Opponents of Beach Alcohol Ban Pushing to get Law on Ballot

By Alison St John / Reporter, KPBS Public Broadcasting

Published January 2, 2008 at 12:39 PM PST

This story was published more than 16 years ago.

Among the many new laws going into effect with the New Year is the city of San Diego's one year ban on alcohol at the beach. But if opponents have their way, the new law may be short lived. KPBS repor

Among the many new laws going into effect with the New Year is the city of San Diego's one year ban on alcohol at the beach. But if opponents have their way, the new law may be short lived. KPBS reporter Alison St John has more.

Efforts to ban alcohol on San Diego beaches date back more than a decade but, till now, have been unsuccessful. Then last Labor Day, police in riot gear were pelted with beer cans on Pacific Beach and arrested 16 people. That prompted the city council to vote for a one year trial ban - it's due to go into effect next week.

But opponent Jacob Pyle says signature gatherers have been out in force to get the issue on the ballot. He says he's confident they'll have more than 30,000 signatures by this Friday's deadline.

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Pyle: Because of the strong public support we've had and people willing to give up their time because they were so offended.

If opponents come up with enough qualified signatures, the ban will be suspended until the council decides whether to drop it or put the matter on the ballot. It wouldn't be the first time. The public rejected the beach booze ban 16 years ago and again in 2002 though the last vote was a very close one.

Alison St John, KPBS News.

Alison St John

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Alison St John currently serves as a general assignment reporter and occasionally co-hosts KPBS Midday Edition. She fell in love with KPBS Radio when she arrived in San Diego in 1985 and first heard NPR. She has been a voice on KPBS Radio since 1989, and has served as a news reporter for radio, TV and the web, as well as anchoring, hosting, producing and editing. Alison has reported on stories about North County and was based in the KPBS' North County Bureau. Alison covered the metro beat during the critical period of the San Diego City pension crisis, and the education beat while Alan Bersin was the controversial Superintendent of San Diego City School District. She covered health when the industry was converting to managed care and told welfare reform stories in the late 1990s when Clinton was “ending welfare as we know it.” She has covered land use issues extensively, looking at the challenges of meeting a growing population while preserving community character, and developing a better transportation system to meet environmental concerns. She has done many stories on the military in San Diego, and the series she edited on the challenges veterans face returning from active duty to civilian life won “Best of Show” from the San Diego Society of Professional Journalists. She occasionally hosts the KPBS Roundtable and KPBS Midday Edition. Alison has won awards from the San Diego Press Club, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Associated Press TV and Radio Association, and the California Golden Mike Awards. Alison was born in Tanzania, brought up in Scotland, and earned her degree in psychology and sociology from Durham University in England. Her postgraduate diploma is in student counseling. She worked in England, Nigeria, Switzerland, Belgium, India, and Japan before moving to the United States in 1981. She now lives in Oceanside and enjoys how her community is growing and changing.