Tom Fudge: Today, the San Diego City Council takes up an issue that has bedeviled the city for years, if not decades. It's not as important as the pension crisis. This isn't something that could place our city in bankruptcy or degrade critical infrastructure. But the question of whether to allow people to drink alcohol on the beach is a cultural debate that really gets people worked up.
City Councilman Kevin Falkner got worked up a few months ago after a drunken Labor Day confrontation between beach goers and police. Fifteen people were arrested in an event that was preserved for posterity by local news cameras. Now, Falkner is supporting a measure that will ban alcohol from San Diego City beaches and many adjacent public spaces. And now he looks like he's got enough council votes to pass it.
Whether Mayor Sanders will sign the legislation is another question. And San Diego citizens who support drinking on the beach could still try to get around the council by putting the question on the ballot.
Guests
- Kevin Faulkner , San Diego city councilman, representing the 2nd District, which includes many of San Diego's most popular beaches.
- Jake Pyle, member of the board of directorswith www.freepb.org . He has been a resident of Pacific Beach for 10 years.
