San Diego, CA
New fire hazard map reveals risks in La Jolla and beyond
Several areas of La Jolla are identified as having “very high” fire hazards in a new assessment by Cal Fire, the first new map since 2011 laying out fire hazard zones across the state.
Soledad Natural Park, La Jolla Heights Natural Park, Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve and UC San Diego were areas of La Jolla given the highest level of concern.
The new map ranks hazard zones as “moderate,” “high” or “very high,” rather than just “very high,” as in years past.
Cal Fire’s interactive Fire Hazard Severity Zone map is available online atbit.ly/3G8CzSM. Users can toggle among ZIP codes to see their community.
Key differences in La Jolla between the 2011 and 2025 maps include an expansion of the “very high” hazard zones to La Jolla Heights Natural Park all the way to the coast. In 2011, that area was unmarked.
Some portions of the UC San Diego area were downgraded to “high” and “moderate” risk, while areas like Cliffridge Park did not receive a classification on the updated map.
On the other hand, the Soledad Natural Park area saw a marked increase in “high risk” designations.
The total amount of designated acreage in La Jolla is not available, as it is grouped with San Diego County at large.
Cal Fire studied several factors in drawing the map, including types of vegetation, slope, climate and fire history.
In wildland areas, the agency considers potential spread and intensity. In non-wildland areas, it also calculates tree cover, the possible number of embers and where they are likely to land due to wind patterns, according to Cal Fire.
Areas with similar slopes and flammability are grouped into zones. Two main factors are considered — burn probability and expected fire behavior under extreme conditions. The probability of fire, combined with potential flame length, indicate which areas are most hazardous.
Dave Sapsis, Cal Fire research manager for the Fire and Resource Assessment Program, said the three-level classification system, “not unlike a report card,” is “sort of an expansion of the program and mapping into cities, which is just going to be different no matter what. I think that actually is important because it reflects, fundamentally, the influence of likelihood.”
While the maps indicate hazard risk, “at this juncture, we don’t have the capacity to understand how to predict structure ignition,” Sapsis said. ”It’s just a hazard model, and it’s best referred to as such.”
San Diego City Council President Joe LaCava, whose District 1 includes La Jolla, said he’s glad to see updated maps “based on more substantial data than has been used in the past” and reflecting the nuances between “very high,” “high” and “moderate” hazard zones.
“It has a dual purpose,” LaCava said. “One, it is for public awareness. But also [it] will help guide the city of San Diego’s efforts.”
LaCava has heard constituents raise concerns about fire safety, including at his March 5 town hall meeting in La Jolla, which pushed a group of local residents to pursue formation of a La Jolla Fire Safe Council, a community preparedness and prevention organization comparable to a Neighborhood Watch for crime.
Is it time for a Fire Safe Council in La Jolla?
“I think folks might be more aware of what is unique about District 1, and that is all the natural open space we have,” LaCava said. “The timing of this is very interesting, because I think with the tragic fires in L.A., there is a much more heightened awareness of where the risk is and living in proximity to these open space areas.”
LaCava encourages residents to take steps to protect their properties against fires, have a strategy in case of a natural disaster, work with neighbors to clear debris and other ignition risks and notify the city of any open space concerns.
La Jolla Shores Association President John Pierce, who lives just outside a pair of “very high” hazard zones, raised concerns about Mount Soledad’s brush hazards. After viewing the new map, he said the hazard severity zones align with the community’s concerns.
Pierce, who volunteered to be a board member for a potential La Jolla Fire Safe Council, said the map reinforces a need for stricter building codes for fire resistance, regular brush clearance, adequate water infrastructure and built-in fire breaks.
He also emphasized the importance of collaboration and preparedness among neighboring communities, especially if a fire is “a hop, skip and a jump” away from areas outside the hazard zones.
“It will affect us all,” he said. “Fires will not adhere to these boundaries, so it is still a concern for all of those that live adjacent to Mount Soledad.”
What’s being done in La Jolla and beyond to prevent wildfires
Though a barrage of wildland fires earlier this year ignited safety concerns across San Diego County, the new countywide map indicates a decrease in acreage with “very high” fire hazards, compared with 2011.
According to Cal Fire, San Diego County has 157,338 acres with that hazard level, below the 2011 figure of more than 180,700 acres.
On the state level, however, more than 1 million acres under local jurisdictions were given “very high” hazard ratings — an increase from more than 860,000. Areas in Los Angeles County, which was hardest hit by this year’s wildfires, saw increases of 30%.
The main use for the maps, Cal Fire Capt. Jim McDougald told The San Diego Union-Tribune, is for planning new homes. Building a home in a “very high” severity zone, for example, would necessitate complying with construction and materials standards under Chapter 7A of the California Building Code.
Additional standards apply to water supply, road widths and entry and exit paths. Home sellers must make disclosures about the fire hazard.
Is La Jolla ready for a wildfire? A look at evacuation routes and safety measures just in case
Alma Lowry, a captain and community resource officer with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department, said the maps are “a very handy tool” in the city’s risk-reduction efforts.
“There’s such far advances in mapping, with satellites and drones and everything that’s out there, that we’re getting a lot of really great content,” Lowry said. “And the mapping is getting better every year they redo them.”
The new map may not come as a surprise to people in the heavily impacted areas, however.
“A lot of people that live in the high-severity zones already know they live in high-severity zones,” Lowry said.
Sapsis said he expects the mapping updates to become more common.
“We’ve got a model and there’s so much attention on these maps,” he said. “It’s obvious the L.A. fires have influenced the level of focus and interest in the maps. Our intent is to have this on a regular update cycle as we streamline the data and the workflow for the model.”
— San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer Christian Martinez contributed to this report. ♦
Originally Published:
The San Diego State Aztecs’ have moved off the bubble and back into the NCAA Tournament’s Field of 64 in the latest ESPN’s Bracketology projections.
The Aztecs must feel like a yo-yo, but now it’s in a good way. Bracket expert Joe Lunardi moved them from the bottom of the First Four Out — No. 72 — to holding the Mountain West’s automatic bid after an 89-72 home romp Wednesday night over Utah State, which had held the auto-bid in bracketology for a few weeks now.
Lunardi now has the Aztecs as the No. 11 seed in the West Region, with a projected first-round date against former MW rival BYU in Portland.
Lunardi wrote that SDSU’s auto-bid “shifts the entire bubble.”
Wednesday night’s victory not only pulled the Aztecs (19-8, 13-4) into a tie with Utah State (23-5, 13-4) atop the MW standings, but it was just their second Quad 1 victory in six such opportunities.
SDSU’s next two games are both Quad 1 chances, at New Mexico on Saturday and then at Boise State on Tuesday night.
The win lifted the Aztecs only one spot in the NCAA NET Rankings, to No. 43. Those rankings are used by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee as the primary sorting tool for selection and seeding for March Madness.
SDSU’s resume for earning an at-large berth has been on shaky ground all season, and was seriously damaged last week when the Aztecs lost at home to Grand Canyon and were then routed at Colorado State, both Quad 2 games.
SDSU’s best bet to assure a trip to March Madness for the sixth straight season is to win the MW tournament in Las Vegas and claim the automatic bid. That requires winning three games in as many days, and perhaps a third showdown against the Aggies, who beat the Aztecs 71-66 in Logan on Jan. 31.
Lunardi now has Utah State projected as an at-large team, but still with the No. 7 seed in the East, facing No. 10 Texas A&M in a first-round game in St. Louis.
New Mexico (21-7, 12-5), lurking just a game behind SDSU and USU, has dropped from the Last Four In at No. 68 to the First Four Out at No. 70.
The Aztecs were the unanimous preseason pick to win the MW regular-season title in their final season in the league before moving into the Pac-12 along with Utah State, Boise State, Fresno State and Colorado State.
Saturday’s game at New Mexico is set to tip off at 11 a.m. PT and will air on CBS.
The top teams in the West Coast Conference are jockeying for position in the standings as the regular season draws to a close, and the Oregon State women took care of business Thursday night, blowing out the San Diego Toreros 83-49 to move to 21-9 on the season, and 13-4 in conference play.
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The Toreros have been a basement dweller in the conference for the last few seasons, so this result isn’t surprising, though it’s magnitude is a bit eye-raising. The Beavers wasted no time putting San Diego into a hole, opening the first quarter on an 8-0 run that Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler getting involved early. Oregon State held a 14 point, 26-12 lead after one.
The second quarter wasn’t as lopsided, but San Diego wasn’t able to make much headway into the Beaver lead. Six points from Olivia Owens kept San Diego within shooting distance, but defensive pressure from Kennedie Shuler and strong rebounding from Lizzy Williamson kept the Toreros under control. Oregon State ended the first half up by 13, 40-27.
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Oregon State tightened their grip in the third. While Olivia Owens and Kylie Ray managed to give the Toreros some hope early in the quarter, Oregon State went on a run late in the period to get their lead to 21 at the highest. San Diego finally snapped the Beaver hot streak, but a three from Kennedie Shuler ended the quarter in a 61-43, 18 point Beaver lead.
The bottom seemed to fall out of San Diego in the fourth, with the Toreros only putting six points on the board. Tiara Bolden and Kennedie Shuler kept the points flowing for the Beavers, while Lizzy Willilamson continued to dominate the boards. A layup with an and one from Elisa Mehyar were the last Beaver points of the game, giving Oregon State a 34 point, 83-49 win.
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It was a good night for several Beavers, with Kennedie Shuler once again leading the team in scoring. She finished the night with 22 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals. She can do just about everything on the court.
Tiara Bolden continued her hot streak with a 17 point night, along with four rebounds and four assists. Jenna Villa added 14 points, one rebound and one assist. Lizzy Williamson added another double double to her resume, with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Oregon State’s Winning Streak Ends With 55-51 Loss to LMU
There’s one last item on the agenda for Oregon State, a season-closing meeting with the Loyola Marymount Lions Saturday at Gill Coliseum. The Lions handed Oregon State their first WCC loss of the season back in January, so getting some revenge before the conference tournament would be a good statement from the team. Tip off is set for 1 PM PT.
Mayor Todd Gloria sought the public’s feedback Thursday in shaping San Diego’s 2026-27 fiscal year budget, as the city launched a digital survey to help determine which programs and services are prioritized and which are reduced.
The survey is available at datasd.typeform.com/2027budget.
Officials will use responses in crafting the new budget, which takes effect on July 1. The City Charter deadline to release a draft budget is April 15, “allowing ample time for resident feedback to be considered during budget discussions,” officials said.
Gloria said that the city has already “closed hundreds of millions of dollars of a longstanding structural deficit, but we are not done. The next budget will require even tougher choices, and I want to be clear with residents: We will not be able to do everything we might like to do.
“I’m asking San Diegans to take a few minutes to tell us what matters most to them, and what they’re willing to forgo, as we build next year’s budget,” he added.
The five-minute survey is open to residents living within San Diego city limits. Those without home computer access can fill out the survey at any city library.
According to Gloria’s office, the city’s projected deficit is $120 million for the next budget, which the city is required by law to keep balanced.
In addition to asking what residents’ top priorities are, the survey asks if the city “should generate more revenue to protect services.”
Offered in English and Spanish, the survey is available until the start of May.
Officials said residents can also sound off on the budget process by attending City Council budget meetings either in person or via Zoom.
Council members will discuss the budget during their March 10 meeting, which starts at 6 p.m. at the City Administration Building downtown.
Public library locations can be found at sandiego.gov/public- library/locations.
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