The San Diego County district attorney’s office and the La Jolla Village Merchants Association will work together in coming weeks to get signs distributed to local businesses that they hope will deter thieves.
District Attorney Summer Stephan was on hand at LJVMA’s meeting Nov. 12 to swear in newly elected board members and provide insights into retail theft and its impacts.
Several businesses in La Jolla’s Village have experienced thefts recently. The Sunglass Hut store at 7931 Girard Ave. was targeted three times within a week by “grab and go” thefts of thousands of dollars worth of sunglasses Oct. 19, 20 and 24 in what San Diego police called unrelated incidents.
No one was in custody in connection with the thefts, police said.
There have been similar multiple thefts from select retailers in previous years. In a period in 2021 and early 2022, 24 burglaries were reported in The Village. Bang & Olufsen, a since-closed high-end consumer electronics store on Girard Avenue, accounted for four of them.
LJVMA Executive Director Jodi Rudick said the upcoming holiday period is “a big time for shoplifters,” and Stephan noted “very similar concerns … in different communities” countywide.
The impact of retail theft is “much bigger than an economic loss,” Stephan said.
“It’s the hub of whether you feel safe or don’t feel safe,” she said. “Safety is like a human right, so it’s important that we keep focusing on that.”
Stephan said signs are available for businesses to put in their windows indicating they are under the protection of the DA’s office and local law enforcement. Thus, her office and LJVMA will work to get the signs to local merchants.
“We can blanket La Jolla so it feels like that operation [and] identification feeling you get in most neighborhoods,” Rudick said. “That is what we are going to go for. We want [thieves] to come to La Jolla, look in the windows and … go somewhere else. We don’t want crime anywhere, but we definitely want to make sure our members feel safe.”
Other LJVMA news
New officers: Following the swearing-in of newly elected board members, the new board chose its leadership for the coming year.
Departing President AJ Johnson did not seek reelection and nominated Scott Blaul to be the next president. Johnson said it was “an honor and a privilege” to have served but that he wanted to see “fresh faces” in the group’s leadership. Blaul accepted the nomination and will preside for the next year.
Elnaz Iraj will continue as vice president, and Bill Podway will continue as treasurer.
Newly elected member Jessica Chepovsky will serve as secretary.
Next meeting: The next La Jolla Village Merchants Association meeting will begin a half-hour earlier than usual to accommodate the board’s annual strategic planning session. The meeting will start at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave. The agenda will be posted in advance at lajollabythesea.com. ♦