The Beach Alcohol Task Force met for its tenth and final time Monday to work toward a consensus in solving problems related to alcohol consumption in the communities of Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach.
Over the last year, the task force has agreed on remedies to loud house parties, public urination and public intoxication, while the discussions regarding banning alcohol at the beach continued to divide the community.
The meetings did result in a list of 21 “action items,” but has developed no official recommendation for the City Council concerning an alcohol restriction on the beach. Beach Alcohol Task Force members will also form an “implementation committee” within a few weeks to track progress on the items, according to District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer.
Monday’s discussions mainly targeted the possibility of creating alcohol-free beach zones and implementing on-sale liquor license conditional use permits (CUP), which could limit the number of liquor licenses in beach areas.
One location that would benefit from such measures is the area at the south end of Ocean Beach, said 23-year Ocean Beach resident Craig Klein said.
Klein said the configuration of the area near the seawall and by the Ocean Beach Pier creates a convenient location for drug dealers. He said that alcohol consumption on that part of the beach plays a role in attracting illegal activity. Although Klein supports responsible alcohol consumption on the beach, an alcohol-free zone in that area would be an effective tool for police to use in cracking down on crime.
Klein lives a block away from Ocean Beach with his wife, Julie, who serves on the task force.
“People are now accepting that we need a little bit of change and we need to at least try an alcohol-free zone,” Julie Klein said.
Klein and others have suggested alcohol-free zones in three areas on the beaches. If implemented, Ocean Beach would have an alcohol-free zone between the Ocean Beach Pier and the lifeguard tower, near the intersection of Newport Avenue and Abbott Street.
Pacific Beach would have a zone from Felspar Street south to Reed Avenue. Mission Beach would see a zone on the beach near Belmont Park.
Klein said she has been campaigning for the “Family Recreational Overlay Zone” for more than a year. She said she just wants a place where children can play without being affected by the behavior of those drinking alcohol.
In 2002, Proposition G came before San Diego voters. If passed, it would have banned alcohol in certain beach areas. The measure was voted down by a margin of less than 1 percent, according to the San Diego Registrar of Voters website.
Although the issue keeps resurfacing, Jeremy Malecha, executive director of FreePB.org, said he doesn’t think the family zones will get adopted. He said the zones aren’t necessary and that those who want to enjoy an alcohol-free zone have a lot of places go in San Diego.
“If somebody wants to be in a situation like that they can find the space,” he said.
FreePB.org is a grass-roots organization that advocates for preserving the right to responsibly consume alcohol on the beach.
In addition to discussing the alcohol beach zones, the task force addressed the possibility of modifying conditional use permits for businesses that want to sell alcohol for consumption on the premises.
Scott Chipman, a 33-year resident of Pacific Beach, said that changing the current CUP process would address the problem from the business side by placing additional conditions and restrictions on the license, he said.
The current process allows for a business to change the status of their liquor license to serve alcohol beyond the conditions originally placed, he said.
“Right now, a sandwich shop can get a beer and wine license and then decide they want to sell until 2 a.m., get their license modified and become a nightclub,” he said.
Chipman said the state’s department of Alcoholic Beverage Control is inclined to process liquor licenses faster because it means more revenue generated for the state.
Currently, residents living within 100 feet of a business must be notified of the liquor license application, he said. He added that the ABC doesn’t protect communities.
Chipman said a CUP would give more power to local communities by allowing a planning board, or appropriate governing body, to place restrictions on licenses. The conditions could include designated times for alcohol sales and making sure the establishment sells more food than alcohol, he said.
Chipman suggested at the meeting that the task force model a CUP process after cities like Vallejo and San Jose, which have CUP programs that allow new businesses to sell alcohol if they follow certain conditions. He said that he’s willing to meet with others from the task force to work on the issue.
While the task force did not reach a consensus involving alcohol-free zones, the group did agree to meet in the future to discuss the CUP process and the zones.
At the meeting, Faulconer called for volunteers from the group for community leaders from three beach communities to meet in a smaller “implementation committee” to track progress of the 21 programs and strategies aimed at reducing alcohol-related problems.
The list includes increasing San Diego Police Department’s Beach Team officers, several education campaigns against drunk driving, harsher penalties for out-of-control house parties, more trash bins and increased seasonal restrooms.
“My goal is make sure we have traction on all of these items,” Faulconer said. “It is an opportunity for us to come together and talk about progress,”
Formed in October of 2006, the 14-member Beach Alcohol Task-Force comprises community leaders from Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Ocean Beach with the goal of finding solutions to problems surrounding alcohol in the beach communities.