Mission Beach Town Council (MBTC), Sept. 14 • Several MBTC area representatives stated their concern over an influx of scavengers and homeless people on the streets of Mission Beach at all hours of the day. “We’re doing what we can with it and we will continue to do it,” said San Diego Police Department Lt. Paul Rorrison said in response to the residents’ complaints. • MBTC members said they noticed the traffic light at the corner of Mission Boulevard and Ventura Court was causing delays because of what seemed to be a poorly-planned timer for the lights. Katherine Miles, representing District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, said her office would look into solving the problem. • Miles also said a utilities project in Mission Beach is scheduled to start once a similar project in North Pacific Beach is completed. Miles said there is an issue involving where the new bulky transformers would be placed because of the limited space available on the crowded streets and alleys of Mission Beach. When the project is set to begin is yet to be announced. • Miles said an assessment of how Mission Beach’s crumbling sea wall should be repaired or replaced is now under way. She also said Faulconer is working hard to ensure $1 million from an upcoming infrastructure bond goes to help fix the historic wall. Under the proposed plan, the first section of the sea wall to be redone would be the badly deteriorated area around Belmont Park. • Miles said Faulconer’s assessment of the condition of The Plunge at Belmont Park is that it’s structurally sound and should be opened sooner than later. • A Town Council member asked Miles to request Faulconer keep the public and local business owners updated on what the future of Belmont Park will look like. Former master leaseholder Tom Lochtefeld left this summer because of a dispute with the city over a significant rent increase. Lochtefeld is still a subtenant of Belmont Park and is currently operating The Wave House and the Soundwave. — Lee Cornell

Pacific Beach Town Council meeting, Sept. 21 • Kate Sessions Elementary School principal Sue Devicariis reported there will be an upcoming meeting in the Pacific Beach area on the San Diego Unified School District’s emerging realignment plan that might result in a school closure and consolidations locally, if approved. The plan would eliminate busing, combine Mission Bay High School and Pacific Beach Middle School, close Crown Point Elementary School and move it to the Bayview Terrace campus. Kate Sessions and Pacific Beach elementary schools would not be affected, Devicariis said. • Capt. Al Guaderrama with the San Diego Police Department’s Northern Division mentioned the Sept. 21 fatal stabbing at Bayard and Emerald streets but said he could not provide any details because the case is ongoing. • Pacific Beach resident Rick Ambler asked the PBTC to forward a letter to the San Diego City Council about creating an area at Mission Bay Park designated for remote-control airplanes. The PBTC voted to forward the request. • Sara Berns, the new executive director of Discover Pacific Beach, announced there are no funds available for the annual Pacific Beach Holiday Parade this year. • PBTC member Scott Chipman proposed a motion for the PBTC to hold a special informational meeting to discuss the pros and cons of requiring conditional-use permits (CUP) of Pacific Beach businesses with liquor licenses. The PBTC voted to hold the meeting at the end of October. — Keith Antigiovanni

PB Town Council gives $500 to Kate Sessions The Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC) has donated $500 to Kate Sessions Elementary School from funds generated by the annual PBTC Wine Tasting fundraiser at Pacific Plaza held in July. Sue Devicariis, principal of Kate Sessions, praised the donation in troubled economic times. “The Kate Sessions staff is grateful for the donation [in light of] our funds dwindling rapidly. This makes a difference for our school and our students,” she said. The PBTC will also give $500 donations to the five other public schools in the Pacific Beach area: Bayview Terrace elementary, Crown Point elementary, Mission Bay High School, Pacific Beach elementary and Pacific Beach Middle School. “The backbone of a family-oriented community should be its schools — especially now that they are lacking in funds because of budget cuts,” said PBTC president Joe Wilding, who presented the $500 check to Devicariis on Sept. 21 during the Town Council monthly meeting. Mission Bay High School and Pacific Middle School received $500 earlier last week. — Keith Antigiovanni