Annual count in Pacific Beach needs volunteers
Nonprofit beautifulPB is seeking volunteers and offering free swag from the group to do a count of cars, bikes, pedestrians, scooters, etc. on Saturday, Aug. 11 from 3 to 5 p.m.
Volunteers will meet at the corner of Cass and Felspar streets.
“This is our fourth annual count and still the only multimodal traffic count in San Diego County,” said Chris Olson of beautifulPB.
Annual PB counts monitor how people travel on key roads in Pacific Beach, and are conducted by volunteers led by beautifulPB members. Counts help shed light on how people move around in the beach community, while helping to determine what can be done to make travel safer and easier.
Count volunteers use tally sheets to track the number of people walking, biking, driving and using alternative transportation, like skateboards, over a two-hour period. BeautifulPB compiles the count data, and shares the results with the community. The count is conducted at more than 20 locations throughout town.
Past counts have shown the majority of people — 68 percent — traveling by car with 25 percent walking, 6 percent riding bikes and 1 percent using other forms of transport.
During the traffic count in 2017, more than 2,800 cars were counted on Grand Avenue during a two-hour span. By contrast, fewer than 500 cars were counted during the same time interval at other PB locations.
However, traffic modes are mixed on many PB streets. At 12 locations, 40 percent or more of traffic was people walking, biking or using other travel modes. Nearly every street counted had at least 100 people walking, biking or using other transportation.
Nearly half of all traffic on Garnet Avenue was people walking. The count found bicyclists often ride on sidewalks instead of the street. More than twice as many people rode illegally on the sidewalk along Garnet Avenue than in the bike lane on Grand Avenue. Survey call for all PB business owners
G4 Strategies, in partnership with Discover Pacific Beach, has created a survey to provide economic insight and greater public awareness of Pacific Beach’s business community and its economic value to the San Diego region. 
Participation will help the business improvement district better serve the PB business community’s interests at city hall, and improve the economic climate in Pacific Beach. 
The survey is free, online, and takes only a few minutes to complete. The survey was released Aug. 6 and will run until Aug. 20.
The higher the survey response rate received, the more accurate and useful the survey data will be for PB business owners and the public at-large.  
The survey is free to take for any PB business owner and is available on pacificbeach.org, click on business survey. Brazil Day canceled
Due to financial difficulties, what would have been the 11th Brazilian Day San Diego, Fair and Parade, which annually draws 50,000 guests and would have been held the second Sunday in September, has been canceled.
“We couldn’t get enough funding to put the event on the way it’s been,” said event organizer Paulo Batuta, noting some of the funding to stage the parade and fair comes from Brazil itself. 
Batuta said elections this year in Brazil, coupled with a political scandal involving the government, have combined to cause organizers to cancel the event for 2018.
“It is very chaotic what’s going on down there, which made it harder for us to get money for the event this year,” said Batuta.”We intend to return next year.”
In the interim, added Batuta, “It will be a good time for us to think about everything, and maybe come up with a new event, design it in such a way that it would be sustainable.”
Brazil Day started out on Garnet Avenue in Pacific Beach, but outgrew the venue and has been held at Belmont Park in Mission Beach the past couple years. Bringing the spirit of the South American country to San Diego, the annual event has included more than 150 vendors displaying activities, food and entertainment for the whole family. The event has included a kids zone and a beer garden for adults. 
Historically, Brazil Day has also presented non-stop entertainment throughout the day including Brazilian music and rhythmic dance ensembles. Bird to address Pacific Beach planners Aug. 22
A representative from one of the dockless vehicle companies in town, Bird, will give a brief presentation and answer questions at the next monthly meeting of Pacific Beach Planning Group on Wednesday, Aug. 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Pacific Beach Taylor Branch Library, 4275 Cass St. The PB Library, closed for summer roof repairs, recently re-opened in full.  MBHS 40th reunion The Mission Bay High School Class of 1978 is planning its 40th reunion to be held on Saturday, Aug. 25 at Mission Bay Yacht Club from 6 to 10 p.m. Come join your classmates while overlooking the bay at the MBYC. Enjoy dinner, drinks, a photo booth by Pixster and DJ with Drew Miller. Find more information and tickets by visiting mbhs1978.com/details.html. Documentary on Fish surfboard design Joseph Ryan – Freeway Project – will present the documentary “FISH” at the Ocean Beach Historical Society 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 16 at Water’s Edge Faith Community, 1984 Sunset Cliffs Blvd. “FISH” is a look at the origin and impact of the Fish surfboard design and how it would influence surf culture 40 years later. The presenter will be Cher Pendarvis, surfer, artist and author.
The Fish surfboard design was innovated in Ocean Beach / Point Loma by Steve Lis in 1967. Local surfers who are passionate about the Fish surfboard are interviewed and seen surfing in the film, including Lis, Skip Frye, Jeff Ching, Stanley Pleskunas, Bird Huffman, Pendarvis, Mitchell Peligrin, Trevor Neilsen, Cory Edging and others. There will be appearances by surf greats Mark Richards, David Rastovich and others. For more information, visit obhistory.org. Shelter Island Boat Launch still closed
Construction of the Shelter Island Boat Launch Facility continues to make progress. Unfortunately, the launch ramp is expected to remain closed to the public throughout August. The Port of San Diego recognizes that this extended closure impacts boaters during the busy summer season, but due to unforeseen concrete obstructions and other materials that were recently discovered during construction, it is necessary to keep the ramp closed at this time. The contractor is actively working on opening a lane as soon as construction allows.