Ban made this Fourth a safe & sane holiday
As a long time resident of South Mission Beach, I want to let you know what a safe and sane Fourth of July we had in Mission Beach this year. For anyone who visited Mission Beach or Pacific Beach during the 4th or even the 5th, the difference the lack of alcohol on the sand made for everyone was terrific. The beaches were packed with large groups of families having friendly fun.
We didn’t experience fights, verbal abuses or the piles of trash that drunken people left in previous years. The lack of trash piled knee deep on July 5 was simply amazing. Sober people pick up after themselves!
Underage, out-of-control drinking was not visible or obvious. There were more private parties in front yards and patios, but they too were controlled and did not infringe into the neighborhoods. Even people waiting in the long traffic back ups after the fire works were polite and generally friendly!
Banning alcohol has once more made the beach areas an asset to all of San Diego. My sincere hope is that when the time comes, the city council will make this a permanent decision. Most of my beach neighbors and friends who live in other parts of San Diego feel the same way.
Dr. Maruta Gardner
Mission Beach
Trash was a symptom of the alcohol problem
As we celebrated our first Independence Day without alcohol on the beach, our coastline was cleaner than any time in recent memory. However, let’s remember the real issue.
This was never about trash. The trash was just a symptom of the bigger problem, which was out-of-control drinking on the beach.
For every pile of cardboard beer cases that weren’t left behind this year, there were fewer teenagers drinking on the beach. For every hundred plastic cups that weren’t left on the sand, there were fewer drunk drivers leaving the beaches at the end of the day. For every plastic six-pack holder that volunteers didn’t have to dig out of the sand, there were less drunken arguments and maybe one less fistfight for the cops to break up.
This was never about trash, it was about alcohol issues. Both problems have been reduced on a massive scale.
Monica Green
Pacific Beach
Ban gave us our beach back
Re: “Police stats show decrease in 4th of July incidents,” July 10:
While our nation celebrated its birthday, Pacific Beach got a surprise present in the form of cleaner streets. The hardworking volunteers who always show up on the 5th of July spent the morning picking up trash off the streets. There was virtually nothing for them to clean up on the beaches.
We all knew there would be less crime and fewer public safety problems this year; that’s a no-brainer. The alcohol-free beach rule did exactly what it was designed to do; it gave us our beaches back.
Of course we expected less trash left behind on the sand. But nobody predicted such a dramatic decrease, as the usual mountains of garbage weren’t even molehills this year.
My sincerest thanks to the people who gave up their time on a beautiful Saturday morning to help clean up our streets.
Andy Chotiner
Mission Beach

Ban will bring more tourists to the beach
As a grandmother, mother, wife, travel agent and homeowner of a house in Mission Beach for more than 20 years, I want to commend those who finally decided it was time to clean up our beach and boardwalk.
We just spent a few weeks at our place and the difference in the entire area is remarkable! We could walk the boardwalk without being accosted by drunks hurling their insults and stomach contents at us. We could sit on the beach and hear the ocean and the birds, not the belching and disgusting noises emitting from the orifices of those who had too much alcohol in their systems. All of the girls kept their swimsuits on. My grandchildren played up and down the beach without fear. It was truly wonderful. The beach was so clean and it didn’t smell like a brewery.
As a travel agent, I have found that over the years, my clients have chosen to avoid Mission Beach and Pacific Beach because it became one big drunken brawl and many parents with teenage girls refused to even consider booking a hotel or condo in the area. So they have been spending their considerable dollars at Coronado and other areas that already banned alcohol.
Yes, I did see some beachgoers hiding their drinks under their towels and using water bottles to hold their liquor, but there will always be those who have to break the rules, no matter what.
I spoke with some police officers and they were glad that they could now spend more time attempting to get the cigarette butts off the beach. They felt the ban was successful.
It is my hope that this ban on alcohol on the beach will become a permanent ban, and that as tourists learn that it is a better place to visit, they will return. As a matter of fact, I just spoke with clients who are going to give the area a try since I told them how pleasant it was.
Thank you to all who listened and to all who care about this beautiful spot on the beach.
Nancy Jo Miller
Phoenix