Area residents Ernie Casco and Bob Kuczewski have long advocated changes at La Jolla’s Torrey Pines Gliderport, and at the October meeting of the La Jolla Shores Association, they got their wish for support of some of their requests.
Torrey Pines Gliderport, operated by Air California Adventure Inc., is a paragliding and hang-gliding site above Black’s Beach.
Casco and Kuczewski have appeared during public comment periods at Shores Association meetings to ask the board to intervene in what they say is abuse of “recreational rights and freedoms” at the gliderport through the requirement of fees and skill ratings.
They returned Oct. 15 with a slot on the meeting agenda, asking the group to write a letter urging the city of San Diego to evaluate their concerns and to reactivate the long-defunct Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board.
That board was established to advise the city Parks & Recreation Board during preparation of a General Development Plan for Torrey Pines City Park, the formal name of the gliderport property at 2800 Torrey Pines Scenic Drive. The GDP was approved in 2012 and the advisory board was discontinued.
While LJSA President John Pierce said the gliderport is outside The Shores’ planning district, Casco and Kuczweski have “been coming every month, and I just wanted to [consider] it,” he said. “It is an issue and I’ve seen kind of a blind eye to it, so maybe a letter of support will help bring some light to the situation. Other than that, there’s not really much we can do.”
Fliers take off from the Torrey Pines Gliderport. (Kim Weiss)
The gliderport website says it requires all pilots to check in at the front office before setting up. They must show a current rating of P3 or H4 (intermediate or advanced) with the U.S. Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association or membership in the Academy of Model Aeronautics if flying remote-controlled aircraft. They also must pay a $10 day-use fee or have a $200 annual gliderport membership. Instructor supervision for fliers with a P2 or H3 rating is available for $250 per day.
Juan Enrique Silva, general manager of Air California Adventure, said the rules ensure a professional operation at the gliderport.
“We require pilots to be fairly proficient so everyone remains safe and enjoys their time,” the website says.
Casco and Kuczewski also want a waiver allowing pilots who use the gliderport to fly without liability insurance, an idea that Silva calls “reckless and irresponsible.”
Ultimately, the LJSA board agreed during the meeting to write a letter of support for the requests for a city evaluation and the return of the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board. Pierce told the La Jolla Light on Oct. 21 that the letter had not yet been drafted but added that it would not seek a waiver of pilot liability insurance.
“Citizens are forced to go to the City Council or La Jolla Town Council or [La Jolla Shores Association]” with concerns about the gliderport, Casco read from a statement during the meeting. “Yet none of those venues are equipped to resolve these ongoing issues, so it’s clear the Torrey Pines City Park Advisory Board is needed to fill that role.”
LJSA trustee Mary Coakley Munk made a motion for the city to “seriously look at the situation” and reactivate the advisory board. The motion passed 7-0, with trustee Joe Stalder abstaining, citing a lack of knowledge about “the districts that are covered within our agreement or others.”
Silva told the Light afterward that the advisory board “did what it was required to do — come up with the Torrey Pines City Park development plan. Then it was disbanded. It cannot be reconstituted and does not need to be because it already did its job completely.”
Other LJSA news
Streetlights: Though it was expected by the end of September, the activation of La Jolla Shores’ new batch of streetlights now is expected to take place between the end of October and the end of November.
Joaquin Quintero, La Jolla field representative for San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava, delivers an update about La Jolla Shores’ new streetlights at the Shores Association’s Oct. 15 meeting. (Noah Lyons)
The latest update is according to Joaquin Quintero, La Jolla field representative for San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava. A city representative later said the energization process can proceed once all the underground service points are ready.
A total of 37 lights — 31 acorn-style post-top decorative streetlights and six cobra-head lights, which extend from the light pole — were installed in August, all with new circuits.
Walter Munk Day 2026: Following the 2025 event on Oct. 4, work is already underway for next year’s Walter Munk Day in honor of the renowned late La Jolla oceanographer.
Guests at this year’s Walter Munk Day make their way through a variety of tents featuring local organizations and institutions. (Noah Lyons)
Coakley Munk, Walter’s widow and the co-founder and president of the Walter Munk Foundation for the Oceans, proposed that Walter Munk Day 2026 take place Saturday, Oct. 3. A permit has already been requested, and the LJSA board gave its unanimous support.
One of the goals for next year’s event, Coakley Munk said, is to include “a much larger number of students from underserved schools in the area.”
Election committee: The Shores Association reiterated a need for members of an election committee as local resident Janie Emerson steps down from leading those efforts.
The next annual LJSA board election is set for March, though Emerson has said that the later months of the year are important for getting the word out about requirements for potential candidates and distributing registration forms.
LJSA trustees Sharon Luscomb, Terry Kraszewski and Angie Preisendorfer offered to help in some form. Emerson said she would continue to assist behind the scenes.
Next meeting: The La Jolla Shores Association next meets at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Martin Johnson House, 8840 Biological Grade. Learn more at lajollashoresassociation.org. ♦