The votes are in on the alcohol ban, but one of the big questions is how it will affect Old Mission Beach Athletic Club’s ” better known as OMBAC ” signature annual events including the Over the Line Tournament (OTL), the OMShoes Spring Horseshoe Tournament, OMSurf Classic Long Board Surfing Contest and annual Coming Out Party.
Community sports programs supported by OMBAC, such as the OMBAC rugby team, a lacrosse team, a youth OTL Tournament and a wheelchair and adaptive sports program, could have less money if fewer people show up for the events.
Revenue for the events comes from souvenir sales, according to Phil Herr, OMBAC member on the Adaptive Sports and Wheelchair Committee.
“If our funds are not available”¦then our activities have to diminish, so it’s going to hurt the community,” Herr said.
He said OMBAC supports the events primarily from T-shirt and souvenir sales but added that some money does come from the sale of beer and wine as well.
OMBAC representative Duke Marston said OMBAC members plan to meet with District 2 Councilmember Kevin Faulconer to discuss the details of the ban.
“Right now it’s just too early to tell.” Marston said. “We don’t have a clue at this point [but] we think our beer garden will be fine.”
Marston said OMBAC applies for a permit from the city for events at which more than 75 people are expected. They also apply for the regulatory Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) permit required for an event where vendors sell alcohol.
The annual OMBAC Coming Out Party requires the permit, which allows for identification checks at the entrance of an enclosed “beer garden,” Marston said.
While permitted beer gardens should remain unaffected, Marston said the ban could draw fewer people to the beach, making it hard for OMBAC to cover permit fees and expenses, which can reach about $30,000. Included in the permit fees are costs to cover portable restrooms and additional police at the event, he said.
The permit process would remain unaffected by the ordinance, Council Member Kevin Faulconer said.
“People are going to come down and still enjoy [the OTL tournament],” he said. “That’s still going to continue,”
He added that his office would be meeting with members of OMBAC next week.
The yearlong ban extends to all public beaches, bays, coastal rights-of-way in Districts 1 and District 2, including Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach along with Mission Bay Park. It was approved by a vote of 5-2.
The law goes into effect 30 days after the second reading, he said.
“During that initial month, we’ll make sure we’ll warn people,” Captain Boyd Long, with the San Diego Police Department’s Northern Division said.
The city intends to post additional signs alerting the public to the restriction. Details of the signs and how many would be posted have yet to be determined, he said.
Violators of the ordinance would receive a citation for a notice to appear in court, Long said.
As a result of the restriction, Long said he expects the violence from groups who use the beach to drink to subside. He added, however, that the DUI rate in the area would probably remain unchanged because of the closeness of residences to restaurants and bars.
Long added that extra police department staffing at permitted events would remain unchanged. For more information on applying for an event permit, visit www.sandiego.gov/park-and-recreation.