area bordered by La Jolla Village Drive to the north, La Jolla Parkway to the south, Gilman Drive to the east and Torrey Pines Road to the west.

Adelante Townhomes: The San Diego City Council approves a plan to build the Adelante Townhomes project. The proposal from developer Murfey Co. seeks to demolish an office building and replace it with a multi-story building with 13 townhouses and ground-floor retail space at 5575 La Jolla Blvd., at Forward Street. The project would total 21,485 square feet and include a basement, covered parking and roof decks.

Cityhood application: The Association for the City of La Jolla, which is seeking to make the community a city of its own separate from San Diego, submits its cityhood application to the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission on Jan. 29 after raising more than $100,000 to pay for it.

“Welcome to La Jolla”: A long-awaited “Welcome to La Jolla” sign is installed at the triangular median at the intersection of Torrey Pines Road and La Jolla Shores Drive.

February

Wildfire preparedness: Following the “Gilman fire,” the La Jolla Light looks at how prepared La Jolla might be in the event of a more widespread fire, including evacuation routes, steps residents can take to protect their homes and other considerations. 

LJVMA complaints: Accusations of bullying and conflict of interest come forward against La Jolla Village Merchants Association Executive Director Jodi Rudick. At LJVMA’s Feb. 12 meeting, allegations are aired from current and former board members and former workers that Rudick had mistreated interns, acted “contrary to the board’s wishes” and violated the terms of a contract with a marketing firm. However, during a closed session Feb. 18, the LJVMA board decides not to investigate the allegations, saying they lack the “weight to warrant” it.  

Cell tower town hall: Following an announcement in November 2024 that a cell tower was planned for the La Jolla Bike Path, a town hall meeting is held Feb. 13 to discuss the project, as well as other recent proposals for 5G wireless communications facilities in town. Soon after, AT&T’s plans for the bike path cell tower are withdrawn. 

Pothole survey: The La Jolla Town Council organizes an event Feb. 21-22 to find and report potholes on the city of San Diego’s Get It Done app. About 470 reports are submitted. However, the number of reports doesn’t reflect the actual number of potholes. In the first hour of the survey Feb. 21, volunteers are encouraged to report each pothole five times. That is reduced to one report per pothole after volunteers get a call from a city representative instructing them to do so.

Cove Access Working Group: The La Jolla Cove Access Working Group has its inaugural meeting Feb. 25 in an effort to come up with a process for diverse groups to find a way to balance public recreational access with marine animal protections at The Cove.

March

Town hall: Concerns about fires and wireless communications equipment are top topics at a March 5 town hall meeting in La Jolla with San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava. Many questions from the audience center on fire-related issues and proposals for new cellular facilities in La Jolla. 

Hybrid meetings: The La Jolla Community Planning Association approves a bylaws change March 6 to give LJCPA and its subcommittees and joint committees authority to hold meetings online should they deem it necessary. LJCPA board member Greg Jackson says the change doesn’t automatically mean meetings will be held virtually but simply allows them to be.

Signature shortfall: After reviewing the signatures of support the Association for the City of La Jolla submitted in mid-December after a six-month petition drive, the San Diego County registrar of voters office says the organization fell 1,027 short of the number needed because of signatures determined to be invalid or in need of information such as a date or an address. The association then has 15 days to correct the invalid signatures, collect new ones or both to try to fill the gap. ACLJ set out last year to gather signatures from 25% of La Jolla’s registered voters, or 6,536, in support of the cityhood initiative. 

Prospect hotel proposal: Plans are introduced to convert a 16,683-square-foot property at 484 Prospect St. into a 20-room hotel. The proposal, led by the same team that opened the Orli Hotel in 2022 on Draper Avenue, intends to leave the exterior of the property largely intact but renovate the interior to become lodging.

Stairway committee: A La Jolla Shores Association ad hoc committee that had been exploring possible improvements to the beach access walkway at Spindrift Drive is dissolved. LJSA board member Kathleen Neil, a driving force behind the Spindrift Drive/Marine Room Beach Access Committee, says March 19 that delivery of a final feasibility study completed the committee’s mission and justified its dissolution. 

Broken handrail: A tourist visiting La Jolla from out of state suffers minor injuries when a handrail next to a stairway on Prospect Street breaks from its base and gives way, causing the man to fall. 

April

Cityhood signatures: On April 1, signature gatherers from the Association for the City of La Jolla complete their 15-day effort to collect 1,027 signatures to make up for those deemed invalid during a previous six-month campaign. They ultimately collect 1,506.

Fire Safe Council: Representatives of the La Jolla Town Council and other community members officially move to form a La Jolla Fire Safe Council and begin drafting a map of boundaries and filling out paperwork to register the group with the Fire Safe Council of San Diego County. Fire Safe Councils, commonly referred to as the fire prevention version of crimefighting Neighborhood Watch groups, are grassroots nonprofits that partner with local fire agencies to provide educational forums on how to best prepare for and prevent wildfires. La Jolla’s group encompasses the 92037 ZIP code, with the potential of forming smaller subcommittees in the future. It ultimately is approved May 8.

New LJCPA president: The La Jolla Community Planning Association board selects local architect Lisa Kriedeman to be its president for the coming year. 

Town Council turmoil: Tensions that had been building within the La Jolla Town Council come to a head at its April 10 meeting, culminating in President Mary Soriano removing Vice President Peter Wulff as a board trustee on allegations of bylaws violations. Soon after the meeting, board members Charmaine Haworth and Chas. Dye resign, citing dissatisfaction with the group’s direction. Their resignations followed that of board member Seth Cohen, who quit April 7.

Cell tower protest: Following the withdrawal of plans to build a cell tower at the La Jolla Bike Path, about 80 people attend a protest April 11 aiming to slow or stop a similar proposal at La Jolla’s Cliffridge Park. Dish Network has proposed to encase wireless communications antennas in two 30-foot foul poles on the park’s lower baseball field as part of a 5G wireless network that Dish is trying to establish to achieve what it calls “more affordable wireless services and fast connectivity for businesses, students and households.”

Gunman surrenders: A man armed with a handgun in a parked car in a La Jolla neighborhood surrenders peacefully the evening of April 22 after crisis negotiators work for hours trying to persuade him to disarm. Residents near the scene in the 2000 block of Via Casa Alta near La Jolla Scenic Drive South are directed to remain in their homes during the incident, beginning around midday. The situation also leads to several local schools instituting lockdowns as a precaution.

May

Cityhood objection: San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria issues a formal objection to the process in which the Association for the City of La Jolla was given clearance to continue its drive for La Jolla to separate from San Diego and form its own city. The objection argues that the San Diego Local Agency Formation Commission overstepped in the process of verifying signatures on a pro-cityhood petition circulated by the association, and it disputes many of the signatures that ultimately were deemed valid. The objection, sent to LAFCO, was lodged a few days after LAFCO issued a letter to ACLJ in late April confirming that the group had collected enough valid signatures. Despite the objection, LAFCO proceeds with examining the La Jolla cityhood application.

Summer moratorium suspension: The city of San Diego’s summer construction moratorium in beach areas is discontinued to allow for “timely completion of projects.” In past years, construction projects were not conducted in coastal communities from Memorial Day to Labor Day to reduce potential impacts during the busy tourism season. 

More Town Council turmoil: Claiming that La Jolla Town Council President Mary Soriano’s actions “have caused irreparable damage to the … council’s mission, reputation and functionality,” former vice president Peter Wulff, whom Soriano abruptly removed from the board in April over what she called bylaws violations, officially resigns May 8 while calling Soriano’s actions “emblematic of her unilateral and authoritarian leadership.” Soriano says Wulff’s allegations are “unfounded.” 

Teachers of the year: Principals from La Jolla’s five public schools gather to recognize the teachers of the year from their campuses. They are: Bird Rock Elementary School’s Dana Lally, La Jolla Elementary’s Emma Gasperoni, Torrey Pines Elementary’s Michelle Nieto, Muirlands Middle School’s April Miccolino and La Jolla High School’s Rachel Lobato. 

Bodycam lawsuit: The grandmother of Dejon Heard, who was shot to death by police in Bird Rock in July 2024, sues the city of San Diego and the Police Department, accusing the department of altering body camera footage of the shooting. The suit also accuses the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office of improperly investigating the case. In July 2025, the county district attorney’s office clears the officer involved of all criminal liability. 

June

Five-point plan: The La Jolla Cove Access Working Group puts together a plan to address interactions between humans and sea lions at The Cove, as well as a list of questions for San Diego and state officials about what it would take to make the recommendations happen. The five-point plan includes: improved signage; script in various languages to give to tour buses explaining how people can view the sea lions safely; a clearly marked area for pinniped viewing; rangers authorized to issue fines and/or place cones or tape as a visual deterrent; and a system designed to keep sea lions away, such as an acoustic device that emits low-frequency sounds to discourage them from going on land.

Cody Petterson: La Jolla Town Council President Mary Soriano removes board member Cody Petterson during a dispute over how to go about replenishing trustees. 

Pearl Street development: An application is filed with the city of San Diego to demolish a 2,980-square-foot commercial building and construct a 20,925-square-foot, two-story mixed-use building over a basement at 941 and 945 Pearl St., near the intersection of Girard Avenue. The complex also would have roof decks and 15 parking spaces. The site housed Ogden’s Cleaners before it closed in 2024.

Camino de la Costa stairs: A new working group to address La Jolla’s deteriorating Camino de la Costa beach stairway forms June 23. The stairway that leads to the ocean in the Lower Hermosa neighborhood has been falling apart for years, to the point that the concrete is crumbling and the rebar is rusted. Progress on repairs has been slow, despite the project receiving more than $2 million in state funding in the past three years.

Calls for resignation: Calls come in for La Jolla Town Council President Mary Soriano to resign in the wake of her controversial actions to remove two board members and the resignations of several others. An email from former Town Council vice president Peter Wulff accuses Soriano of “[driving] the La Jolla Town Council into existential crisis.” Those sentiments are echoed by former trustees Chas. Dye and Ron Jones.

Kayak collision: A local commercial kayak operator issues a word of warning about what some consider a rite of passage in La Jolla following what could have been a serious accident. La Jolla Sea Cave Kayaks owner Jen Kleck says teenagers were jumping into the water from the top of Clam Cave in the La Jolla Cove area the afternoon of June 29 when one of them landed on and broke a kayak. The jumper was able to get out of the water on his own and was seen running from the area. However, she said she worried about possible “life-changing injuries” from such behavior. 

July

Fourth of July safety: Residents and police offer differing opinions on how crowds on Fourth of July at Marine Street Beach were handled. One local resident calls it “the worst we have ever seen” due to the number of people and disruptive activities, while police say “the crowds were managed effectively.”

New Town Council trustees: Amid a wave of La Jolla Town Council trustee exits (including two who were dismissed by council President Mary Soriano), five new trustees are sworn in during the group’s July 10 meeting. With the new members, the board revises Town Council bylaw 4.1, stating the council will consist of seven to 12 members, so a quorum (the number required to vote on an action) could be met with four to seven members present.

Fire Station 16: An effort is launched to renovate a small fire station in La Jolla’s Mount Soledad area, with the local Sunrise Rotary Club looking to raise more than $100,000 to upgrade the sleeping quarters for the firefighters stationed there. Fire Station 16 at 2110 Via Casa Alta was built in 1982 and has had small upgrades since, but no major renovations, according to the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department.

Windansea squirrels: Windansea residents raise concerns about the use of poisonous chemicals to address what the city of San Diego calls “overpopulation” of “very invasive” squirrels in the area.

Foxhill evolution: A plan to build on the 32-acre property known as Foxhill in La Jolla evolves, with 13 new houses being proposed, in addition to five already approved. Under the latest proposal, the property would be divided into two residential enclaves. The upper 22-acre enclave would include the five planned houses of approximately 8,500 to 13,500 square feet each. The new lower 10-acre enclave would have 13 houses of approximately 8,000 to 12,000 square feet each. 

Rec Center safety: A post on social media describes two incidents at or near the La Jolla Recreation Center, raising concerns about safety there. One tells of someone putting fireworks or another device in the portable toilets in front of the center on Draper Avenue. The other describes a man yelling at a 10-year-old girl “in a threatening and violent way.”

Lawsuit against LAFCO: The city of San Diego files a lawsuit calling on the regional Local Agency Formation Commission — which provides guidance to communities seeking to become cities — to rescind a ruling that would allow the cityhood effort in La Jolla to move forward. The dispute centers on LAFCO’s actions during the process of verifying petition signatures that ultimately reversed the San Diego County registrar of voters office’s determination that the Association for the City of La Jolla’s petition drive had failed to gather enough valid signatures to continue the cityhood effort.

La V trees: The La Valencia Hotel replaces two of the signature trees on its front patio that had been infested by the South American palm weevil. The weevil is a type of beetle that has threatened and killed palm trees across La Jolla and elsewhere in the San Diego region for years. The trees were removed in February and replaced July 21. 

New view: The UC San Diego Brian & Nancy Malk Sunset Overlook opens, offering views of the Pacific Ocean via a disabled-accessible deck. In addition to its viewing platform, the space is surrounded by native, drought-tolerant plants and features benches and a pathway to take in the sights. A sign pays homage to the Kumeyaay tribe of Indigenous people who formerly occupied the land where UCSD and the overlook are now located.

August

Shores dining program: Just days before its previous permit is set to expire, a new permit extending the outdoor dining program in La Jolla Shores is approved by the San Diego Development Services Department on Aug. 6. This time, however, it won’t require renewals. The right-of-way permit allows a stretch of Avenida de la Playa to be permanently closed to vehicle traffic. 

Capital projects: The La Jolla Community Planning Association approves a list of projects to submit to the city of San Diego for execution, following the annual tradition of LJCPA, the La Jolla Shores Association, Bird Rock Community Council and La Jolla Parks & Beaches producing such a list. The projects are: resurfacing the La Jolla Shores boardwalk, also known as Walter Munk Way; repaving all of Neptune Place and repairing infrastructure and flood control systems; installing three roundabouts on La Jolla Shores Drive; repairing a belvedere, or gazebo, in Scripps Park that has been closed to the public since October 2023 because of erosion concerns; replacing broken steps and a seawall at South Casa Beach; and installing adaptive streetlights throughout La Jolla. 

La Jolla Coastal Conservancy: A new conservancy group forms in La Jolla to expedite repair and maintenance projects in key local coastal public spaces. The La Jolla Coastal Conservancy, inspired by the public/private collaboration between the city of San Diego and Friends of Coast Walk Trail, aims to provide a mechanism for private entities to conduct repair projects on city land by using conservancy permits and relationships with the city instead of starting from scratch. The areas to be covered include Coast Walk Trail, Scripps Park, South Casa Beach, Wipeout Beach, Cuvier Park and Whale View Point.

E-bike incident: An incident involving youths on electric bikes is recorded and posted to social media Aug. 17, leading to increased enforcement by the San Diego Police Department. In the video, a group of youths is seen riding e-bikes on Draper Avenue near Gravilla Street in front of Starkey Park, screaming and honking their horns loudly. Some ride on one wheel, others have multiple riders on one bike, some of them without helmets, and some shout expletives and sexual and racial slurs and make threats and offensive gestures, according to witnesses.

Anti-SLAPP: Adding to the legal actions surrounding the effort to make La Jolla its own city, the Association for the City of La Jolla files a court motion seeking dismissal of a lawsuit brought by San Diego challenging the cityhood process. ACLJ contends the city’s complaint is a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP — what the association calls a “meritless attempt to obstruct democratic participation and silence a public interest effort through costly litigation.”

September

Shepherd YMCA: After years of closure during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, the Shepherd YMCA Firehouse in reopens at 7877 Herschel Ave. in La Jolla. The 1930s-era building, which was remodeled about a decade ago, is not modified; changes are just to programming.

Traffic calming: Residents of Nautilus Street gather at the La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board’s September meeting to advocate speed-reduction measures in their neighborhood. In recent months, residents of La Jolla Scenic Drive South, Prestwick Drive and La Jolla Boulevard had discussed what they view as unsafe road conditions with the T&T Board. 

Cave Street: An application is filed with the city of San Diego to construct a new three-story building containing eight residential units, with one considered affordable for very-low-income residents, at 1261 Cave St. in La Jolla. The project is to include 10,222 square feet of habitable space and a 6,747-square-foot underground garage with 12 parking spaces and bicycle parking. The plan also includes reuse and partial demolition of the historically designated Lacrosse House and rear cottage structures at 1261 and 1263 Cave St.

Heritage structure: A property at 484 Prospect St. is granted “heritage structure” status as part of a process to convert the 16,683-square-foot building into a 20-room hotel. The designation qualifies the site for a special use permit that would allow the plans to deviate from the land-use and density requirements of the La Jolla Planned District Ordinance, subject to further review by the San Diego Historical Resources Board. 

Brush removal: Nearly a ton of dry brush, overhanging tree limbs and debris are cleared out of a section of the La Jolla Bike Path by more than a dozen volunteers Sept. 20.

People in Preservation: For making a mark on local historic preservation, several area residents and a project with connections to La Jolla are honored with People in Preservation awards from the Save Our Heritage Organisation. The Rev. Mark Hargreaves is given the Town Crier Award, Marc Tarasuck receives the Legacy Award, Bill and Claudia Allen win the Keeper of the Flame Award, and the new Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center in Point Loma — named for late La Jolla philanthropist Joan Jacobs and her husband, Irwin — receives an Adaptive Reuse Award.

October

Su Casa site: Plans for a residential-commercial complex are filed with the city of San Diego to subdivide two parcels at 350 Playa del Sur and 6738 La Jolla Blvd. into nine lots. The Playa del Sur property is the former site of a residential building; the La Jolla Boulevard lot is the former site of the Su Casa Mexican restaurant. The project would build eight single residential units with seven accessory dwelling units, along with a mixed-use building with one residential unit and 801 square feet of retail space. 

E-bike series: The La Jolla Light introduces “Charged Up: The Rise of E-bikes,” a six-part series looking at the various aspects of e-bike ridership, information about the details and laws surrounding them, what other cities are doing to promote safe ridership, and more. 

Cityhood ruling: A San Diego judge rules Oct. 24 that the process for La Jolla’s potential cityhood can move forward, rejecting a lawsuit by the city of San Diego that sought to halt it. The ruling grants an anti-SLAPP motion from the cityhood advocates that argued the city’s lawsuit filed in June challenging the incorporation process was a strategic lawsuit against public participation, or SLAPP.

Pocket park: The La Jolla Parks & Beaches board votes unanimously to support a plan to develop a new pocket park as part of a project to build a 4,494-square-foot house on a vacant lot at 1510 Soledad Ave., just east of Cowrie Avenue. The applicant team had planned to set aside some of the lot for public use, so Haley Duke of La Jolla-based Island Architects presents the board with a refined concept for the small park on Oct. 28. 

November

Beach & Tennis Club lawsuits: Four lawsuits against La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club management come to light after being filed in recent months. The suits, filed by former employees, make various allegations, including gender and disability discrimination, wrongful termination, creating a hostile work environment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, failure to pay wages and provide meal periods, sexual battery, failing to prevent harassment and intentionally inflicting emotional distress. 

Promenade de la Playa: Fundraising begins for what is being called the Promenade de la Playa in La Jolla Shores. The promenade would formalize and refine a street closure for outdoor dining that has been in effect for more than five years on Avenida de la Playa between El Paseo Grande and Calle de la Plata and create an “al fresco” pedestrian walkway to go with the restaurant use. 

Bike path proposals: The La Jolla Traffic & Transportation Board votes Nov. 18 to request green bike-crossing paint, a wider ramp and replacing a stop sign for riders where the La Jolla Bike Path meets La Canada Street.

Playground fundraiser: La Jolla resident Eddie Stover launches an effort to raise $40,000 to install a piece of ocean-themed playground equipment at the La Jolla Recreation Center, where a since-removed piece of equipment was once located. Raising $40,000 likely would allow for one fixture, but even more funding could allow an increase in scope, Stover says.

December

School modernization: Renderings are released to show how Bird Rock Elementary School could look when the campus’s whole-site modernization project — slated to begin in the summer — is completed. The project calls for a new one-story kindergarten building, a singular point-of-entry administration building visible from the street and a two-story building with nine classrooms. Plans also include a new play yard and a shade structure on the east side of the campus. Phase 1, tentatively scheduled for June 2026 to August 2027, includes demolishing several buildings, upgrading library fire alarms and readying the central campus for construction.

Conservancy projects: Within 100 days of getting its special-use right-of-entry permit from the city of San Diego, the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy completes two local projects. The first is to remove a dead Canary Island date palm tree at Goldfish Point next to the Cave Store parking area. The work takes one day, Dec. 3. A slightly larger project to restain the exterior and repaint the trim of the La Jolla Cove lifeguard tower is carried out by local painting contractor PaintGreen on Dec. 3-4.

Cielo Mar approved: The San Diego Planning Commission votes to approve a planned residential development in La Jolla Shores known as Cielo Mar. The project would consolidate three parcels and subdivide them into six for construction of one house on each in the 8300 block of La Jolla Shores Drive.