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September 22, 2010 -

Lifeguard Cuts in San Diego?

NBC San Diego is reporting that critics of a proposed new sales tax in San Diego (Proposition D) are suggesting lifeguard cuts as an alternative to higher tax rates.

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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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Interesting Sites

Beachapedia.org Beachapedia
Cal. Coastal Commission Like them or not, they are one of the biggest players around when it comes to coastal access in California.
Howling Point Your moderator’s personal site. He does have a life outside of this, as shown by the occasional gaps in posting.
Surfrider Foundation Activities and campaigns for clean water, beach access, beach preservation and protecting special places.