Our charter . . .

Independent La Jolla is a membership-based community organization comprised of citizens united by a desire to self-govern La Jolla as a City, vs. its current structure as a Village within the City of San Diego.

La Jolla is one of America's great historic and environmental jewels. Whether its visitors hail from nearby neighboring communities or halfway around the world, they are drawn to La Jolla's astonishing physical beauty and its distinctive residential business and cultural community. It is a treasure worth preserving.

Yet under its present legal status, La Jolla is subject to the laws and actions of the City of San Diego, a municipality that has undergone dramatic growth and change in recent years. That growth has increasingly put San Diego's priorities as a city at direct odds with those of La Jolla as a community.

La Jolla's shoreline and skylines are controlled by the San Diego City government. Past decisions made by the City relating to critical qualities of life issues - from land use and historical preservation to environmental impact and municipal services - have not aligned with the stated preferences of La Jollas 45,000 residents.

Most of all, the characteristics that have made La Jolla such a distinctive destination for visitors and residents are steadily eroding as a result of these decisions. Unchecked, they threaten to destroy La Jolla's unique identity and quality of life.

Independent La Jolla believes that the long-term interest of both the City of San Diego and the community of La Jolla would best be served if La Jolla were granted status as an independent city.

For this reason, Independent La Jolla applied for and was approved as a 501(c)(4) organization.

Residents throughout the region have a deep pride of affiliation with and commitment to their local communities. A City unifies our voices and unifies our strength as La Jollans and San Diegans. Bigger than any one neighborhood, La Jolla demands an all-encompassing perspective to effectively cultivate and protect the things we want most. The overall vision of the self-governance of Cityhood is to improve quality of life, offer a trusted forum, and address issues on a local scale with localized ability to execute economic decisions.

We at Independent La Jolla are convinced that we not only have the financial resources to operate our own City, but have the talent, energy, and creativity within our community to succeed in forming a City of La Jolla. We will then have the ability to control our own destiny and ensure that the quality of life we cherish is preserved and protected and make La Jolla a better place for the benefit of all of San Diego.