Motorcyclist seriously hurt in PB crash Traffic investigators are still sorting through details of a collision on Jan. 16 in Pacific Beach that left a motorcyclist seriously injured. According to police, a 25-year-old man driving a Ford Taurus eastbound on Garnet Avenue around 5:30 p.m. made a left turn on to northbound Lamont Street in front of the 24-year-old motorcyclist heading westbound on Garnet. The motorcyclist reportedly suffered a broken femur and lower leg injury.

Navy SEAL dies of accidental gunshot A Navy SEAL who police believe accidentally shot himself in the head on Jan. 5 while displaying his handguns to a visitor in his Pacific Beach apartment died of his injuries Jan. 7. The victim, identified at Petty Officer 3rd Class Gene Clayton, Jr. of Ohio, was pronounced dead at the hospital after surviving more than 48 hours on life support. Police were called to the Grand Avenue apartment around 2 a.m. on Jan. 5, where Clayton apparently had been showing several handguns to a female visitor and picked up one he apparently thought was unloaded, discharging a round into his head, according to investigators. He was rushed to Scripps Memorial Hospital in La Jolla, where doctors placed him on life support. According to Navy records, Clayton was a special warfare operator who joined in March 2010. Navy officials said Clayton finished pre-basic SEAL training in Illinois in August and full SEAL training at the Navy’s elite forces training facility in Coronado.

Renamed PB committee seeks members The Pacific Beach Community Advisory Committee (PBCAC) — formerly the Special Events Committee — will seek two new at-large members during the group’s Tuesday, Feb. 21 meeting. The nine-member PBCAC consists of two representatives each from the Pacific Beach Town Council, Discover PB and the PB Planning Group, plus three at-large members to review and advise on special events occurring on Pacific Beach streets. The committee was also repurposed last year to review new alcohol licenses and changes to current licenses. District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer formed the committee in 2006 after problems developed during the final PB Block Party. The committee’s mission is to ensure community input on events. At-large member candidates should present a short biography during the PBCAC meeting at 6 p.m. on Feb. 21 when the committee meets at 1503 Garnet Ave. For more information, call (858) 273-3303. PB Planning Group looks for new members The Pacific Beach Planning Group (PBPG) will hold its annual elections March 28, but time is running out for candidates who intend to run for a seat and have not yet attended a meeting of the PBPG in the last year. Candidates must have attended a meeting in 2011 or must attend the Jan. 25 meeting to qualify. Candidates must also be residents of — or own a business in —Pacific Beach. The March 28 election will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at the Pacific Beach/Taylor Branch Library, located at 4275 Cass St. The PB Planning Group is composed of 20 community volunteers (15 residential and five commercial seats). The group advises the city on land-use and new development, traffic, parking, and other issues of importance to the community. For an application packet, email Damon Westwood at [email protected], or call (858) 866-0696.