Mission Beach activists are lobbying to get more money in the city budget for additional summer trash pickup in the community to combat fly infestation during the busy tourist season, which has become increasingly problematic.
Gary Wonacott, Mission Beach Town Council president, and John Vallas of BeautifulMB, a nonprofit dedicated to MB’s improvement, have both been lobbying city government to find the means — and the cash — to do additional summer trash cleanup. 
Last summer, District 2 Councilmember Lorie Zapf’s office secured funds for a one-time additional trash pickup that made a noticeable difference in lessening fly-related problems. This year, she’s again asking for funding. “I have continually asked for the second trash pickup to be included in the budget and most recently resubmitted an updated budget memo asking for the $70,000 to also be included for the trash pickup,” Zapf said. “It is now in the hands of the entire City Council and I know many Mission Beach residents and business owners are actively engaging other members of the City Council to support this item in the budget,” she added.
A fly summit was also hosted by Zapf in MB in June 2016, bringing together MB residents, merchants and city and government officials to discuss the significant – and intensifying – summer fly infestation.
In a recent letter to Mayor Kevin Falconer, Wonacott said, “We on MBTC are disappointed that Councilmember Zapf’s number one budget priority is not in your 2018 budget. Funding was found in the 2017 budget, and as a result, the Mission Beach community for the first time in six years was free of what one entomologist described as the worst fly infestation he had ever seen in an urban setting.
“We know the root cause of the summer annual fly infestation in Mission Beach – thousands of fly eggs that gestate in the garbage cans, which need to be dealt with before they crawl out and move on to their next state of development in the alleys. This is specifically what the second trash pickup does. It gets rid of the problem before it becomes a problem.”
Continued Wonacott: “It does not seem unreasonable for you to add another $50,000 to $60,000 to the budget for this service given the consequences. In the meantime, we need the city, and the mayor, to put the funding for the second trash pickup back into the 2018 budget.”
Wonacott previously blamed a prior cutback, from twice to once-weekly summertime trash pickup, use of heat-absorbing black cans, unlidded, unlocked and/or cracked or damaged receptacles, as well as dumpster “scavenging” for contributing to the fly infestation problem.
Some of the “fixes” are simple, Wonacott said, like putting trash in shaded areas. He added direct sunlight can increase temperatures as much as 15 to 20 degrees inside cans, which hastens flies’ life cyle. Flies can go from eggs to adults in just a week under ideal breeding conditions.
Vallas, in a memo recently sent to the San Diego Tourism Authority, wrote, “My request is, while we (MB) are showcasing the beach lifestyle and welcoming millions of visitors, that we increase trash and recycling to deal with our enormous tourism traffic increase in such a small-yet-densely-populated area.
“We have scores of negative Yelp reviews, Health Department citations of restaurants – the flies come from the residential/vacation rental trash (in the alleys, which overflow in the summer, also increasing scavenging, etc.) and swarm people dining or even just sitting on their deck outdoors. This is a huge problem, in a small area, with a simple and cost-effective solution.”
“We begged for five years as the problem continued to worsen, then received funding at the 11th hour in 2016, proved the result, only to have the funding cut again this year … Any help would be so appreciated.”
Added Vallas: “We have clarification from the City Attorney’s office that we have a demonstrable case for the city to increase trash and recycling services … If we allow our beach area to be infested annually, it’s not a matter of if, but when, someone will be seriously sickened from fly vector transmission. “We are asking for $80,000 out of a $3.57 billion budget to pay to help maintain a clean, fly-free beach by increasing the trash and recycling services, in line with the increases of police, lifeguards, and park and rec staffing to help support a nice, clean, friendly, and fly-free beach community.”
Noting “last year’s additional trash and recycling services were highly successful,” Vallas added, “It’s the most efficient, logical, and results-proof solution to a summer fly infestation impacting Mission Beach, its businesses and visitors.”