UCSD conducts largest e-bike injury study to date
Researchers from UC San Diego in La Jolla have found that injuries involving electric bicycles, or e-bikes, have increased dramatically across California, rising from just two reported collisions in 2018 to 1,506 in 2024.
The study, titled “An Exponential Increase in e-bike Injuries in California,” also found that e-bike riders were more likely to experience moderate-to-severe injuries than riders of traditional bicycles, highlighting growing public health and safety concerns as e-bike use continues to expand statewide.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from the California Highway Patrol’s Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System, examining collisions involving e-bikes and traditional bicycles from 2018 through 2024. The analysis included 4,035 e-bike collisions and 58,332 traditional bicycle collisions, making it one of the largest statewide studies of e-bike injuries conducted to date.
Researchers say the findings suggest that e-bike injuries represent a distinct and growing public health challenge, one that may require safety measures tailored specifically to e-bike riders rather than traditional cyclists.
Future research will focus on linking traffic collision data with hospital and trauma records to better understand the specific injuries riders sustain and which prevention strategies are most effective. Researchers also hope to evaluate how emerging safety regulations and infrastructure improvements influence injury rates over time.
Bird Rock Council seeking donations for monument project
The Bird Rock Community Council is seeking donations for its ongoing monument project.
The project would place two natural rocks topped with pelican statues in La Jolla Boulevard medians next to the pedestrian crossings south of the Colima Street roundabout and north of the Camino de la Costa roundabout.
A rendering shows the latest design for Bird Rock’s planned monument signs. (Bird Rock Community Council)
The rocks are expected to be roughly 5½ feet wide and 3 feet tall, while the pelicans are planned to stand 3 feet tall with “natural-looking” colors of white, brown and yellow.
The San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture and Public Arts Committee approved the project’s design in March, but additional funding is needed to carry it forward.
“These monuments will serve to welcome motorists and pedestrians to the central commercial corridor of the Bird Rock neighborhood and will provide an aesthetic and cultural experience for residents and visitors to Bird Rock,” the BRCC wrote in an email to supporters soliciting donations. “Your support is needed to cover the costs of the necessary city permitting process, fabrication, installation and maintenance of the two monuments.”
Donations can be made through PayPal by searching “Donate to the Bird Rock Monument Fundraiser” or by mailing checks payable to the BRCC to 5666 La Jolla Blvd PMB 168, La Jolla, CA 920378.
La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee executives re-elected
The La Jolla Shores Permit Review Committee’s leadership will look the same from 2026 to 2027, following a vote of the board during its July 16 virtual meeting.
Andy Fotsch of Will & Fotsch Architects will continue to serve as the group chairman, with Janie Emerson continuing as vice chairwoman. Angie Preisendorfer, meanwhile, will be the group’s secretary.
Art & Wine Festival to feature three new Wine & Beer Garden experiences
Tickets for the new Wine & Beer Garden experiences as part of the 18th annual La Jolla Art & Wine Festival officially went on sale July 21, giving attendees their first opportunity to secure access to this year’s festival.
The Art & Wine Festival is planned for 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 10-11, on Girard Avenue and some connecting streets, and will feature more than 170 juried artists from across the United States and Mexico, while raising funds for local public school arts programs.
The three new Wine & Beer Garden experiences are:
• Sip and Sea ($65): Includes festival entry; live entertainment; shaded seating; dance floor access; five tastings of food, wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages; plus a collectible, reusable tasting cup.
• Feeling Fancy ($75): Includes festival entry; live entertainment; shaded seating; dance floor access; eight tastings of food, wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages; plus a collectible, reusable tasting cup.
• VIP Vibes ($90): Includes festival entry; live entertainment; shaded seating; dance floor access; unlimited in-and-out privileges; 10 tastings of food, wine, spirits, beer and non-alcoholic beverages; a collectible reusable tasting cup; an exclusive limited-edition La Jolla Art & Wine Festival tote; and access through a dedicated VIP entrance for faster entry. VIP tickets are available while supplies last.
Purchase tickets at ljawf.com.
La Jolla public restrooms to remain open amidst budget cuts
Following the closure of public restrooms at Mission Bay and Fiesta Island “until further notice” amid citywide budget cuts, the city of San Diego recently confirmed that there are no planned changes in operation to La Jolla’s public restrooms.
The city is currently implementing steps to help close a $146 million deficit projected for the 2026-27 fiscal year. As part of that, some beachside restrooms are “closed until further notice due to budget reductions” according to signage posted on the affected sites.
However, city spokesman Caleb Olsen told the La Jolla Light this month the upcoming budget “only called for the 13 Mission Bay (restroom) closures and seven portables on Fiesta Island. At this time there is no change in La Jolla.”
UCSD study looks at GLP-1 treatment for liver disease
Researchers at the UC San Diego School of Medicine have reported results from a large international clinical trial showing that semaglutide, a medication in the GLP-1 class of drugs widely used to treat diabetes and obesity, may help reduce liver scarring in patients with advanced fatty liver disease, including those with early-stage cirrhosis.
The study results are credited with addressing a major unmet need for people with metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis (MASH), a serious form of fatty liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and the need for transplantation. Until now, patients with cirrhosis caused by MASH have often been excluded from clinical trials and have had limited treatment options.
The most recent trial followed about 700 adults with biopsy-confirmed MASH and moderate to advanced liver scarring, including participants who had already developed early cirrhosis. Researchers tested whether combining zalfermin, an experimental medicine designed to improve the body’s metabolism, with GLP-1 receptor agonist, could reverse liver fibrosis more effectively than either treatment alone.
While the combination therapy did not outperform the placebo, GLP-1 on its own showed a statistically significant improvement in liver scarring without worsening underlying liver inflammation, even among patients with the most advanced disease.
The study also found that non-invasive blood tests and imaging measures reflected treatment-related improvements more clearly than liver biopsies. This could eventually help reduce reliance on biopsies, which are invasive and difficult to repeat, and make it easier for clinicians to monitor patients over time.
Larger clinical trials focused specifically on patients with cirrhosis are needed to confirm these results. They also note that other drugs in the same class as zalfermin, designed slightly differently, may still hold promise and deserve further study.
La Jolla Merchant group looking to add new members
The La Jolla Village Merchants Association is seeking new members to join the board, following some recent resignations.
As announced in June, recently elected board member Alysha Murillo is no longer working in The Village and therefore had to resign from the group. Murillo was elected in March and sworn in in April.
Then, at the LJVMA’s July 8 meeting at the La Jolla/Riford Library, Jamie Mae Chang announced she would be stepping down from the board due to work-related “opportunities outside La Jolla that I am moving toward.”
But unlike in past incidents of a mid-year board vacancy, LJVMA executive director Jodi Rudick said she does not have any written applications from interested candidates to fill the two spots.
Thus, Rudick encouraged people who have an active business tax certificate in The Village or can send a delegate from their business to submit an application.
She said the board hopes to have “some self-nomination applications next month.”
Windansea Surf Club perform post-July 4 beach cleanup
Members of the Windansea Surf Club performed their annual July 5 beach cleanup, following a busy Independence Day holiday. Armed with buckets, garbage bags and tongs, members and supporters picked up trash left on the beach.
According to the organization, the Windansea Surf Club is “dedicated to promoting excellence in our ocean and community, preserving and respecting Windansea’s past, protecting ocean and coastal environments, fostering a positive image of surfers locally and globally through charity and competition, and supporting our youth for a brighter future.”
UCSD, fellow UC Schools team up to work on genome-editing tools
UC San Diego is the latest University of California campus to join in on a cross-institutional partnership intended to develop and deploy a new generation of genome-editing tools.
Those efforts are funneled together through the Innovative Genomics Institute, or IGI. It was first founded by Jennifer Doudna, who alongside her colleagues developed CRISPR gene editing in 2012.
The partnership began as a joint effort between UC Berkeley and UC San Francisco, and eventually brought in UC Davis as a partner. UC San Diego wrote in a press release that their involvement serves the purpose of “combining research strengths in environmental and marine science, engineering and computer science, and biomedical and life sciences to develop the next generation of genome-editing tools and applications.”
Doudna added in a statement, “I’m thrilled that the IGI is now partnering with UC San Diego. The mission of the IGI is to develop solutions that can not only scale to meet the biggest challenges in health and climate, but to make solutions that are accessible to those who need them most. UC San Diego helps us expand that real-world impact.”
Some particular projects the quartet are expected to take on include combining UC Berkeley’s biotechnology discovery engine with UCSD’s prowess in biomedical research, as well as creating interdisciplinary programs that’ll boost climate resilience in the ocean and in soil.
La Jolla artist wins big at North Park gallery
A mixed-media art piece from La Jolla artist Caroline Roughneen earned high praise at a North Park gallery this month.
La Jolla resident Caroline Roughneen earned the juror’s choice award for her mixed-media piece, “Block Signal” at Ashton Gallery’s latest exhibition. (Provided by Caroline Roughneen)
Roughneen’s “Block Signal” was the recipient of the juror’s choice award at Ashton Gallery 4434 30th St. She was handed the honor at the gallery’s opening event for their latest exhibition, themed “Block Party.”
“Block Party” will be on display through Friday, Aug. 14. Learn more at ashtonartgallery.com.