San Diego Council President Joe LaCava told La Jolla residents Aug. 19 that a January court ruling has left the city nearly powerless to stop sidewalk vendors from setting up shop near La Jolla Cove and Ellen Browning Scripps Park.
"Now we are back to the wild west," LaCava said at the La Jolla Shores Association meeting, where he appeared alongside District 7 Councilmember Raul Campillo.
The state appeals court found the city had been illegally impounding vendors' carts and declared its geographic no-vendor zones and hour restrictions "overly restrictive," according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. Since then, vendors have returned to areas where they operated before the city's 2023 street-vending law took effect.
LaCava said the city retains the ability to enforce rules against vendors operating outside designated zones and wants those laws enforced. He offered no specific enforcement plan or timeline.
An audience member asked whether the city could create new designated vending sites near Scripps Park and enforce against vendors outside those boundaries. LaCava acknowledged the option but did not commit to next steps.
Beach parking ordinance
The councilmembers also previewed a draft ordinance, listed as Item 3 on the City Council Rules Committee agenda for Wednesday, Aug. 26, at 9 a.m., that would ban the city from charging for parking at any city-owned lot serving beaches and bays. The prohibition would cover lots from Kellogg Park in La Jolla Shores south to Ocean Beach and around Mission Bay, with a sunset date of Dec. 31, 2036.
The ordinance marks a reversal for LaCava, who earlier supported paid beach parking as a revenue tool while the city faces a $120 million budget deficit heading into fiscal year 2027. The La Jolla Shores beachside lot at Kellogg Park was not among the locations initially considered for paid parking, but the new ordinance would lock in free access across all beach and bay lots citywide.
The Balboa Park paid-parking proposal was canceled after public backlash and will no longer be in effect as of January 2027.
Campillo framed the measure as a constitutional issue at the Aug. 19 meeting: "It's not in the U.S. Bill of Rights, but it's in the California Constitution that you have access to the ocean. An extra five or 10 bucks can destroy the experience and curb people from coming."
According to the city's staff report, there is no cost to implementation because the ordinance preserves the status quo of free parking. If the Rules Committee advances the measure, it would proceed to the full City Council for a vote.
Other LJSA business
The association unanimously approved plans for the Challenged Athletes Foundation to hold two adaptive surf and open-water swim clinics at La Jolla Shores from 9 a.m. to noon on Friday, Oct. 23. Each clinic is expected to draw 30 to 40 participants plus volunteers and coaches.
San Diego Fire-Rescue Lt. John Maher reported lifeguards have been fully staffed throughout the summer. Budget committee member Janie Emerson said pedestrian safety projects remain a priority and are moving forward incrementally despite the city's fiscal constraints.
The LJSA next meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Martin Johnson House, 8840 Biological Grade.
