Despite months of community input and debate about alcohol’s effect on quality-of-life issues and a possible ban on drinking at the beach, the Beach Alcohol Task Force (BATF) agreed on several issues concerning law enforcement but failed to reach a decision about a ban during a packed-house meeting on Monday, June 4.
Task force members have reached agreements on issues such as increased law enforcement and programs to squelch loud house parties, but talk of an alcohol ban on beaches still continued to ignite passion and applause from both sides.
Facilitated by District 2 Councilman Kevin Faulconer at the Pacific Beach Middle School auditorium, the panel deadlocked on the issue of a ban, forcing yet another meeting to be scheduled in the coming weeks.
The panel, comprised of beach-area representatives, sat in front of a crowd of about 100 residents and concerned citizens who reacted with applause as BATF members expressed opinions for and against a ban. Members also discussed the possibility of implementing a restriction during the Fourth of July, which often draws more than half a million visitors each year.
The problem, however, may not be in what residents and community members think about alcohol consumption at Mission Beach, Pacific Beach and Ocean Beach, but more about perceptions and personal accountability, according to board members both for and against restricting alcohol on the sand.
BATF member Scott Chipman said Pacific Beach has a reputation in other cities. He said he heard an Orange County radio station refer to Pacific Beach as “the Tijuana of Southern California.”
“People say, ‘Why go to Tijuana when you can go to Pacific Beach?'” Chipman said.
A 33-year resident of Pacific Beach, Chipman said that he has been working on changing this perception issue for 15 years.
He favors further restricting alcohol on the beach because its legality attracts people from all over California and Arizona specifically to drink, which, Chipman said, is the wrong reason to visit the beach.
It is a problem, he said, that brings with it public drunkenness, loud parties and public urination.
Increased public awareness, education and policy changes ” including the number of alcohol licenses issued to businesses ” are steps that can be taken to resolve the problem, he said.
Chipman also said restricting alcohol on the beach by implementing a permit process would be a useful way for police to know exactly who is supposed to be drinking and why.
Further restrictions on alcohol may lead to less alcohol consumed on the beaches and bay but would only push problems into the neighborhoods, said Jeremy Malecha, BATF member and executive director of SavePB.org.
“We need to understand the impacts a ban would have on residents “¦ this isn’t Del Mar,” Malecha said.
Residents in beach-area communities like Pacific Beach and Mission Beach are different than those in other areas because many are younger, don’t have children and tend to have more parties, he said.
A ban on alcohol at the beach won’t resolve the problems brought by alcohol consumption ” only displace them ” Malecha said.
Neither would it help Ocean Beach tackle problems with the homeless and drug offenders who like to meet up at the Ocean Beach pier, he added.
Malecha said the issue regarding public urination could be resolved if there were more public restrooms in beach areas.
Right now, there is only one toilet and one urinal in the men’s public restroom at the foot of Pacific Beach Drive. That cannot meet the needs of the thousands of visitors that flock to that area, he said.
The solution is a matter of personal and community accountability, he said. A public relations campaign aimed at party hosts, backed up by law enforcement provisions the committee has agreed upon should be enough to control the problem in the long term.
While oppositional viewpoints concerning restricting beach alcohol remain open to debate, the representative committee did reach common ground illustrated by a list of 16 action items given to community members at the meeting.
The list of consensus-items includes programs aimed at increasing the number police officers in beach areas, installation of security cameras and increased education through university participation for students in beach areas.
Other items included fining party hosts, hiring beach-specific neighborhood code compliance officers, expanding the beach area community court, promoting the use of taxis and designated drivers and providing DUI breathalyzer kits for all Northern Division patrol cars.
Faulconer said the list represents evidence of progress toward solving the problems.
“There was very significant agreement on a lot of areas, but the issue of the ban brings strong emotions on both sides,” Faulconer said.
Established in October 2006, the BATF meets once a month to discuss alcohol-related issues in Pacific Beach, Mission Beach and Ocean Beach.
The 14-member panel represents business owners and operators, town council representatives and residents from the three beach communities.
The July meeting date, time and location has not been set.
For information, call Faulconer’s office at (619) 236-6996.