A grassroots effort to successfully navigate the process of separating La Jolla from the City of San Diego and turning it into its own municipality is well underway.

The nonprofit Association for the City of La Jolla was formed three years ago with a five-member board – Trace Wilson, Sharon Wampler, Diane Kane, Ed Witt, and Mary Munk – to explore the possibility of transforming La Jolla into a city.

Currently, the ACLJ is fully engaged with a petition signature campaign. The group has requested the San Diego County Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO), the public agency handling the formation of prospective new governmental entities, to further analyze the feasibility of La Jolla becoming its own city.
But first, the ACLJ must satisfy the requirement of submitting signatures from 25% of registered voters age 18-plus in La Jolla, 7,000-plus signatures in total, by Nov. 15.

There have been a handful of unsuccessful attempts over the years in community-led drives to incorporate La Jolla. There is however a major structural hurdle that incorporation proponents have thus far been unable to clear: a favorable vote on incorporation would have to pass both within the boundaries of the new city of La Jolla, as well as with voters within the City of San Diego.

Nonetheless, La Jolla becoming a city is a vision – and goal – that persists within the community. “Previous incorporation drives in the past 70 years have never gotten this far, never done as deep a dive into the money, tax, and policy issues,” said Trace Wilson, ACLJ president. “Over the last three years, we’ve also built up a board and volunteers to formalize the incorporation process with a petition drive.”

Why incorporate? “For local government and because we can prioritize (improvement) projects,” replied Wilson. “We know all the (revenues/expenditures) numbers now working with a team of experts on what a City of La Jolla would bring into the City of San Diego. Also, we have to have net neutrality (to incorporate), meaning detachment can not be harmful to the host city (San Diego).”

Another advantage of incorporating, contends Wilson, is that self-governance would allow the community to “apply for state and federal grants for public improvements like improving pedestrian safety on streets.”

Wilson argues La Jolla’s detaching from San Diego would work in favor of both. “Having a well-run city of La Jolla would allow the city of San Diego to focus on their base,” he said. “Now we (La Jolla) are in a different spot where we can afford to become a city. And there is the will with people in the community who want to do this.”

Concluded Wilson: “The overall message is that La Jolla incorporating is good for San Diego. It would be a win-win-win for the City and the County of San Diego and the community of La Jolla.”

RATIONALE

– A win-win: Incorporation is a collaborative vision for regional benefit and prosperity.

– Financial relief for San Diego: A self-governed La Jolla would relieve San Diego of all costs and liabilities for maintaining some of the oldest infrastructure in San Diego.

– Net-neutral payments: San Diego will receive payments from the City of La Jolla to achieve net neutrality once La Jolla detaches. San Diego will receive income streams for municipal services to be contracted from the City of San Diego by the City of La Jolla.

– Boosting regional revenue: As an international destination, the City of La Jolla will strive to grow sales and hotel tax (transient occupancy tax or TOT) to increase revenue for the San Diego region.

REASONS

– Local decision-making: The City of La Jolla will have autonomous decision-making on community matters and issues.

– Enhanced public safety: Incorporating creates a safer and cleaner environment.

– Revitalizing aged infrastructure: Top priorities of the new city will include creating an enhanced physical environment, revitalizing infrastructure, and managing La Jolla’s coastline.

– A voice in Sacramento: The City of La Jolla will broaden the scope of representation in the state capitol and beyond for the San Diego region statewide.