Skate park opens at Campland on the Bay Campland on the Bay, a campsite on Mission Bay, opened a $70,000 skate park on Thursday, July 9 featuring a 4-foot-deep bowl, a volcano, mountainside, bench and a rail. Campland is open to the public for a $10-per-person daily admission. For the past five years, Campland’s recreation director said he’s watched campers set up ad hoc obstacles to perform tricks that drew crowds and that he’s pushed for the skate park. “We recognize the immense appeal of the sport and wanted to provide a safe and more accessible location for the kids to learn and perfect their skills,” said Michael Gelfand, president of Campland on the Bay. The skate park is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily and is staffed Thursdays through Sundays from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Helmets are required. Veterans served at weekend fest Downtown The National Stand-Down for Homeless Veterans, an annual event during which military veterans receive medical care and social services help, has set its San Diego fete for Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19 on the upper athletic field of San Diego High School Downtown. Stand-downs are a part of the Department of Veterans Affairs’ efforts to provide services to homeless veterans. The stand-downs provide food, shelter, clothing, health screenings, Veterans Administration (VA) and Social Security benefits counseling and referrals to a variety of other necessary services, such as housing, employment and substance abuse treatment. Surfer dies on board at Tourmaline Locals aided a fellow surfer in the waters off Tourmaline but rescuers pronounced the La Jolla man dead later at a local hospital. William Joseph Ryan, 50, slumped onto his board while surfing at Tourmaline on June 30, according to the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office. Rescuers transported him to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Suspect arrested for poaching lobsters in MB Jason Bryan Chavez pleaded guilty June 11 to poaching undersize lobsters in the ocean off South Mission Beach. He was ordered to serve 120 days in custody and placed on probation. According to the City Attorney’s Office, police arrested Chavez around 4:30 a.m. on May 18. A police officer noticed Chavez taking an empty backpack to the ocean and returning to the car with it full. Upon searching Chavez’s car, police discovered 46 lobsters. The lobsters were confiscated and returned to the ocean. Chavez had parked in the parking lot and poached the lobsters with a pole and a net. Chavez’s conviction included five charges: fishing without a license, taking spiny lobsters by unlawful means, possession of an undersize lobster, possession of an over-limit of lobsters and possession of spiny lobster out of open season. Since 1997, Chavez has had a total of six fish and game violations – past offenses include illegal means of taking fish and overfishing clams and ghost shrimp.