I am a property owner and resident of the Pacific Beach community. I am contacting you now to address the issue of banning keg containers on the 4th of July in the greater Mission Beach area. This has become a divisive issue in our community, and instead of working together to come up with solutions, many people are simply becoming angry and irrational.

For the same reasons that the trial keg ban was enacted, it should now be repealed.

The bottom line is that everyone wants clean and safe beaches. The question is, how do we ensure these things on a holiday when there are an estimated 750,000 people who celebrate by going to the greater Mission Bay area?

After much research, discussion with neighbors and fellow beachgoers, and attending a community forum to hear leaders from groups such as the Parks and Recreation Department, the San Diego Police Department, and the Free PB organization, it is apparent that the root issue behind banning kegs is to discourage large crowds and to ban all alcohol consumption on the beaches. A small but vocal group of local community members feel that this is the best way to achieve cleanliness and safety, and to protect what they see as their back yard; the beach and bay. The other side feels that these objectives of cleanliness and safety can be obtained without taking away people's right to choose what type of containers they bring their alcohol in, or to have their right to have alcohol at all!

• The representative from the Parks and Recreation Department who spoke at the PB Town Council meeting on 4-19-04 said that his crews reported greater amounts of trash last year with the keg ban than the year before when kegs were allowed.
• The lieutenant from the San Diego Police Department who spoke at this same meeting pointed out that a PR campaign was 100% successful in getting the public to comply with the newly enacted rule of no beer kegs. Common sense says that this same type of campaign should be used this year to help the community address the REAL issues, cleanliness and lawfulness.
• The Free PB organization stated that it is working with community groups and the public in general to increase funding for an information campaign, trash receptacles, portable restrooms, and manpower to aid in cleanup.
• The voting process at the PB Town Council meeting must be taken with a grain of salt. It was an informal and undemocratic process, and it was confusing and unorganized. After the meeting, several of the 55 people who were allowed to vote were heard saying that they put their ballots in the wrong box due to the ambiguous wording and lack of labeling. The most that can be concluded from this vote is that it is an issue that some community members feel very passionately about.

Last year when this trial ban was enacted, it was stated that an evaluation would be done to conclude the effectiveness of the program. To determine those results, the goal of the ban must be kept in mind. If the goal was to ban alcohol altogether, then it was successful in bringing us one step closer to that. If the goal is to create a cleaner and safer environment, it actually took us one step further away.

I am confident that your organization will listen to not only the voices of the community members, but also the voice of reason. With the defeat of proposition G, the community has said that they want to have the right to consume alcohol in the greater Mission Bay area. Common sense says that eliminating single large containers will increase the amount of small containers, resulting in more garbage. Solutions, information and involvement are what we need now.

I look forward to seeing what conclusions and solutions you come up with. Your decision on this matter will affect a lot of people, and is important in our community.

Regards,
Rachel Smith
Pacific Beach Resident