A set of beach access stairs near Camino de la Costa in La Jolla’s Lower Hermosa neighborhood was vandalized with Nazi symbols and the numbers “1602” spray-painted on it over the weekend.
The incident was reported to the city of San Diego via the Get It Done app and the Bird Rock Maintenance Assessment District. It wasn’t known when the graffiti was painted.
The Nazi symbols were painted over, though it wasn’t immediately clear when or whether it was by the city or a resident. The references to 1602 remained.
The staircase has been deteriorating for years, with the concrete crumbling and the rebar rusted. However, the stairs recently got the attention of the state Legislature. Last year, when California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the state’s $308 billion budget into law, $2 million was set aside to repair the staircase.