Emerging from the pandemic there was a lot going on in Pacific and Mission beaches in 2022, as both beach communities grappled with burgeoning homelessness, along with enforcing new rules governing street vending, short-term rentals, and striking a proper balance between recreational space and wetlands.

JANUARY

State Law Changes

New laws on the books in California in 2022 addressed everything from COVID guidelines to racial profiling and systemic racism to a minimum-wage hike, price gouging, property taxes, domestic abuse, and fire protection. The minimum wage went from $14 to $15 an hour on Jan. 1. Animal Welfare: Proposition 12 made metal enclosures that restrict pigs from turning around and cages that prevent hens from opening their wings illegal. A new law alters California’s penal code to make rape within marriage the same in every legal sense as any instance of rape. Another new law allowed police officers who’ve committed misconduct to be decertified. Now they will have their license revoked and not be able to simply switch departments after being fired.

Council Boundaries Redrawn

Residents and civic leaders in Pacific Beach and La Jolla sounded off on redrawn boundaries of the newly reconstituted Council District 1, which now includes both coastal communities. The boundaries of all nine San Diego City Council Districts, as required by law every 10 years, were reshuffled according to the population by a nine-member independent redistricting commission. The biggest change for District 1 was that all of Pacific Beach, previously in District 2 along with the Peninsula, was shifted to District 1 along with La Jolla. Mission Beach remained in District 2 along with Ocean Beach, Midway, and Point Loma. Clairemont, previously in Council District 6, is now a part of District 2.

Slow Streets

Opponents of the City’s Slow Streets Program closing off Diamond Street to motorized travel from Mission Boulevard to Haines Street in Pacific Beach called it a failed experiment clamoring for it to end. Supporters, however, insisted slow streets succeeded in freeing up space for non-motorized travel while noting the need for alternative modes of travel in the beach community has never been greater.

De Anza Redesign

The City of San Diego released an updated proposal for the redevelopment of De Anza Cove in the northeastern corner of Mission Bay Park and asked San Diegans to weigh in on the plan. The revised proposal, titled De Anza Natural, would be an amendment to the Mission Bay Park Master Plan envisioning a balance of land uses that serves local and regional recreational needs, while also restoring natural habitats and preparing for the impacts of climate change.

Parking Lot Closures

In 2021, City officials supported closing some Mission Bay parking lots overnight preventing public access to curb crime. In 2022, the City went further in advocating expanding those closures from La Jolla to Ocean Beach at nearly a dozen coastal parks and parking areas overnight. The rationale was that should help reduce numerous infractions such as gang activity, late-night parties, illegal bonfires, and unauthorized camping.

FEBRUARY

Substance Abuse Treatment

Soledad House, a women-only, next-level substance abuse treatment program operating out of La Jolla and Pacific Beach, continued offering highly effective treatment programs for drug and alcohol addiction in a healing environment in eight rehabilitative homes. Through an emphasis on

relapse prevention and a range of addiction treatment therapies, the institution, whose target age is women ages 18 to 40, has treated and helped nearly 7,000 women in its 15-year history.

Personnel Shortage

A personnel shortage caused a temporary 5% reduction from current operating levels on City buses, which translated into reduced service extending waiting times on some routes. “It’s a bus operator shortage that’s the real challenge,” said Mark Olson, director of marketing and communications for MTS. “Our current bus ridership has dipped down a little with the latest pandemic surge to 65% to 70% of pre-COVID levels. All the routes will still be here. We’re not eliminating any of the routes. Some more high-frequency bus routes added 3 to 5 more minutes of wait time for customers.

PB YMCA

The pandemic contributed to the YMCA of PB closing, due to the resultant loss of membership at the facility causing previous expansion plans there to be significantly downsized. “We lost 65% of members due to COVID countywide at our 17 YMCAs, four of which, including PB, are still not open,” said Vince Glorioso, executive director at YMCA of San Diego County. “COVID forced us to shut down the operation that had existed there (PB) before. We are just now reaching out to re-engage volunteers to look at how best we can serve the community’s needs by reactivating that site, and investing in it.”

Future phases of the YMCA-SDUSD partnership were to include the construction of a new two-story, 26-classroom building; improvements to existing buildings; relocation of school administration offices, renovation of the food service area, and three new classroom/ innovation spaces in the library media center; and campus-wide upgrades to security, fire alarm, data and communication infrastructure. A public pool was also planned.

De Anza Cove Reaction

Recreational and lodging interests reacted negatively to the City’s updated proposal for redeveloping De Anza Cove in the northeastern corner of Mission Bay Park, fearing it could threaten the existence of athletic fields and low-cost camping. Pacific Youth Soccer League, which operates on fields near the proposed wetlands expansion of the existing Kendall-Frost Marsh, contended losing those recreational fields would be catastrophic for local youth.

“The City of San Diego’s proposal to expand wetlands as described within its De Anza Cove Amendment to the Mission Bay Master plan will destroy the Bob McEvoy field complex with no guarantee of replacement,” Mark Sullivan of PYSL said. “The Bob McEvoy complex, which hosts baseball, softball, soccer, and tennis, was constructed on land dedicated to the City in the mid-1950s by Bob McEvoy for the sole purpose of supporting youth athletics. It is now at risk due to a new framework proposal for De Anza Cove that would turn much of the area into wetlands.”

Garden Gurus

Pacific Beach Town Council’s Enhancement Committee took on a number of community improvement endeavors, including a joint-landscaping project with City Parks and Recreation to beautify some of the gateways into the community. One of the gateways addressed involved the Crown Point entryway on Ingraham Street.

MARCH

Slow Streets Supported

Plans were announced to make the non-motorized vehicle initiative on Diamond Street in PB permanent. “The Slow Streets Program is moving forward, this is something that’s going to be around for a while,” Kohta Zaiser, the mayor’s deputy director of community engagement, told Pacific Beach Town Council. “This was a pilot program for shared space, the first of its kind in the City. Long term we’re looking to install advisory bike lanes with parking on either side of the street next to a bike lane, and next to those a narrow lane of traffic in the middle.”

Vending Vetted

On March 1, San Diego City Council voted 8-1 to pass an ordinance to regulate sidewalk vending and establish penalties for non-compliance. “SB 946 decriminalized sidewalk vending and established requirements for local regions to regulate them,” Campbell’s chief-of-staff, Venus Molina, told the council. “The [new] ordinance applies to special events, swap meets, farmers markets, and shoreline parks. These regulations must be directly related to public health, safety, or welfare. There are distance requirements between vendors and a prohibition of vending in high-traffic pedestrian areas. Vendors must obtain a vending permit. No insurance is required and the permit would be renewed annually.”

Homeless Count

Nonprofit Shoreline Community Services in Pacific Beach was among those organizations citywide that participated in the point-in-time count of homeless done in the central beach area. HUD requires unsheltered counts every other year. However, many communities conduct annual counts as a way to gather more accurate data and provide better services, noting homeless counts figure prominently in determining funding and programming.

“We’re seeing an aging population of homeless men and women that are age 55 and over,” said Caryn Blanton of SCS. She suggested the reason might be that “people of retirement age are on a fixed income, which is not enough to get a place to live, so a lot of people end up living in their cars. That flat out is a big trend right now.”

Live Events

The continuing pandemic was bad news early on for live events. “The cost increases are coming from all sides after many of us in the live-events industry didn’t work for the last 18 months,” said Laurel McFarlane, president of the San Diego Event Coalition. “Other industries like hairdressers and gymnasiums were able to find ways to work. But our industry was almost completely shut down. It hasn’t been open since June 2021. There just seems to be this non-understanding that there is a complete industry here that basically just took it on the chin during the pandemic. But instead of giving us a few years to recover, the City is potentially increasing fees in an industry that’s barely hanging on as it is.”

Ukrainian Connection

San Diego Community Newspaper Group has a connection to war-torn Ukraine. The media company outsources most of its page and ad design to Design2Pro, which has a production center in Eastern Europe with many of the graphic designers located in Ukraine. “It’s so tragic and heartbreaking to witness this horrific act of violence unfold,” said Julie Main, owner and publisher of SDCNG. “Having a working connection with these guys makes us anxious about their safety and well-being. We hope and pray for an end to this inhumane invasion and crimes against humanity.”

Farmers Market Endures

Pacific Beach Farmers Market on Tuesdays was alive and continuing to move forward with a new management team. Discover Pacific Beach, the community’s business improvement district, operates the farmers market on Garnet Avenue and Bayard Street. In its March newsletter, DPB announced the hiring of four new market staff members: Art Zadorozhny and Vanessa Bernal as program managers; Cherish Williams as content marketing coordinator; and Bruette Martin as a new market staffer. Sunny Lee, DPB’s executive director, said the farmers market was changed little by the pandemic.

Short-Term Details

On March 9, the Coastal Commission unanimously endorsed San Diego’s new short-term rentals ordinance. Commissioners capped rental numbers by population while providing a lottery for operators, as well as requiring a review of the measure’s impacts after seven years. The new regulatory system capped whole-home rentals at 1 percent of the city’s 540,000-plus housing units. Mission Beach, which historically has had the City’s highest percentage of short-term rentals, was carved out and given a 30% cap.

APRIL

Spring Break

With more than 40 miles of oceanfront and bay shoreline to patrol throughout the City, SDFD lifeguards help keep an average of 17 million visitors safe and conduct an estimated 7,000 rescues at local beaches each year. Additionally, lifeguards manage cliff, scuba, and swift water rescues, enforce boating safety regulations and respond to emergencies involving seafaring vessels and other watercraft. “We staff up whenever crowds come and all we want is a safe 10 days of spring break,” pointed out lifeguard chief James Gartland.

Student Breakthrough

Mission Bay High School senior James Ward and his classmates were dissatisfied with the videoconferencing platform being used for their online instruction. So they created one better, turning their school club project named Alattis into a student-led business. “During the beginning of the pandemic, a couple of my friends and I created a videoconferencing platform built by students, for students, in order to combat some of the issues we were seeing with Zoom and other video-conferencing platforms,” said Ward, one of five MBHS students involved in the project.

Mourned Memorial

The City’s removal recently of a makeshift rock pet memorial on Fiesta Island led to a call for the creation of a permanent memorial there. Over the years, people using the off-leash area of the man-made island to walk their pets had been placing painted rocks to honor dogs they’d lost. But the City ultimately asked the owners of the rocks to remove them from the memorial, after someone complained of a canine being buried close by.

Don’t Trash MB

On April 9, dozens of volunteers including entire families recovered pounds and pounds of trash they’d collected to be weighed and ultimately disposed of or dispensed for the good of Mission Beach. “We’re working on getting the word out and raising the awareness level, one of the most important things,” said Larry Webb, Mission Beach Town Council president, about the quarterly beach cleanup. “It’s simply impossible for City Parks and Rec to pick up all the trash here. People have got to take it home with them.” Enter Don’t Trash Mission Beach, a nonprofit that has since grown out of initial efforts by resident Cathy Ives back in 2008. “We go out and pick up trash on a daily basis,” said Don’t Trash Mission Beach core member Tony San Felice.

PB Potholes

Pacific Beach Middle School students Rex Mehran and Mason Morgan gave a presentation to Pacific Beach Town Council about road conditions and potholes on Ingraham Street they documented during a survey they completed for a school project. “The goal of our project is to have the city finally listen about the true problems of our community, and finally get Ingraham Street repaved,” Mehran said adding. “Not only do we want Ingraham Street repaved, but we also want this to be a wake-up call to finally fix all the roads in our city.”

Library Anniversary

The Earl and Birdie Taylor Library at 4275 Cass St. celebrated the 25th anniversary of its grand opening on May 3, 1997. “Our library is unique in the San Diego Public Library system in that, in addition to our beautiful building and community meeting space, we have the only park that is managed by San Diego Public Library,” said PB head librarian Christina Wainwright. “We are able to plan programs inside or outdoors.” Wainwright noted that, in the past year, the PB branch held community-oriented functions like toddler dance parties and kids’ “storytimes” outside on the Taylor Greene.

Courts in a Pickle

On April 5, Pickleball and tennis enthusiasts crossed rackets in a turf battle over a proposal to convert Robb Field tennis courts in Ocean Beach into 36 pickleball courts. Both sides, about equally represented, packed Santa Clara Recreation Center volleying back and forth during Mission Bay Park Committee’s monthly meeting. Pickleball supporters contended there is a lack of places to play locally for the rapidly growing sport. Peninsula Tennis Club players, who use Robb Field courts, turned out in large numbers with colorful signs and costumes to argue it is unfair, and inadvisable, to remove existing tennis court space.

MAY

Homeless Resource Center

God’s Garage in Pacific Beach at 1004 Chalcedony St. morphed into The Compass Station, a resource center for the unhoused offering numerous services under one roof. The new all-purpose center held an open house on April 27. A collaboration between nonprofit Shoreline Community Services and two Pacific Beach churches – Christ Lutheran Church, and St. Andrew’s By-the-Sea – the new facility was officially dedicated with live music, a cake cutting, and public tours of the facility.

Olive Cafe Anniversary

Restaurateur and community activist Sarah Mattinson observed another milestone in Mission Beach ln 2022: the 17th anniversary of her stewardship of Olive Cafe. Mattinson recalled starting out after having taken over the eatery at 805 Santa Clara Place in 2005. “After 17 years, we’re just happy to be through COVID having survived. So we’re really celebrating ‘every’ anniversary after that.”

Vendors Vexxed

There was good news – and bad – for street vendors under a new City sidewalk-vending ordinance authored by District 2 Council member Dr. Jennifer Campbell and approved on May 17 by the City Council. City staff had originally recommended that the new vending permit fee be $230 per year, the same as a City business tax certificate. But that amount was decreased by City Council members, instead charging vendors $38 annually, fearing the higher annual rate might harm those it was intended to help. However, the new ordinance prohibits vending in designated areas during the summer months, something vendors all took issue with.

JUNE

Beach Fire Regulations

District 1 Councilmember Joe LaCava proposed amendments clarifying beach fire regulations. LaCava’s proposal confining beach fires to City-provided fire rings and portable propane-fueled devices is meant to resolve conflicting language, improve public safety, and provide clarity for beachgoers and public safety officials alike. “I support safe, legal beach fires,” said LaCava. “These amendments are essential in keeping our public beaches safe while preserving the public’s access to the unique experience of beach fires.”

Beach Street Sweeping

The City increased street sweeping in Mission Beach over the summer months to best accommodate increased trash and debris from large crowds of beachgoers and prevent pollution from reaching the ocean. From June through September, Mission Beach alleys will now be swept every Wednesday – as opposed to every other week – and include new routes. The City’s Stormwater Department was to use its smaller, electric-powered sweepers to reach nearly every alley in both North and South Mission Beach.

Enforce Vending

Mission Beach Town Council held a press conference on June 14 demanding the City enforce existing codes to curb vending at Mission Beach Park. “Today, street vending is visually and physically blocking coastal access to the beach,” said current MBTC president Larry Webb. “With the passing of the street vending ordinance, an enforcement provision does now exist.”

MBHS Graduation

A total of 259 cap-and-gown-clad seniors, the Class of 2022 at Mission Bay High School, received their diplomas in a commencement ceremony at the high school’s stadium on June 14. “Today marks the end of a chapter, and the beginning of a new one,” noted senior co-class president Macy Wang, an aspiring writer. “The beginning of the story has already been written, and now it is time to write the rest, as we enter the real world and begin figuring out who we are outside of this high school existence.”

JULY

Concerts on the Green

An annual free Pacific Beach summer tradition, Concerts on the Green at Kate Sessions Park, returned on late Sunday afternoons on four consecutive weekends July 24-Aug. 14. “The park is beautiful and it has some of the best views in San Diego,” said Marcella Bothwell, president of Pacific Beach Town Council, which was presenting the four-concert series estimated to cost $33,683. “We want to share that with the rest of San Diego.”

CAP Update

The San Diego City Council Environment Committee unanimously endorsed Mayor Todd Gloria’s update of the City’s Climate Action Plan. The update formalizes the City’s goal of achieving 100% renewable energy by 2030, and net-zero emissions by 2035 while reinforcing the City’s standing as a national climate leader.

Roe contra Wade

The California state legislature responded quickly to the U.S. Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade. The state Assembly, just three days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, passed SCA 10, a constitutional amendment to make explicit the fundamental constitutional right to abortion and contraceptives in a 58-16 vote. The bill was co-authored by Senate President pro-Tempore Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego).

Trash Can Art

Even trash cans had artwork on them in Pacific Beach thanks to a contribution by Pacific Beach Middle School student Makena Seiler. “Every eighth-grader at PBMS has to do a community service project and I wanted to do something that incorporated art, something I’m passionate about,” said the young artist. “So I found a nonprofit, beautifulPB, and they had this idea that I could put something on trash cans on Garnet. We brainstormed and decided to use endangered birds, and I got a list from the Audubon Society for what birds to use.”

OTL Tournament

What started out 69 years ago as a way to pass the time waiting for an open volleyball court, the Over-The-Line World Championship has since morphed into what it is today – an outrageously fun and competitive bat-and-ball sport best known for its tongue-in-cheek humor. This summertime staple, presented by the Old Mission Beach Athletic Club (OMBAC), was held on back-to-back weekends, July 9-10 and July 16-17, at Fiesta Island on Mission Bay.

Cove Cleanup

The Coastal Commission voted on July 13 to allow Northeast MB, LLC, operators of the Mission Bay RV Resort in Mission Bay Park, to conduct a cleanup of the De Anza Cove peninsula. The Coastal Commission approved a coastal development permit for the clean-up project, which seeks to improve coastal access in a number of ways, along with adding 147 temporary campsites at Mission Bay RV Resort. Jacob Gelfand, COO for permit applicant Northeast MB, LLC, said the benefits of the De Anza Cove clean-up were to include repairing the coastal bikeway and pedestrian path, asbestos abatement, and removal of long-abandoned homes. It was also to include the activation of interim campsites to meet the tremendous public demand for low-cost coastal accommodations and recreation.

AUGUST

Photogenic Pets

San Diego Humane Society’s 30th annual Photo Fundraiser opened for submissions and voting through the end of August. The SDHS fundraiser generates money for the organization’s vital services, which include animal sheltering and adoptions, investigations of animal cruelty and neglect, veterinary care, education programs for youth and adults, and the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife.

PBTC Keeps Name

As it turned out, a town council by any other name might not be as effective – or an improvement. That’s what the voting members of Pacific Beach Town Council determined, as an initial July vote by the group’s membership on a proposed name change to Pacific Beach Community Association, was ultimately defeated in August by a vote of 26 to 11.

Vending Ordinance

District 2 Councilmember Dr. Jennifer Campbell said on Aug. 26 she met with the Coastal Commission to help the sidewalk vendor ordinance move forward so it can be implemented citywide. As a result, she noted the commission has asked the City to withdraw the pending request for review to avoid confusion on the ordinance’s implementation timeline. By withdrawing the request for review, the ordinance could take effect citywide after the City Council approved the changes later in the year.

SEPTEMBER

Slow Down

A Bird Rock resident launched a petition drive to reduce the speed limit on a dangerous stretch of La Jolla Boulevard. “The speed limit on La Jolla Boulevard between Pacific Beach and Bird Rock is too high at 35 mph,” states a petition at Change.org, initiated by a neighborhood group named Respect Bird Rock. “This includes the well-trafficked but dangerous crossing at the world-famous Tourmaline Surf Park destination.”

Coffee Cycle Anniversary

Coffee Cycle and its owner Chris O’Brien cruised to the company’s five-year anniversary on Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach. The not-so-mobile bicycle cart O’Brien started out with remains the cornerstone of his brick-and-mortar coffee shop. It’s been a road less well traveled for the small-business entrepreneur. O’Brien spent seven years learning the barista craft at Bird Rock Coffee Roasters, before striking out on his own.

Homeless Outreach

City Council spent hours on Sept. 19 hearing from national experts and the public on best practices in dealing with the homeless crisis, before voting for a new contract enabling outreach teams to help homeless struggling with mental illness out on the streets. Following extensive testimony, the City Council voted in favor of a nine-month contract agreement between the San Diego Housing Commission, and People Assisting the Homeless, to partner and operate the City’s Multidisciplinary Outreach Program. That program would begin on Oct. 1.

Wetlands Restoration

The ReWild Coalition representing over 70 environmental and conservation groups rallied on Sept. 20 outside City Hall to request that the City Council earmarked $250,000 in next year’s budget for ReWild Mission Bay wetlands restoration. “After almost 30 years of inaction on the master plan, the City must show leadership, vision, and decisive action to restore the lungs of the bay, reconnecting us and protecting our communities from the climate crisis. It’s time to ReWild Mission Bay,” said Andrew Meyer, director of conservation at San Diego Audubon Society, at the wetlands rally.

PBMS Dedicates Facilities

San Diego Unified School District officials and Pacific Beach Middle School staff, students, and alumni marked a major milestone in September with the dedication of a new two-story building featuring collaborative workspaces and 26 classrooms with state-of-the-art technology and innovative furniture. The occasion was celebrated with speeches, including one by Dr. Lamont A. Jackson, SDUSD superintendent. Remarks were accompanied by PBMS’ band and a student zither player, Siyun Li. Musicians performed in a new courtyard with lunch tables and sun umbrellas dramatically updating outdoor gathering areas at the school’s new facility at the corner of Ingraham and Diamond streets.

OCTOBER

Affordable Housing

During a historic housing summit, the County and City of San Diego approved a resolution to expand the affordable housing supply by 10,000 homes using government land by 2030. The formal County/City Council meeting was the first in more than 22 years between the two entities and was held on Oct. 3 at San Diego State University. County Board Chair Nathan Fletcher and Council President Sean Elo-Rivera led the summit.

PB Counts

In what has become an annual tradition, beautifulPB released the results of its 2022 PB Counts, which indicated people in the beach community are increasingly walking more, while electric scooter use is declining. In 2015, beautifulPB started PB Counts, an annual neighborhood traffic count focused on non-motorized vehicles, which is conducted by volunteers and community members in the western central area of Pacific Beach. It is the only community-led traffic count conducted regularly in San Diego County, and one of the few that consistently tracks all modes of transportation.

NOVEMBER

Housing a Right

The City Council unanimously passed a resolution declaring housing a human right. The resolution will serve as a guiding principle for the City as it considers policies that address the root cause of homelessness. “The Council declares its support for the right to housing as a fundamental human right and reaffirms its commitment to providing more housing and services geared toward putting a roof over the head of every San Diegan,” the resolution read.

Navajo Code Talkers

The shining stars of Mount Soledad Memorial Association’s Veterans Day ceremony held Nov. 5 in a live in-person and virtual tribute ceremony were the Navajo Code Talkers. Phil Kendro, president/CEO of the Mount Soledad Memorial Association, paid homage to veterans and to the code talkers alike. Kendro noted the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers went through Marine Corps Recruit Depot, and after initial training, were placed at Camp Elliott in San Diego 80 years ago.

Styrofoam Ban

San Diego City Council voted 7-1 on Nov. 15 to ban polystyrene foam food containers, utensils, coolers, and toys, while granting hardship exclusions for small businesses potentially negatively impacted by the new ordinance. The new prohibition on polystyrene foam products use will take effect on April 1, 2023.

DECEMBER

OTL Champ Honored

Robert Mendoza, a former professional baseball player and San Diego Hall of Champions inductee, is now an Old Mission Beach Athletic Club hall-of-famer. Mendoza was honored at OMBAC’s Over-The-Line championship banquet for having played in more OTL tournaments than any other player in the history of the game. He started playing in 1957 and continued through this year, missing only two tournaments. During that span, he won six OTL championships.

Feel The Love

A new art gallery and studio at 4684 Cass St. in Pacific Beach was all about love. “I’m taking the leap and opening my own art gallery/studio/ retail/storefront here on Dec. 10,” said Autumn Love of her new retail art space. “I’m pretty sure it is the only solo artist gallery in PB. I’m super excited to spread some love in a new beautiful storefront. I’ll be hosting art workshops, selling art, and it will be my studio where I actively create.”