Concerned neighbors on La Jolla’s Via Casa Alta near Soledad Park are pursuing tighter parking restrictions because of late-night funseekers who park at the popular lookout near two vacant lots to drink, smoke, and do “who knows what else,” one resident said at this month’s La Jolla Community Planning Association (LJCPA) meeting. The LJCPA supported a motion in a 9-4-1 vote to install signs that change the current no-parking hours of 2 to 6 a.m. to a longer window of 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Clark Straw, who owns property adjacent to the lookout and who has lived in the nearby La Jolla Summit neighborhood for 20 years, said the number and frequency of “revelers” has increased “over the past five years or so” and now neighbors hear disturbances at least once a week. “There’s a lot of partying going on down there,” he said. “There’s some illegal activity, people getting intoxicated and smoking marijuana. There’s just a lot of loud noise and nuisance occurring at late hours.” Straw said local residents find themselves picking up after the partiers, who leave fast-food containers, alcohol bottles and “hundreds of cigarette butts.” The number of smokers at the site, Straw added, also raised concerns of potential wildfires. “We’re concerned that a fire could easily start with the area getting drier,” he said. Straw said he did not believe the extension of no-parking hours would necessarily solve the problem. “But it’s a start,” he said. “One of the things we can do is change the hours to some that are more reasonable.” The proposed 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. parking ban reflects the hours of the nearby park at Mount Soledad, Straw said. “We want people to enjoy the view during normal hours, but to allow this to go on late at night is a nuisance to the neighbors, as well as a fire hazard,” he added. Regular patrols by law enforcement or video surveillance would probably do more to curtail partying than stricter parking hours, Straw said. “I have mixed feelings about surveillance because it’s kind of like Big Brother is watching you,” Straw said. “And law enforcement has other concerns and limited manpower. But it’s always a few inconsiderate people who cause problems for everyone else.” Two other sites that Straw said experience similar crowds are the La Jolla Natural Park near the last street at the top of Mount Soledad, and the fire road at the end of Rue Adriane off Via Capri. “There are many spots where people have nice homes and thought they’d have a quiet neighborhood, but instead they’re dealing with these issues,” Straw said. The LJCPA had mixed opinions about the proposed changes. Several members acknowledged a problem exists but worried that the revised hours would not solve the issue and would limit street parking for residents. “I don’t think it’s going to do much because non-regulated parking is available 24 hours a day, so they’ll move across the street,” said LJCPA board member Jim Fitzgerald. “The real issue is closing the property off in some way. But let’s give it a try and see if it makes a difference.” While the LJCPA voted in favor of the extended no-parking hours, the La Jolla Town Council and the Traffic and Transportation Board voted against the project. LJCPA president Joe LaCava said the staff at the city’s Traffic Engineering Department would review the proposed changes. “If they don’t have any technical objections to it, then they issue a work order to Streets Division,” LaCava said. “Because of backlog, it can take up to 60 days for city crews to switch out the signs.”