Gripes by disgruntled residents are not facts A recent article in the Beach & Bay Press regarding new PBTC officers implies that the Pacific Beach Community Foundation members are just former Town Council members who left that organization because of alcohol and block party issues (“New PBTC officers reflect change in council priorities,”?Beach &?Bay Press, Oct. 23). They then joined the Pacific Beach Community Foundation to promote these issues. The Pacific Beach Community Foundation is a board of active, concerned members of the community functioning much like a Board of Directors of a business or school. It is not a membership-based group that anyone can join just by paying dues. We are all volunteers and there is no paid staff. Perhaps before publishing an article your reports should check with all parties involved and do some fact-checking. It is very likely the TC members serve the Pacific Beach Community Foundation for different reason than the one some person on the Town Council assumes. As the end of the day we want to make PB a better place to live just like most everyone else. Earlier the Beach & Bay Press allowed Eve Smull Anderson an unprecedented double column to take pot shots at the Pacific Beach Community Foundation for asking the community for donations. Based solely on her personal agenda, her comments implied that there was no way of knowing what the funds would be used for and she continued her years long harping on the subject of the Block Party and alcohol at the beach. Ms. Anderson appear to be waging a personal vendetta against Pacific Beach Community Foundation members who may not share her views. We have no way of knowing how many people did not contribute to our outreach for funds due to her allusions to inappropriate use of funds. But if it turned just one person away from donating to the community she, and your newspaper, have done Pacific Beach a great disservice. These innuendos do not reflect the facts. The Pacific Beach Community Foundation does not take part in any alcohol issues as it is not an advisory or political group. The Pacific Beach Community Foundation is a federally recognized non-profit (501c3) organization where fundraising and community outreach is the primary focus. Funds are returned to the community in the form of sponsorship for events such as the Holiday Parade, the Concerts in Kate Sessions Park, MBHS Scholarships, Kids’ Fishing Derby, etc. The Pacific Beach Community Foundation has not sponsored a Block Party in over three years and has no plans to in the future. The Pacific Beach Community Foundation has been around for longer than just the past few years, in fact it has been a part of Pacific Beach since 1998. There are currently nine board members. Most of the members are or have been members of the Town Council where they served as president, vice president, secretary, treasurer and directors. Four members have served as Honorary Mayor of Pacific Beach (an honor that is bestowed on individuals who have made significant contributions to the community). Some members also have other affiliations in the community, i.e.; Kiwanis Club and Lions Club. Some have served this community for almost 30 years volunteering their time and efforts for the good of the community. As a community newspaper it should be your responsibility to promote all local community service groups and the good they do for the community. If you can not be fair minded about this and give all organizations credit where credit is due you should at least refrain from maligning some of them by printing innuendos and petty gripes from a few disgruntled residents and passing that off as “fact.” James Moore Vice President Pacific Beach Community Foundation