Policeman offers thanks to good citizens I am a police officer in Pacific Beach. I was wondering if you could place a message in your newspaper to thank a few citizens who helped me out today. I was a bit busy and unable to thank them before they left the scene. On 10/28/2009, at approximately 7:25 p.m., I responded to a citizen’s 911 call reporting a female burglarizing a vehicle in the parking lot near the Vons gas station at 1600 Garnet Ave. A coworker of mine got to the scene a second before I did and contacted a group of potential suspects. All of the people were with the female. My coworker radioed the subjects were not being cooperative. As I ran to help my coworker, my sunglasses fell onto the ground without me noticing it. When I got to my coworker, the female suspect reached into her waistband. Whenever a suspect reaches into a place where weapons are commonly kept, it gets our attention quickly and is addressed immediately. As I gave the female suspect verbal commands, two wonderful citizens came up behind me to get my attention. As I was addressing a possibly armed burglary suspect, the two citizens were apparently trying to get my attention to notify me of the loss of my sunglasses. Obviously, the possibly armed subject was my priority. As a police officer, I also have to be aware of what is happening behind me. I yelled at the two citizens to move away. I saw one of them put my sunglasses on top of a car and leave. After getting the suspected burglar in custody, I was able to recover my sunglasses. Another citizen approached and told me to check an area where he saw the suspect place an object down. I recovered a methamphetamine pipe. I didn’t have a chance to thank the three people who helped me out. I hope this message reaches them or someone who may have heard the story of the cop that yelled at the citizens who were only trying to give him back his lost sunglasses. D. Abrams, San Diego police officer, Northern Division A wonderful event Thank you for your expanded coverage of the Pacific BeachFest. It is a wonderful event that draws our community together and showcases the best of PB. BeachFest provides a unique opportunity for local residents, businesses, schools, community groups and musicians/performers to get to know each other and have fun at the same time. It also provides visitors with a glimpse of all the neat things our beach community has to offer. I know it takes a lot of work, time, money and commitment to make BeachFest happen. I want to thank Discover Pacific Beach, all the volunteers, and all the business sponsors for once again giving us a great BeachFest. Marcie Beckett, Pacific Beach Mission Beach property owners beware If you haven’t already noticed the increase in noise from the jets overhead, you will. This morning I was woken at 6:45 a.m. by a continuous procession of jets overhead. This is the result of the airport re-routing the take-off of substantially more planes to the most northerly direction. Now there’s jet noise where there formerly was none. They, the Airport Authority, are doing this without any say from the residents of Mission Beach. Although we have a seat on the Authority we have no vote, which is the same as not being there. We, also, have no noise monitoring station north of Dover Court and yet the planes regularly fly over Jamaica Court, (we formerly had a noise monitor at Mission Beach Elementary School). The result is noise monitoring where the impact is less. The further north they fly, the quieter the resulting Dover Court monitor reports. This re-routing and increased noise is being imposed without any real public notice or input. When I decided to buy property here in North Mission Beach 10 years ago, I had previously looked at places in Ocean Beach and Point Loma. The jet noise was not something I wanted in spite of the reduced real estate prices. I thought it was an informed decision and I was OK with spending the extra money to get the quiet. I built my home here. In building my home I did not take into account any increase in noise from jets. (In the airport traffic zones things such as laminated glass windows and increased insulation are code to help diminish the effect of the noise). Are we to retrofit our homes? Without any representation we are being adversely affected. Our property values will go down and our lives will change for the worse. Please help me fight this by sending a complaint to the following: Airport Noise Hotline: (619) 400-2799, e-mail: [email protected]. And by letting our City Council representative know: Kevin Faulconer, (619) 236-6996, e-mail: [email protected]; Matt Aubrey (working in Mr. Faulconer’s Office), (619) 236-6992. And letting the City of San Diego know through the Planning Department: Tait Galloway, senior planner, (619) 533-4550. And by letting our Congresswoman Susan Davis know (because she will have the greatest pull with the FAA), 4305 University Ave., Suite 515, San Diego, CA 92105, (619) 280-5353. Together ,we may just be able to put a stop to this. David Lombardi, Mission Beach Expand bikeway bridge to include cars (Regarding the Rose Creek Bikeway Bridge Project; article in Oct. 8 issue of Beach & Bay Press.) This bridge will allow people on foot or bicycle to circumnavigate Mission Bay without having to go all the way around to Grand Avenue, the way traffic must go to cross Rose Creek. If the bridge was expanded to include cars and Pacific Beach Drive extended to connect with Mission Bay Drive, it would provide easy access to Mission Bay Park, to Interstate 5 South, and relieve congestion at one of the busiest intersections in San Diego at Balboa and Mission Bay Drive. DeAnza Trailer Park should soon be turned into additional park land and will further congest traffic on Mission Bay Drive if access from the west is not possible. The PBPG should certainly consider this before limiting the new bridge to just foot traffic and bicycles. Ray Steinwehe, Pacific Beach Government can’t run healthcare, or anything So, you think that government-run healthcare is an option? Let’s take a look at government run programs like Social Security and education as current examples. Social Security is set to run out – education is taking a hit like I can’t believe. We actually think they can handle public option healthcare? I’m ready to jump on the school voucher band-wagon. According to the latest Census Bureau statistics, California spends $9,152 per student for public education. Well, give me $8,000 of that for my students and I will choose the private school I want to send my kids to. If the Federal, State and local governments can’t figure out how to pay for education, then let the parents figure it out. I’m just amazed that we, the people, sit back and watch our national debt rise and do nothing. Yes, change needs to be made, but not on the back of our national debt. Change the way we provide programs – let middle America small business audit big government-run programs and watch how much fat can be cut, red tape can be eliminated and unnecessary spending be stopped. I would love a chance at that! Pat Hom, Pacific Beach