‘Christmas on the Sand’: La Jolla Town Council backs plans for 67th annual holiday parade
The council also selects a new slate of officers and will have five new trustees starting in July.
Plans for the 67th annual La Jolla Christmas Parade & Holiday Festival got unanimous approval from the La Jolla Town Council on June 8.
The parade is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 3.
Get the La Jolla Light weekly in your inbox
News, features and sports about La Jolla, every Thursday for free
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the La Jolla Light.
This year’s event, themed “Christmas on the Sand,” will begin with the festival at 11:30 a.m. on Wall Street between Girard and Herschel avenues, parade president Ann Kerr Bache told the Town Council during its meeting at the La Jolla Recreation Center.
The festival will be education-focused, with activities centered on ocean exploration, art and reading, she said. It also will include a visit from Santa Claus and other presentations.
The parade will begin at 1:30 p.m. The route is unchanged from previous years, starting on Girard Avenue at Kline Street, turning left onto Prospect Street and finishing outside the Recreation Center at Prospect and Draper Avenue.
For more information, visit ljparade.com.
Other Town Council news
New teen intern program: The council also unanimously approved trustee Eric Fletcher’s motion to “create a committee to partner with an ongoing internship program for local high school juniors and seniors.”
The program would “provide relevant volunteer experience and mentorship opportunities that would last one school semester and begin in the fall of 2023,” Fletcher said.
Town Council Vice President Rick Dagon called it “a great idea.”
New executive officers: Town Council President Jerri Hunt will not seek a second term in the post.
She received a commendation at the June 8 meeting from San Diego City Councilman Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla.
LaCava called Hunt “one of the hardest-working presidents of the La Jolla Town Council that I’ve seen in a long time.”
Hunt did not give a reason for not pursuing another term.
The council selected a new slate of officers to serve one-year terms. Treger Strasberg will become president, Karen Roque vice president, Jana Farella secretary, Francie Moss will continue as treasurer, and Jeremy Duimstra will be technology officer.
New trustees: LaCava also presented certificates to trustees Cathy Jones, Ron Jones and Kerr Bache, who have reached their term limits and will not continue on the Town Council.
Trustees Christy Littlemore and James Rudolph also are leaving, choosing not to seek another term because of other responsibilities.
Five new trustees were elected in their place:
• John Bauer, a La Jolla resident since February, has owned property here since 2013.
He’s originally from Australia and “grew up in a small beachside suburb, not too dissimilar to this,” he said.
“I’m very passionate about local businesses, the ocean, the community. … I’d love to see La Jolla thrive as a walking village,” Bauer said.
• Dennis-Michael Broussard moved to San Diego in 2003 and to La Jolla in 2019. He has master’s degrees in business administration and international affairs and often works in the nonprofit sector and the Asian American community.
“I do a lot of humanitarian work to bring water filters to underdeveloped ... places that don’t have … access to safe drinking water,” Broussard said. “There’s things that I do because I care about the world and care about the communities that I live in, and I want to contribute to La Jolla.”
• Mary Soriano previously served as a Town Council trustee for a few years beginning in 2011.
“I would really appreciate if I could be given the opportunity to serve this community again,” she said. “I like to inform [the] community and get them engaged when there’s something that’s going to possibly affect you.”
• Stacy Thomas was raised in La Jolla and returned several years ago to raise her daughter.
Thomas has experience in the legal and real estate fields and wants “to give back to the community that has given me so much, that has given my daughter so much,” she said. “I’d like to give some of my skills back to this group.”
• Gary Whitehead, a La Jolla resident since 1982, owns a paralegal business that supports real estate agents.
“What I learned is that in order to promote my business, I needed to integrate myself within a variety of organizations,” he said. “The La Jolla Town Council could stand some integration into the business community as well.”
Installation gala: The officers and new trustees will be installed at an inaugural gala beginning at 5 p.m. Thursday, July 20, at Farmer & the Seahorse restaurant, 10996 Torreyana Road, Torrey Pines.
Tickets are $75 and are available at lajollatowncouncil.org.
Next meeting: The La Jolla Town Council’s next regular meeting will be at 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, online and at the La Jolla Recreation Center, 615 Prospect St. ◆
Get the La Jolla Light weekly in your inbox
News, features and sports about La Jolla, every Thursday for free
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the La Jolla Light.
Become a press patron
At a time when local news is more important than ever, support from our readers is essential. If you are able to, please support the La Jolla Light today.
