Ellen Browning Scripps paid for the beach stairs at Whale View Point in the 1920s. One longtime volunteer believes almost nothing was done to them in the hundred years after that. This month the steps in the 400 block of Coast Boulevard were scheduled for a full repair. Crews were set to work from Oct. 14 through Wednesday, Oct. 28, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., and surfers and beachgoers were sent to the stairs near the Surf Shack across from 333 Coast Blvd. in the meantime.
The city did not pay for this repair. Volunteers raised the money, and a nonprofit that didn't exist two years ago got the permits. That arrangement now decides which parts of La Jolla's shoreline get fixed and in what order. Anyone who uses the Cove, Coast Walk or the Children's Pool area will see the effects over the next several seasons.
A century-old staircase, repaired with donated money
La Jolla Light reported that the plan is to clear sand off the stairway, smooth the surface with slurry, and bond precast concrete pavers onto the existing steps. The pavers are made offsite. Landscape architect Jim Neri said the materials went through several rounds of review with the City of San Diego. They are meant to look similar to the original steps without copying them exactly, and they are strong enough to hold up in the marine environment.
That care is required here. The stairs sit inside the La Jolla Park Coastal Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in spring 2024. The district is based on an 1887 map and covers eight acres of coastal parkland. It includes La Jolla Cove, the Children's Pool, Casa de Mañana and the Red Roost and Red Rest cottages. It runs from roughly Torrey Pines Road and Coast Walk in the north to nearly the end of Coast Boulevard in the south.
Getting from the listing to actual repair work took about two years. At the November 2024 ceremony celebrating the listing, volunteers said they were raising money for the stairs. Once that money came in, the job went to the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy. At La Jolla Parks & Beaches' Oct. 5 meeting, trustee Melinda Merryweather described what the work had required, as La Jolla Light reported:
"We've talked about it coming up on two years now, and to get all the permissions, the right contractor and the money, it was quite an accomplishment."
How a nonprofit got permission to work on city land
The city's Special Use Permit describes the La Jolla Coastal Conservancy as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working under a non-exclusive permit. Under that permit it helps Parks and Recreation maintain and improve public coastal spaces beyond the level of service the city currently provides. In other words, the Conservancy handles work that falls outside the city's own maintenance schedule.
Before the Conservancy existed, each private repair on city coastal land needed its own approval process. The Conservancy instead holds a three-year right-of-entry permit with an option to renew for two more years, so it can line up private funding and repairs without starting over for every project. The city keeps oversight. For minor projects, the Conservancy has to notify the city at least five working days ahead, invite city staff to a preconstruction meeting, and finish with a city walkthrough.
Brenda Fake leads the group. The Conservancy's site lists her as president, and La Jolla Light has called her its chair.
The model got its first visible results last December. On Dec. 3, 2025, the Conservancy removed a dead Canary Island date palm at Goldfish Point. On Dec. 3 and 4 it restained the La Jolla Cove lifeguard tower and repainted the trim. Those were small jobs. Whale View Point is a bigger job, one that takes a public stairway out of use for two weeks.
The shoreline's to-do list, as written into the permit
The permit lists the projects the Conservancy is allowed to take on. If you walk this stretch of coast, it reads like a list of places you already know:
- Coast Walk: retaining-wall and bridge-gabion work, plus benches
- La Jolla Cove and Shell Beach: stairs, safety barriers and the Coast Boulevard sidewalk
- South Casa and Wipeout: beach access stairs
- Whale View Point: stairs, barriers and benches
Donors have offered money for pieces of it. BirdStock offered $20,000 to paint a coastal belvedere and the Whale View Point Surf Shack, the same building beachgoers use as a landmark while the nearby stairs are closed. Kiwanis offered $8,000 to restore the white fence that runs from Goldfish Point to La Jolla Cove. Those amounts fit the job. A fence or a fresh coat of paint can be paid for at a single fundraiser.
South Casa shows the limits of the model
The stairs at South Casa Beach, near the Children's Pool lifeguard tower, were damaged at the base by storms in early 2024. The city chained them off, and they are still closed. The project already has a city-approved design. Fake called what remains the "big hurdle" of funding, according to La Jolla Light.
Under the arrangement, the Conservancy covers the costs, engineering design, construction contracting and permit applications. The city's role is procedural. It helps prepare permit materials, coordinates department reviews and oversees construction inspections.
The money gap is wide. One anonymous donor has pledged up to $100,000. The Conservancy has no exact cost figure, but Fake cited a rough estimate of $5 million based on other groups' projects. At that estimate, the pledge covers about 2 percent of the cost. The Conservancy is applying for grants to cover the rest.
Where South Casa sits affects the timing too. The City of San Diego closes Children's Pool Beach to the public for harbor seal pupping season from Dec. 15 through May 15 every year, which would put this season's closure at Dec. 15, 2026 through May 15, 2027. Once that closure starts, South Casa's chained stairs and the closed Children's Pool will both limit beach access in that corner of the coast through the winter.
The one coastal project the city is running itself
North of the Cove, the city is managing a project directly through its own contractor. Palm Engineering of San Diego is replacing the long-standing K-rail on Torrey Pines Road between Prospect Place and Coast Walk with about 420 feet of permanent metal bridge rail. The job also includes new sidewalk, curb and gutter, relocated utilities, repaving, restriping and signage, according to La Jolla Light.
The start date has already moved. The Light first reported a Tuesday, Oct. 6 start. A La Jolla Shores Association notice updated on Oct. 6 pushed it to on or about Oct. 12. Barring weather or delays getting materials, work is expected to continue through March 2027.
Here is how it changes getting through that stretch, as described by city spokesperson Tyler Becker:
- Work runs from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., Sunday through Thursday, and some of that night work closes the northern westbound lane.
- The roadway is open to traffic during the day.
- The northbound bicycle lane stays closed for the whole project.
- When the sidewalk closes, pedestrians move to a protected path behind temporary K-rail on the south side of the road. The path is open 24 hours a day, with crossings at Prospect Place and at the mid-block crossing between Amalfi Street and Princess Street.
The guardrail is a public works contract with a city spokesperson and a published traffic plan. Every stairway on the Conservancy's list moves only as fast as its donations come in.
Dates to keep through spring
- Oct. 28, 2026: scheduled end of the Whale View Point stair work. Until it reopens, use the stairs by the Surf Shack across from 333 Coast Blvd.
- Dec. 15, 2026: Children's Pool Beach closes for pupping season under the city's yearly schedule.
- March 2027: projected finish of the Torrey Pines Road guardrail.
- May 15, 2027: Children's Pool Beach reopens.
- No date yet: South Casa stairs, still waiting on funding.
Construction schedules change, so check with the City of San Diego or the La Jolla Shores Association for the latest status before planning a morning around a particular stairway.
If you own a home near Coast Boulevard, Coast Walk or Torrey Pines Road and want to know what it's worth while all this work is underway, John Rubino can walk you through recent sales nearby. Get your free home valuation and consultation.
