"It's so useful to have a break in your day and be able to sit down at a picnic table and see this view," Alexandra Corsi told the San Diego Union-Tribune when the second picnic grove at Scripps Park opened on Oct. 23. "It's absolutely awesome."
Corsi is a member of La Jolla Parks & Beaches and organized the project. The grove itself is small: some paving, a couple of tables and a grill. Getting it built took much longer than building it, and the same is true of most of what has changed along the La Jolla shoreline this fall. From the Cove south to Whale View Point, local clubs, donors and nonprofits raised the money for this season's upgrades, and in some cases they raised the money for the permits too.
A grove that spent its first 33 months on paperwork
The new grove sits on the western edge of Scripps Park, near the middle of the lawn and right next to the first grove. It copies that first design. The ground is GraniteCrete paving, there is one relocated table and one new one, and there is a new barbecue. Lajolla.ca reported that the City donated the grill and a bench.
The first grove opened in December 2022. That project relocated tables, improved access for people with disabilities, replaced a dying tree and added a plaque honoring the late Selma Malk, a longtime resident of the La Valencia Hotel whose family provided early funding. According to La Jolla Parks & Beaches, the first grove has three tables, a barbecue and an ADA-accessible table. The park now has two groves side by side with a combined five tables.
Here is the second grove's timeline as the Union-Tribune reported it:
- January 2024: Volunteers begin seeking a right-of-entry permit from the City of San Diego.
- January 2025: The permit is signed. It runs until January 2026, with an option to extend it six months.
- 2025 into 2026: Donors commit to only half of the construction cost, so the team asks for the extension.
- Fundraising: Corsi asks the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla for a $10,000 grant, La Jolla Parks & Beaches adds $10,000 of its own, and the original donors give more.
- The setback: The City assigns a new planner, the six-month extension is never properly secured, and volunteers have to restart the permit review.
- Sept. 14, 2026: Construction begins.
- Oct. 23, 2026: The grove opens to the public.
That works out to about 33 months of permits and fundraising and 39 days of construction. Corsi credited Brian Malk, Ann Lipschitz, La Jolla Parks & Beaches president Ann Dynes, secretary Tim Seery and the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla. She also thanked Jim Neri of Neri Landscape Architects and Alan Cronin of Geared For Growth Landscaping for logistical support.
The same model runs the length of Coast Boulevard
Walk a few minutes from the grove in either direction and you'll pass other work funded the same way. Most of it is overseen by the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy, a nonprofit that works with the City in a public-private partnership. The Conservancy carries out privately funded improvement and maintenance projects from Coast Walk Trail south to Whale View Point.
Lajolla.ca's Oct. 1 update on the Conservancy listed its fall work, summarized below.
| Project | Where | Who is behind it | Where it stood this fall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-and-chain barriers to mark walking paths | Along Coast Boulevard, continuing north from Whale View Point | San Diego County Neighborhood Reinvestment Program grant; built by SoCal Outdoor Services | Installed in September |
| White wooden fence restoration | Goldfish Point to La Jolla Cove | An Eagle Scout candidate and fellow Scouts; initial funding from OluKai La Jolla | First prototype section finished; target is year-end |
| Exterior painting of the belvedere | Whale View Point | BirdStock Music Festival proceeds | Scheduled for later this fall |
| Lifeguard tower shutters | La Jolla Cove | La Jolla Sunrise Rotary, La Jolla Cove Swim Club, San Diego Fire-Rescue Foundation | Scheduled for later this fall |
The fence project shows how much of this work depends on fundraising. Under the Conservancy's guidance, the Scouts swapped out failing wood in the first section and added marine-grade stainless-steel wire to protect birds. As of the October report, the Conservancy was still about $13,000 short of finishing the run to the Cove. If you walk Coast Boulevard often, you can track that fence over the next several weeks and see whether the restored section reaches the Cove by the end of the year.
Conservancy chair Brenda Fake told lajolla.ca that the projects reflect a focus on practical improvements and longstanding maintenance needs, done through partnerships with the City, the County, community groups, volunteers and private donors. The new grove fits that description too: a neighborhood volunteer drove the project, a service club and a nonprofit raised the money, and the City donated a grill.
Winter rules for the spaces those volunteers built
Rules come with the new tables. The City's beach and park regulations prohibit alcohol, glass, smoking and overnight camping in park areas. Any gathering of more than 50 people needs a permit from the Parks and Recreation Department, which matters if you're planning a large family lunch at the groves.
Dog hours change with the season. From Nov. 1 through March 31, dogs are not allowed on the beach, boardwalk or adjacent parks between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. From April 1 through Oct. 31, the cutoff is 6 p.m., so the winter schedule opens up two more late-afternoon hours. Outside the restricted hours, dogs must be leashed, and the restrictions do not apply to service animals as the ADA defines them.
Here are the winter dates for this stretch of coast:
- Since Nov. 1: The winter dog hours above are in effect.
- Sunday, Dec. 6: The La Jolla Christmas Parade and Holiday Festival comes to the Village.
- Dec. 15, 2026, through May 15, 2027: Children's Pool Beach, also called Casa Beach, closes to public access for harbor seal pupping season. The City closes it on these dates every year.
The Children's Pool closure starts about a month after this post goes up. If you usually bring guests down the steps there, plan those visits for the next few weeks. From mid-December on, the open lawn at Scripps Park and the walk along Coast Boulevard will be the main draws on that part of the shoreline.
One park in the Shores stays fenced into 2027
The Scripps Park projects add space. One small park in La Jolla Shores has lost it for the season. The Union-Tribune reported on Oct. 26 that Laureate Park was fully fenced and closed after a sewer-main failure at Sewer Pump Station 27. Sewage reached the surface on July 10. The City said it contained the sewage and cleaned the area, and that no spill was ongoing.
The closure covers more than the lawn. Part of the sidewalk and some nearby parking spaces are affected, and some of those spaces are being used to stage construction equipment. The City expected repairs to wrap up in January, with the park likely staying closed into early 2027. If Laureate is your usual Shores stop, Scripps Park's two groves are the nearest shaded picnic tables with an ocean view until it reopens.
Parade day closes out the fall
The 70th annual La Jolla Christmas Parade runs Sunday, Dec. 6, starting at Kline Street and Girard Avenue in the early afternoon. The Holiday Festival runs from 1 to 5 p.m. at La Jolla Recreation Center. KPBS's event listing says the celebration is free and includes a Village Christmas Market and "Sounds by the Sea" performances. The festival grounds are a short walk from Scripps Park. If you leave the parade route heading toward the water, you'll pass the new grove next to the first one, the lifeguard tower that's due for new shutters, and the white fence the Scouts are rebuilding toward the Cove.
If you'd like help thinking through how La Jolla's coastline, parks and shoreline projects factor into what your home is worth, Tanya Williams is happy to walk through it with you. Request Your Free Home Valuation, and we can talk about your corner of La Jolla.
