From the unveiling of the mystery celebrity resident in San Diego to purse snatchers and a lackluster 4th, there is much ado in La Jolla these days. Let’s see who said what about La Jolla news in review this week.

Big Bucks: And the cat is out of the bag! Gary Barber, Hollywood producer and ex-husband of Bette Midler, is the mystery celebrity who paid more than $17 million for an oceanfront La Jolla home on Camino de la Casta. The price tag of the home is a reported $17.3 million which is one of the highest sale prices local realtors have seen this year. Now that's some serious buckage.

Move ‘Em Out: It looks like the time is up for harbor seals in La Jolla. On Wednesday, May 27th, Judge Yuri Hofmann ordered La Jolla’s harbor seal colony must leave the Children’s Pool and that the city must clean the contaminated water. City officials have proposed a plan to implement a portable public-address system that would emit the sounds of barking dogs in attempt to scare off the seals from 6am until sunset each day. A federal case has been filed by attorney Bryan Pease to force the city to maintain the seal colony. Judge Hofmann has set a June 15th hearing to determine the best way to remove the seals. Stay tuned…

Recession Blunders: Looks like this Fourth of July isn’t going to be igniting the sky. On Friday, a press release was issued stating that rising permit costs, other city fees such as police parking and enforcement and the sagging economy were all contributing factors for placing La Jolla’s annual Fourth of July fireworks show on hiatus. Despite the despair, the 26th annual free Concert by the Sea summer music festival will still be held on Sundays starting June 28th at Scripps Park. (pictured)

Snatched: Hold on to your purses ladies. On May 21st, a man emerged from a car in La Jolla and robbed three women at gunpoint of their purses and then rode off in a white Chrysler four-door sedan. The purse snatching incident occurred on the 7600 block of Fay Avenue around 9pm on Thursday. Yikes!

Foodie News: With the recession on our hands, paying for a gourmet meal is probably not on the top of our to-do list. Fortunately, La Jolla’s Marine Room is showcasing a variety of special event menus so that you can enjoy an exquisite meal at an affordable price. On Mondays from 6 to 9:30pm, the Marine Room hosts Lobster Night where guests can enjoy a three-course meal for $40 per person or $55 to include wine pairings.

Robbed: Thieves smashed a window at the Sunset Glass Hut store on Prospect Street on Memorial Day weekend, stealing an upwards of $50,000 of merchandise. According to the store’s San Diego regional manager, Holly Sheets, the thieves stole all the high-end brands such as Bvulgari, Prada and Versace and touched nothing else. A similar occurrence had previously happened at the Del Mar Plaza Sunglass Hut earlier in the month when they were robbed of $34,000 worth of sunglasses. Bummer.

Park It: Rest assured, parking problems will be cured. La Jolla Community Planning Association trustees approved a motion earlier this month to send a “Rainbow Curbs” parking plan to city officials and gained approval for specific alterations. The plan is set to create 80 new parking spaces throughout La Jolla’s merchant district by eliminating rarely used passenger and commercial loading zones, reducing red curbs and other unnecessary colored curbs and altering times for commercial and passenger loading.

 

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