After a series of withdrawals and resubmittals, an application to formalize the Scripps Coastal Reserve management and access plan has been withdrawn once again. It was scheduled to be heard during the California Coastal Commission’s Oct. 8 meeting. The withdrawal continues a cycle in which the reserve’s current limited access is maintained and a more concrete plan is pushed down the line.
And it might not be the last time.
Representatives from the California Coastal Commission confirmed last week that UC San Diego (which administers the nearly 1,000-acre reserve adjacent to UCSD’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography) is allowed to withdraw and resubmit their proposal for as long as they see fit.
“There are no limits to withdrawing and resubmitting,” Coastal Commission spokesperson Joshua Smith told the La Jolla Light, adding that UCSD does not need the Coastal Commission’s approval to withdraw the application.
UCSD spokesperson Melinda Battenberg told the La Jolla Light that “UC San Diego withdrew and resubmitted its Scripps Coastal Reserve Coastal Development Permit application with the California Coastal Commission to provide additional time for stakeholder input and discussions with the Coastal Commission.”
However, Smith said, “UCSD has resubmitted its application, and the matter is on track for a hearing before the end of the year.” Thus, there are two more opportunities for it to appear on the Coastal Commission’s agenda: the Nov. 4-6 and Dec. 9-11 meetings.
Per the state’s Permit Streamlining Act, Smith said the Coastal Commission is required “to hear permit applications within 180 calendar days of receiving a complete application for a Coastal Development Permit, with the option for a 90-day extension, given permission from the applicant.”
He added, “Any project that is not acted upon within the appropriate time frame is subject to automatic approval.”
When a hearing eventually is held, it will be after over six years of the reserve being predominantly closed to the public and after about two years of exchanges between Coastal Commission staff and UCSD.
The scenic site, which can be viewed from a half-mile loop trail along what is known as the Mesa across the top of the reserve, has been mostly closed since the beginning of statewide COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020. Volunteer maintenance is allowed from 8 to 10 a.m. Fridays, and a docent-led tour is offered from 9 to 11 a.m. the first Saturday of each month.
The Scripps Coastal Reserve encompasses nearly 1,000 acres. (Ashley Mackin-Solomon)
Before the restrictions, the reserve was open from 7 a.m. to sunset daily. Now its gate is locked unless tours are being given or the reserve is being used by UCSD students.
The managed access plan includes a proposal to “allow for the continued preservation and adaptive management of the (Scripps Coastal Reserve’s) biological resources, cultural resources, management of public health and safety risks, and prioritization of the UC Natural Reserve System research and educational mission and the protection of long-term deployments of research instrumentation” by continuing the limited and supervised access to the reserve with tour guides, according to the application.
A 2023 administrative post on the Scripps Coastal Reserve’s Facebook page said visitors’ misuse of the area was the primary reason for the closure.
That has been disputed by many La Jolla residents, who also point to the California Coastal Act, which requires a coastal development permit for a change of public access to a coastal site. Residents have accused UCSD of violating that law by continuing to limit access without a permit after the state officially lifted its pandemic emergency declaration in February 2023, though the university did not apply for a permit until 2024.
After months of questions and back-and-forth, commission staff said in late 2024 that it was likely the application would be considered complete and ready for a hearing by April 1, 2025. But in March 2025, staff extended the hearing deadline to June 30.
Several continuances have been granted since then.
La Jolla Shores resident Mike McCormack has kept tabs on the reserve since its partial closure and spoken about it at multiple La Jolla Shores Association meetings.
With current access he considers “extremely limited,” McCormack described the area as “essentially … closed for all users.” With however UCSD chooses to proceed, McCormack is an advocate for well-monitored access including attendants in the area that ensure it’s not overrun by visitors.
In response to this latest application withdrawal, he told the Light that “It seems like we’re caught in a cycle of continuances without addressing the downside of completely open access. It is one way to kick the can down the road.”
— La Jolla Light editor Ashley Mackin-Solomon contributed to this report.