The potential $231,975 in savings do not offset the benefits, many say; others warn a closure could trigger a reversion to private Scripps ownership.

Following a proposal to fully close the La Jolla Recreation Center to help the city of San Diego close a $118 million budget deficit, La Jollans are voicing opposition and raising questions about what would happen to the Prospect Street grounds.

The proposed closure is part of a multipage city analysis detailing options to reduce expenditures for the Parks & Recreation Department by $5.4 million for Fiscal Year 2027 (which starts July 1).

The choice of where to reduce hours is left to the discretion of the San Diego City Council during the budgeting process, according to a statement sent to lajolla.ca from the San Diego Parks & Recreation Department.

“Should the La Jolla Recreation Center be selected as a site to be fully closed when the FY27 budget is adopted, it would no longer function as a recreation center, but the surrounding park and playgrounds would be open as they are now and would continue to be maintained,” the statement continues.

This means the building, restrooms and other indoor facilities would be shut down and staff and programs eliminated from La Jolla.

Closing the La Jolla Rec Center, however, poses an “existential threat” to the community, said Alan Dulgeroff, chair of the La Jolla Community Recreation Group, the Rec Center’s advisory board to the city.

Speaking at a “special emergency meeting” of the CRG May 4, Dulgeroff said the city’s analysis “got it wrong,” emphasizing the La Jolla Rec Center “is not just for La Jolla,” rather serving the whole county as a free place for beach visitors to enjoy recreation.

As “there are no nearby recreation centers, and the roadways in and out of La Jolla are already very congested,” sending people elsewhere would have far-reaching negative effects, he added, noting proximal rec centers are also up for hour reductions.

Further, closing the Rec Center would save the city about $231,975, Dulgeroff noted, which does not offset its benefits. 

The Scripps question

View of La Jolla Playground building in La Jolla in about 1913 shortly after construction/Image courtesy of San Diego History Center

The La Jolla Recreation Center began as a gift in July 1915 from famed La Jolla benefactor Ellen Browning Scripps, who envisioned the center as a community house and playground. 

Scripps “wanted to showcase this progressive notion of a community house where people could speak freely about any matter and children and adults could exercise with play and safety,” according to a 2023 interview with La Jolla resident and architect Trace Wilson, who has spearheaded renovation plans.

A notarized document filed with the San Diego city clerk on July 6, 1915 (Wilson furnished lajolla.ca with a copy) conveys the land for the Rec Center from Scripps to the city, with deed conditions that the “premises and buildings shall forever and continuously be maintained and used by the said city as a public playground and recreational center and as a meeting place.”

Further, the document states “in the event of abandonment of the said premises or any part thereof for the uses and purposes herein expressed … or in the event of the non-user of said premises,” the deed would be null and void and the property would revert back to Scripps and her heirs.

A representative for the Ellen Browning Scripps Foundation did not immediately respond to lajolla.ca’s request for comment.

It is unclear whether the 111-year-old stipulations are legally actionable, but Wilson’s raising the issue at the May 4 meeting prompted other community members to question the impact of a La Jolla Rec Center closure.

A closure is “not without consequence,” La Jollan Chas. Dye told lajolla.ca.

“I urge the mayor and City Council to sustain the vision and legacy of Ellen Browning Scripps’ gifts and keep this vital resource for the entire San Diego region open,” Dulgeroff said at the meeting.

Community reaction

Others who attended the CRG meeting voiced opposition to the potential closure, speaking vociferously in turn about the Rec Center’s critical role in community safety, relationships and more.

The Rec Center “is a hub for everybody,” CRG board member Jill Peters said. “We can’t lose it.”

Parents spoke out about the value of the Rec Center as an after-school gathering place; seniors commented on the importance of a walkable meeting spot.

The Rec Center serves not only a simple recreational need but also a larger community need, La Jollan Gail Forbes said. “This institution is woven into the texture of our community, and it’s very important.”

Call to action and alternatives 

In imploring attendees to contact city council members about the proposed closure, Dulgeroff said this is an “important time to stand up for our Rec Center.”

The CRG then unanimously voted to send a letter to the City Council stating “in consideration of the city of San Diego budget review, the La Jolla Community Recreation Center Board hereby urges the mayor and the City Council of San Diego to keep the La Jolla Recreation Center and all other recreation centers  in San Diego fully open with no reductions to existing staff services and programs,” Dulgeroff said.

Joaquin Quintero, community representative for San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava , whose District 1 includes La Jolla, encouraged those writing to LaCava (joelacava@sandiego.gov) to also write to the other eight council members, as the full council will vote on budget items. 

Quintero also confirmed LaCava is opposed to the proposed closure of the La Jolla Rec Center. 

“The more voices that are heard, the better,” Rec Center Director Nick Volpe said.

Some in attendance posed alternatives to closing the Rec Center, such as neighbor Chuck Spielman’s idea to instruct the city not to fill potholes instead.

“Don’t close this beautiful building that means so much to so many people,” he said.

Others asked whether the La Jolla community could raise money to cover the $231,975 cost to keep the Rec Center open, and whether the city would allow that.

Forbes suggested those involved “empower ourselves by finding a solution” such as offering to close the La Jolla Rec on the least-used day and encouraging other centers to do the same in an effort to reduce expenses.

“Something’s got to give,” she conceded. “We have to be willing to make some sacrifices in order to provide the services that are necessary to all of San Diego.”

What’s next?

The San Diego City Council is holding budget review meetings through Friday, May 8; the public is invited to submit comments. San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria will present his May revised budget on Wednesday, May 13. More public discussions will ensue. Per city charter, the City Council must approve and adopt the budget by June 15.