Old concerns and new members dominated the regularly scheduled meeting of the Pacific Beach Town Council (PBTC), 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 17, at the Earl and Birdie Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.
Revisiting the Tobacco Control Ordinance discussed in April, the PBTC voted 31-4 to endorse the proposed smoking ban on city beaches, bays and parks by writing a letter of support to City Council. PBTC member Art Larson made the motion, which was seconded by fellow member John Logan.
“At the last trash cleanup it was almost all cigarette butts. Someone who might not throw trash on the beach has no problem throwing cigarettes,” said PBTC member Karl Jaedtke following the meeting. A smoker who supports the ban, Jaedtke added, “I don’t think smoking should be outlawed, but the beaches are [treated like] a giant ash tray.”
The ordinance would not apply to the boardwalk. Many council members, including residents who live in oceanfront homes, voiced concerns about smokers congregating by the beaches.
Others wondered whether a ban could be enforced as city budget cuts continue to reduce the number of enforcement officers patrolling local streets.
At the council’s April meeting, Adrian Kwiatkowski of the American Lung Association said he believed the ban would be self-enforcing. Citing the success of similar bans in Los Angeles and Orange counties, he explained that once smoking is not allowed, people change their behavior.
The behavior of July Fourth crowds on area beaches has been a concern to many residents, who say their homes are vandalized, their yards urinated upon, and their holiday ruined by drunken, out-of-control revelers.
After lengthy and passionate debate on whether alcohol should be banned on the beaches during the holiday, the PBTC and neighboring advisory board, the Mission Bay Park Committee, agreed to give the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) three years to implement a plan of increased, proactive enforcement.
As the plan heads into its final year, after receiving mostly positive reviews the past two summer, council members wanted to know how the SDPD plans to manage the hundreds of thousands of people who traditionally flock to area beaches. Amid a few groans of “not this again,” the PBTC voted almost unanimously to discuss July Fourth police supervision on the beaches and bays at its next general meeting. New PBTC member Christopher Gerber made the motion. Marcella Tehran seconded.
In addition to Police Chief William Lansdowne, PBTC president Don Mullen said he would also try to get Councilman Kevin Faulconer to attend that discussion.
Judith Bomberger, who is new to the council, made a motion for the PBTC to consider a total, year-round alcohol ban on all beaches and bays, including Mission Bay Park. Gerber seconded. The motion carried 20-12.
The council will discuss the proposed ban at its June meeting.
Only members who have been in good standing for 30 days will be eligible to vote.
Progress is being made on another longtime issue of concern, street sweeping ” or lack of.
“The problem isn’t that the street sweepers don’t come. It’s that the cars don’t get moved,” said PBTC board member Rick Oldham.
Oldham has been working with Discover Pacific Beach’s Beautification Program as well as the Pacific Beach Joint Parking Subcommittee (PBJPS) to devise a plan that will get people to move their cars.
The goal, Oldham said, is a policy change. The group plans to ask Mayor Jerry Sanders to change the city’s current enforcement policy so that parking officers can write citations, ticketing parked cars that prevent street sweepers from clearing trash. With only four parking enforcement officers for the entire city, ticketing of unmoved cars has been sporadic and inconsistent.
Oldham hopes that the combined efforts of Discover Pacific Beach, the PBJPS and the PBTC could make a difference.
“We’re trying to get everyone on the same page,” he said.
Oldham praised the activism of the council’s new members.
“It wasn’t the same three or four people bringing up issues,” he said following the meeting.
Roughly half of the approximately 40 members in attendance were new to the council, the fruits of a recent membership drive headed by PBTC treasurer Britta Justesen.
At the council’s installation dinner in January, PBTC president Don Mullen identified recruitment as a top priority, explaining that much of Pacific Beach’s younger demographic is virtually unrepresented on the advisory board.
“We have to reach out to younger parts of the community,” Mullen said. “That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to older residents, but we need to get young people involved.”
“You can join the town council and you can make a difference,” said PBTC vice president Ruby Houck. “We need new bodies and new perspectives. People need to stand up and speak out on what they’re passionate about.”
In other council news, the PBTC will hold its 5th annual wine-tasting event at Chateau Orlean on June 25. The council is seeking donations of gift certificates and products for the silent auction and raffle. Proceeds will go to the Pacific Beach Recreation Center’s Youth Basketball program, which is in jeopardy because of cuts to the city’s Park and Recreation budget.
The council will hold its next meeting at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 21, at the Earl & Birdie Taylor Library, 4275 Cass St.
For more information, call (858) 483-6666.