PB Board Suggests Restrictions on Alcohol

A few years back, a drunken Labor Day melee forced the police to drag out their riot gear and led San Diego city officials to enforce a liquor ban on beaches that were once epicenters for parties and revelries.

This past Labor Day weekend marks the anniversary of the event that eventually caused city officials to say enough was enough.  Now the city’s authorities are laying down the law again, sans riot gear.

A Pacific Beach advisory panel has reportedly voted to recommend the city adopt new changes in regards to alcohol restrictions.  The panel proposed that alcohol licenses be awarded to alcohol-related businesses who will first obtain conditional-use permits that will be contingent towards their securing of a license.

The Pacific Beach Planning Group also advised that a police officer will be able to enforce and ensure the proposed regulations are followed.

Eight members of the 20-member board and a crowd of about 100 people gathered inside the Pacific Beach Woman’s Club Wednesday night to discuss the implications of a liquor restriction and to cast their vote.

According to SignOnSanDiego, The Pacific Beach Planning Group is an advisory board, and its recommendations cannot be adopted unless the City Council passes the new ordinances.

The panel voted 11-5 despite heavy opposition among several bar and restaurant owners and employees to approve the proposed new guidelines outlined in a 58-page report, titled: “Alcohol License Policies and Issues in Pacific Beach.”

And what is the likelihood of this proposal being passed?

The liquor ban passed about 3 years prior started out as a yearlong test to evaluate booze-free beaches in San Diego, reports LA Times.  After declaring the ban a success, voters finalized the ban and made it permanent in November 2008.

Those opposing the ban which included nearby bar and restaurant owners said they were never consulted, and that the image that was painted that night of “scantily clad young adults frequently urinating in yards, driving drunk and causing property damage,” wasn’t a complete picture.  Some argued that the conditional-use permits did not apply to Pacific Beach.  They claimed that the boards’ depiction of the comparably good behavior of tourists visiting Sea World and the San Diego Zoo was irrelevant.

“If I had children, I’d be much more concerned about them going to Tijuana,” said Pacific Beach Planning Group member Baylor Triplett, 34, who is one of the youngest members of the board in SignOnSanDiego. “I am very wary of this report.”

Photo Courtesy of caccamo via Flickr