A nonprofit operating under a special use permit is pushing a new public-private partnership model to maintain and enhance La Jolla’s shoreline.
La Jolla Coastal Conservancy is a nonprofit dedicated to combating coastal trail deterioration, erosion, and lack of governmental funding.
The conservancy, operating under a formal Special Use Permit from the city of San Diego, is exploring ways to preserve and enhance a 1.5-mile stretch of La Jolla shoreline from Coast Walk Trail to Whale View Point.
The group’s goal is to raise monies beyond what the city can fund on its own, vowing that every dollar raised — and every project executed – will serve the public’s needs, not those of private interests.
The nonprofit shares on its website that it wants to shape the future of La Jolla’s coastline by working in partnership with the city of San Diego, partner organizations and residents and visitors to “create a thriving, sustainable La Jolla shoreline area of parks and green spaces for all to enjoy.”
The conservancy says now is a critical time to take steps to preserve critical coastal infrastructure.
“Decades of deferred maintenance, a lack of centralized oversight, and deepening budget cuts have placed these parks at risk,” states the conservancy, adding that estimates put the cost of annual upkeep of this 1.5-mile section of coastal trails at $500,000, with more than $30 million needed for capital projects over the next decade.
Brenda Fake of fellow nonprofit Friends of Coast Walk and consultant Solange Jacobs both spoke of the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy’s efforts to protect coastal infrastructure.
Fake credited a “strong work ethic” for real progress being made to preserve La Jolla’s coastline, noting, “Our superpower is that we work hard to do this, including physical work at times.”
Jacobs thanked the city for its support, pointing out their group’s special use permit with the municipality “makes us different” and is “something no other group in La Jolla has today.”
“Projects we tackle have a clean plan on how to take them on, in what order, and why we are prioritizing them,” said Jacobs. “We’re trying to protect the coastline from further erosion while replacing fencing guided by the city. We’re getting so much synergy with the community. We’re showing improvement and getting the work done.”
With approval of the California Coastal Commission, Fake said that agreement allows the conservancy’s public-private partnership to “help the city out in a big way by getting projects fast-tracked.”
Fake believes the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy can become a template for other communities to use. “If we can create this model in La Jolla, it’s replicable in other places along the San Diego Coast like Sunset Cliffs and Bird Rock,” she concluded.
