San Diego is My Home

07
Nov

Beach Booze Ban

Author: HelenKay, Category: Beaches, Politics

Remember Labor Day?  It feels like years have passed since the brawl at Pacific Beach that required police in riot gear to calm everything down.  The drunken fighting led to calls to ban all alcohol use on San Diego beaches.  Now, San Diego is one of the few places were you can still enjoy your suds while engaging in a bit of beach fun.  After the Labor Day drunken mess, the City Council is debating a proposal to do away with our beach-and-booze specialty here. 

The idea of banning alcohol on beaches has its proponents and opponents.  Naturally.  The Mayor takes a middle ground view and asks for the ban only on certain holidays with all other times being fine.  Proponents cite the rest of the state as a guide and point to the Labor Day incident as a prime example that booze on the beach is an idea that needs to go.  Opponents of the ban talk about freedom and the joy of drinking on the beach, the long history of such activities in San Diego, most without incident, and commerce.  Opponents also remind the Council that previously bans were knocked down by ballot votes. 

What we can depend on is a fight over this issue, some screaming, much arguing and a possible ballot initiative.  Life is never dull in San Diego.