About 60 Pacific Beach residents expressed views regarding local issues concerning them during a Pacific Beach Town Council community forum held Jan. 19. The council allowed two minutes of public speaking opportunity for attendees to raise any issue. Topping the list were “support for conditional use permits” for alcohol sales, and “concern over loss of retail mix in the PB business district,” according to forum results tallied by Pacific Beach Town Council officers. Council President Joe Wilding added that racy storefront displays recently became a topic of concern for a community trying to attract families to the area. “If you want to attract families, let’s do family-friendly things,” he said. Each forum attendee received red adhesive dots that were marked with a one, two and three, each representing that number of votes, respectively. Posters placed around the room listed about 20 topics ranging from support for an oversized vehicle ordinance to public drunkenness to homelessness, Wilding said. Residents ranked issues numerically. At the bottom of the list were “support for library” and concern over “curb dumping in ocean/bay,” with both categories receiving no votes. A category was also added aimed at supporting more parades and festivals in the area. It received about 10 votes. While the forum drew many participants, some believe the results of the poll do not reflect the opinion of the majority of residents and the business community in Pacific Beach. “As a member of the Business Improvement District, I believe there’s a great mix of businesses,” said Pacific Beach business owner Eric Lingenfelder. “PB is a good, thriving community” that has opened 14 new businesses in the last year, he said. He added that he opposes a conditional use permit process because it would add an extra step for bourgeoning businesses, potentially slowing growth. The Pacific Beach Town Council communicates neighborhood issues to appropriate government agencies while providing a forum for residents to air their concerns. The council meets on the third Wednesday of the month at the Pacific Beach Woman’s Club, 1721 Hornblend St., at 6:30 p.m. Membership requires $20 per individual, $25 for a family and $50 for a business. For more information, call (858) 483-6666.
