WEDDINGS GO ON AMID NEIGHBOR COMPLAINTS
Code enforcement probe of rental venue in La Jolla yields no city action yet
While an investigation by the city of San Diego continues into the legality of the operation, weddings continue to be held at the Ville Sur Mer property in a residential neighborhood in La Jolla’s Lower Hermosa area.
A complaint was filed the first week of August against Ville Sur Mer, which rents out the oceanfront house at 6276 Camino de la Costa as a venue for weddings and other events. A code enforcement investigation was launched soon after.
In the weeks that followed, weddings continued to be held there, prompting some in the area to reach out to city offices such as those of Mayor Todd Gloria, City Attorney Mara Elliott and Councilmember Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla.
“Nothing has happened,” said Jamison Ginsberg. “I can’t really understand why. This is clearly a violation.”
She reported seeing hazards on the site that put “lives in danger,” such as an ungated pool, use of candles surrounded by flammable plants, and a narrow set of stairs that guests would have to use in case of a fire. Ginsberg said she relayed photos from weekend events
and reports from neighbors to city representatives.
Ginsberg said she hopes Ville Sur Mer “shuts down” because “it is a business operating in a residential area.”
The complaint filed in August alleged a zoning violation and an “unpermitted business in a residential zone.”
City representatives said the investigation is “ongoing.” They added that the city has been in contact with the property owners but no notices of violation have been filed.
LaCava representative Steve Hadley previously said the council member was “waiting for a report from the investigation.”
Representatives of Ville Sur Mer did not respond to a request for comment by the La Jolla Light, a publication of the U-T Community Press.
Nearby resident Ed Quinn said the weddings have slowed since the weather has gotten cooler, but before that, weddings and other parties were happening “one or two a week.”
“The staging starts the day before, when a couple of big trucks come in to unload everything from heat lamps to chairs and goes on and off throughout the day,” Quinn said. “At a typical wedding, people show up around 2 p.m. the day of and park all up and down the street. It becomes impossible to park in front of your own house. They go in, and as the sun starts to go down, the music starts. Sometimes it’s a DJ;