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December 11, 2008 -

Fire Rings Going From San Diego

San Diego is reportedly going ahead with the removal of 186 fire rings from city beaches as part of its effort to deal with current budget problems.  Savethefirepits.com details the issues and discusses local efforts to save the fire pits.

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December 9, 2008 -

Demographics On SD Beach Alcohol Ban

Great article on election demographics behind San Diego’s November approval of Proposition D, the beach alcohol ban.  While voters in Pacific Beach, Ocean Beach and Mission Beach rejected the ban, voters from other neighborhoods, notably neighborhoods with older voters and more families, provided the votes that passed the ban to protect those beach area residents who didn’t support the ban.  

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October 12, 2008 -

Beach Law In Practice

Lack of updates are due in large part to the time involved in planning and organizing our recent wedding reception at Crown Point.  Still not certain why the city felt justified in charging $375 for an event permit fee, considering that in end it didn’t guarantee us use of the shelter or pretty much anything else.  Don’t light the tiki torches.  Don’t run a generator.  Don’t cook using anything other than the provided grills.  Don’t have amplified music.  And don’t ever, ever, have alcohol on the beach.  

The reception went amazingly well despite the city though, and it still was a better deal than several hotels offered.  The weather was beautiful.  Our caterer was flexibile and worked within or around the silly rules.  The San Diego Men’s Chrorus’s voices were beautiful.  The toast with sparkling fruit juice might not have been traditional, but then again little else about our wedding was traditional either.  Want proof?  The official photos are here.  

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February 16, 2008 -

Access for Profit

Nice little article in the San Diego Union-Tribune on Black’s Beach new-found popularity with film makers and photographers. Also interesting is UC San Diego’s role in controlling the only road down to the isolated stretch of sand.

The University of California San Diego isn’t exactly swimming in dough from the location fees it charges to use the road, but it is making money. Pat JaCoby, the point person at UCSD for such requests, said the campus collected more than $18,000 last fiscal year from photo shoots and film productions.

The road to Black’s isn’t UCSD’s only moneymaker. Whether it’s the steps of UCSD’s Geisel Library or a physics science lab, camera crews favor San Diego’s near-perfect weather and the relative ease of shooting here.

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January 4, 2008 -

Beach Alcohol Ban Only Lasts Hours

The beach booze ban, which took effect Friday, also was suspended before day’s end after opponents delivered 45,940 signatures to the San Diego City Clerk’s office just after 2 p.m.

The comments in the linked Union-Tribune article detail some of the different points of view on the subject of the proposed ban.

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December 14, 2007 -

“This is the case that never ends”

Despite the California Supreme Court’s ruling in November ending litigation over city management of the Children’s Pool, and ordering the city to restore the beach area to the conditions set by the trust that gifted the land to the city, the parties will reportedly be back in court in January to hear arguments on whether the city can comply with a National Marine Fisheries Service request that the city take steps to protect birthing seals at the beach from January until May. Details in this Union-Trib article.

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December 3, 2007 -

Final Decision: La Jolla Children’s Pool

California’s Supreme Court rejected an appeal last week, effectively ending the litigation over use of the La Jolla Children’s Pool that had various groups concerned about the seals living there arguing that the original deed gifting the property was ineffective at limiting that use as a protected children’s swimming area.

San Diego City Council President was interviewed about the future of the beach here.

San Diego Union-Tribune article on the issue is here.

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November 21, 2007 -

Official Ban on Towel Changes?

After an exchange of e-mails based on a comment made to another post, I received reader Jason’s permission to post the following:

I have been changing into my suit with a towel for YEARS! I own a hull maintenance company and do this 5 days a week. This time I was working off my boat, and I was back at the truck and trailer in the boat ramp parking lot. I was taking my suit off and getting ready to put the boat back on the trailer. NOBODY around. I own a Chevy 2500 4 door and had both doors open to shield the view. I had a towel around me. Harbor patrol pulled up into the parking spot next to me. His comment was “Use a bathroom”. Read on…

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November 6, 2007 -

San Diego: On The Wagon

San Diego’s city council has banned alcohol on city beaches for a trial period of one year.

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October 11, 2007 -

The Hangover That Never Goes Away

Various proposals for a beach alcohol ban in San Diego are back before the city council for consideration.

Options range from Mayor Jerry Sanders’ suggestion for an alcohol ban on summer holidays only to Councilman Kevin Faulconer’s call for a year-round prohibition on all city beaches, bay shores and coastal parks.

Councilman Tony Young is among the rational voices speaking against overreaction to alcohol-related violence last Labor Day.

“There were 350,000 people at the beach that day, and 15 got arrested,” Young said. “I would ban people who cause problems. But people who are responsible, I think, should have a way to exercise that responsibility.”

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Interesting Sites

70 Percent Good site focusing on reporting and documenting break conditions for waveriders
Coastal Marine Resource Center Non-profit from the New York-New Jersey Harbor Bight
Free PB Opposition to additional beach regulations at San Diego’s Pacific Beach
Race for the Oceans A forum for swimmers and swimming fans to dive in to ocean conservation.
Surfrider Foundation Activities and campaigns for clean water, beach access, beach preservation and protecting special places.
Wave Ride Net Surfing and surf spots