Widened Scripps Park sidewalk unveiled
A long-awaited project to widen the sidewalk next to La Jolla’s Scripps Park has been completed, and local leaders were on hand to cut the ribbon on the new walkway April 10.
The project removed about 450 linear feet of the 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk next to Coast Boulevard and installed a new 10-foot-wide concrete sidewalk as a replacement.
In summer 2022, the La Jolla Community Planning Association, La Jolla Shores Association, Bird Rock Community Council and La Jolla Parks & Beaches board produced a list of capital improvement requests to the city of San Diego for the following year, with the sidewalk project at the top.
They repeated the request in 2023.
In 2024, the city allocated $750,000 to draft a plan to widen the park sidewalk. The plan got the support of the La Jolla Development Permit Review Committee last July.
Bird Rock development would double size of existing house
An application has been filed with the city of San Diego for coastal development and site development permits to demolish a one-story, 1,957-square-foot house and replace it with a house more than twice the size.
The new two-story, 4,388-square-foot house with an attached garage would be at 5386 Calumet Ave. in Bird Rock.
The application is undergoing environmental review, and a decision to approve or deny it will be made at a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.
Application plans more than 6,000-square-foot house in La Jolla Heights
An application has been filed with the city of San Diego for a site development permit to add to and remodel a one-story, 3,579-square-foot house at 2946 Woodford Drive in the La Jolla Heights neighborhood. The result would be a 6,152-square-foot house.
This project is undergoing environmental review, and a decision to approve or deny the application will be made at a public hearing that has not yet been scheduled.
Village Merchants Association gets four new board members
The La Jolla Village Merchants Association welcomed four new members to its board during its April 8 meeting. They are Chateau La Jolla Director Kaity Rudolph, Ashen Salon delegate Sarah Putnam, My Senior Health Plan broker Nicole Medina and Charleston Shoe Co. manager Alysha Murillo.
New La Jolla Village Merchants Association board members Kaity Rudolph, Sarah Putnam, Nicole Medina and Alysha Murillo are sworn in April 8. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)
The new members fill vacancies resulting from four resignations in recent months.
LJVMA accepted three resignations at its March 11 meeting, adding to the departure of its vice president the month before.
Four eligible members of the business community submitted nomination forms to fill the four open seats, and the board accepted all of them unanimously. They were sworn in during the April meeting.
La Jolla Shores Association seeks artists for ‘Tides of Creativity’
Ahead of its second “Tides of Creativity” event, the La Jolla Shores Association is calling for authors and artists who would like to be part of it.
The annual event also features activities including arts and crafts, bounce houses and pony rides.
Bovine statues get pastel treatment during the first “Tides of Creativity” event last June in La Jolla Shores. This year’s festivities are planned for Saturday, May 9. (Vincent Andrunas)
This year’s “Tides of Creativity” is planned for Saturday, May 9, at Laureate Park in the 2200 block of Avenida de la Playa.
For more information or to get involved, email ljsa.org@gmail.com.
Bishop’s School alumna recognized by Big Ten Conference
Maggie Johnson, a former star water polo player at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, has been selected as this year’s female Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award winner by the Big Ten Conference.
Johnson, who now attends USC, will receive a $10,000 scholarship as part of the recognition.
Bishop’s School graduate Maggie Johnson and Sam Edwards accept the Wayne Duke Postgraduate Award from the Big Ten Conference. (Tom Johnson)
All 18 Big Ten Conference member institutions were asked to nominate one female and one male student-athlete for the 2025-26 school year. The two honorees selected were recognized for their achievements in academics, athletics, extracurricular activities and leadership. The male award winner was Sam Edwards from Michigan State University.
Johnson, a senior at USC, was voted team captain in her sophomore season, becoming just the third sophomore in program history to be so chosen. She is pursuing an undergraduate degree in biomedical engineering while working toward a master’s in engineering management. She is maintaining a 3.6 undergraduate grade point average and a 3.85 graduate GPA.
Johnson helped lead the Bishop’s girls water polo team to four consecutive CIF San Diego Section Open Division titles and was named section girls water polo Player of the Year in 2021-22.
Local stores pitch in for San Diego Book Crawl
The annual San Diego Book Crawl will return Saturday through Monday, April 25-27, with 15 bookstores participating, including three in the La Jolla area.
The local stores are Warwick’s, Bird Rock Bookshop and UC San Diego Bookstore.
The Book Crawl highlights San Diego’s independent bookstores and includes prizes. Participants can receive a Book Crawl passport by making a purchase of at least $10 at any participating store. Any purchases of $10 or more after that earn a stamp in the passport.
Check local stores for Book Crawl hours or visit @sdbookcrawl on Instagram for more about the event.
Scripps Research doctoral program gets top spot in U.S. News ranking
The Skaggs Graduate School of Chemical and Biological Sciences, a doctoral program of Scripps Research in La Jolla, earned a top spot in a subcategory of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Science Schools rankings.
The Scripps program tied for first in biological sciences with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and seventh in chemistry alongside Northwestern University.
According to Scripps Research, the doctoral program was established in 1989 and has earned a top 10 ranking from U.S. News & World Report since 1999.
Orli hotel presents ‘bunny yoga’
Easter came early to The Village when the Orli La Jolla hotel presented a “bunny yoga” experience in partnership with Delve Wellness Collective on March 22.
The event featured two yoga sessions and open visits with 20 therapy rabbits at 484 Prospect St., which is being converted into a second hotel to accompany the Orli on Draper Avenue.
Guests participate in a recent “bunny yoga” session presented by the Orli hotel in La Jolla. (Orli La Jolla)
The yoga experience welcomed about 70 guests across both sessions. Several of the rabbits were available for adoption and all were placed by the end of the day.
The rabbits were provided by Cuddles for a Cause, and a portion of the proceeds supported the San Diego House Rabbit Society.
Historical Society announces full ‘Growing Together’ lineup
The La Jolla Historical Society has announced the full 2026 lineup for “Growing Together,” a free family- and youth-focused community event series designed to unite La Jolla’s major cultural institutions.
The series debuted March 8, but the rest of the programming had not yet been announced.
The initiative brings together the Historical Society, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library and Murals of La Jolla for events featuring hands-on art making, musical and other performances, vendors and opportunities to engage with artists, historians and educators. The events are intended to create a festival-like educational and cultural atmosphere.
The next “Growing Together” event will be from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 3, inviting families to explore the Murals of La Jolla through a self-guided tour featuring three or four murals, complete with a downloadable map, a scavenger hunt, music at some of the stops and interactive “passport stamps” along the way.
The La Jolla Historical Society will offer shaded activity tables inspired by the murals, plus an artist-guided workshop and a collaborative community mural.
Subsequent “Growing Together” events will include:
• Teen Art Friday with the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library at 4 p.m. Friday, June 5
• Teen Art Friday with the Athenaeum at noon Friday, Aug. 21
• Fall program with the Museum of Contemporary Art at a date and time to be announced
• Closing event at 11 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 8, similar to the Murals of La Jolla event in May
For more information, visit lajollahistory.org. ♦