La Jolla Light
Enlightening La Jolla Since 1913
INSIDE
Vol. 100, Issue 30 • July 26, 2012
Residential Customer La Jolla, CA 92037 ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID SAN DIEGO, CA PERMIT NO. 1980
Online Daily at www.lajollalight.com
Hotel to reopen with boutique flourishes
Lighting easement approved for Mt. Soledad Memorial, A5
Hotel La Jolla / Cusp Dining n Reopening dedication: 10 a.m. Aug. 23 n Address: 7955 La Jolla Shores Drive n Information: (858) 459-0261 n Website: hotellajolla.com n Overnight stays: From $299
Top: Artist rendering of Hotel La Jolla’s new lobby. Left: Many of the 110 guest rooms will feature contemporary decor and views of La Jolla Cove.
Police investigate break-in at Barbarella, A6
Right: Cusp Dining is on the 11th floor, providing skyhigh ocean views. COURTESY By Pat Sherman he sawdust has settled and the hardhats are coming off in anticipation of Hotel La Jolla’s Aug. 1 grand reopening that will feature a boutique, “costal chic” ambiance under the guidance of its new operator, Kimpton Hotels. Nestled at the foot of La Jolla Shores Drive, the decades-old hotel joins Hotel Palomar and Hotel Solamar downtown as the third local property under Kimpton’s stewardship. Kimpton also operates the Argonaut and five other properties in San Francisco. Following the $4 million renovation, the hotel
T Casting controversy clouds Playhouse premiere, A8
Shores lifeguards discuss daily, heroic rescues, B1
she said. “There hadn’t been any major updates (and) we realized there’s so much more potential with this property. Our neighbors were very open about what they thought the hotel needed to be and what they wanted it to be.” One of the most important aspects of the redesign for locals, Dyal said, was to keep the restaurant on the 11th (and top) floor, instead of moving it to ground level, as originally planned. When speaking with residents in The Shores or La Jolla Village, Dyal said, people would get a big
See Hotel, A10
Stench Entrenched Deodorizing Cove will require time, money and bureaucratic buy-in By Pat Sherman Community members determined to rid La Jolla of the foul odor caused by pelican, cormorant and sea lion waste at La Jolla Cove will have to hold their noses a while longer. According to Bob Morris with the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB), it will take a year to obtain a permit from his state agency. The permit is required to spray a deodorizing solvent on the offal-encrusted cliffs and rocks, and comes with a permit fee of $4,000 to $5,000. Morris said an initial product proposal to be submitted to the RWQCB should state the
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is shifting its focus from a “leisure-driven, lastminute booking clientele to more of the business traveler and group clientele,” said General Manager Caroline Dyal. “We’re looking to really incorporate more of the locals back into the fold (and) reintroduce that spark, that energy and that excitement that used to be there when the place first opened, when Elario’s (Bistro and Sky Lounge) was here,” said Dyal, who will oversee the hotel’s 110 guestroom operations, business development, guest relations and rebranding. “I think we just kind fell into a bit of a rut,”
I.F.A. Retailer of the Year 2011
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product’s impact on the marine habitat, its components, how it will be used and who will be applying it — plus any record of product testing. The RWQCB does not conduct its own testing, Morris said. Earlier this year community members approached San Diego’s Park and Recreation Department seeking approval to spray Prefered Water Alternative, a non-toxic agent derived from pomegranate and chia seed. Prefered’s L.A.-based manufacturer/distributor,
See Stench, A4
Foul-smelling excrement from birds and marine mammals covers the rocks along the Cove. FILE
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