SAY GOODBYE: Horses of the mounted police unit go up for auction. Page 3
SUPER BOWL: Former Chargers QB Drew Brees leads the Saints into the big game against the Colts. Pages 11 and 12
Thursday, February 4, 2010
www.beachandbaypress.com
PB skater is doggone good Floyd, the skateboarding bulldog, is one more talented skateboarder who calls Pacific Beach home.
District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer is calling for immediate action to increase capacity of Pump Station N to prevent flooding during rain PAUL HANSEN | Beach & Bay Press storms.
Faulconer calls for solutions to flooding In spite of councilman’s concern, no solutions seem on the horizon BY ANTHONY GENTILE | BEACH & BAY PRESS
Photos by PAUL HANSEN After seeing Pump Station N fail three times in a one-week span during heavy rains last month, resulting in local flooding, District 2 City Councilman Kevin Faulconer said enough is enough. Faulconer is calling for immediate action to increase capacity of the pump station before more wet weather comes to the area. “It is unacceptable to have three floods in a week,” Faulconer said. “If not fixed, it’s going to happen again.” Pump Station N is located at Santa Clara Point in Mission Beach and takes water from
Owner says skating is the thing Floyd loves most in the world BY ANTHONY GENTILE | BEACH & BAY PRESS For one Pacific Beach resident, skateboarding is more than a hobby, it’s a passion. And he's not too bad — for a guy who has four legs. That’s right, one of the baddest skaters in town is a bulldog. “As young as I can remember he was attracted to skateboards,” said Floyd’s companion, Dave Dressman. “At first, he would just freak out and attack them, and eventually the aggression turned into love and now he wants to ride them.” Meet Floyd, the skateboarding bulldog. He can be seen on YouTube and around Pacific Beach, coasting on his skateboard with the ocean breeze blowing through his — er, fur. “I simply put it in front of him and gauged his reaction and he was very enthusiastic about it. I just really encouraged it and tried to teach him not so much to bite the wheels, but more to enjoy riding it,” Dressman said. “It literally is the thing he loves the most in the entire world.” On a daily basis, four-year-old Floyd seems to look forward to nothing more than getSEE FLOYD, Page 4
A skateboarding bulldog is sure to draw a crowd, and Floyd has his share of fans. He not only rides in a straight line, but has the ability to handle curves as well, allowing him to hang with most skateboarders PAUL HANSEN | Beach & Bay Press including the two-legged kind.
Pacific Beach and pumps it out into Mission Bay. When the pump station takes in more water than it can handle, the pipe feeding the station backs up and flooding occurs in Pacific Beach — shutting down areas of Mission Boulevard and Pacific Beach Drive for extended periods of time during the rains last month. “Instead of pumping in, it backs up and shoots out right to that intersection and it floods out,” Faulconer said. “If this fails, it rolls upstream almost SEE PUMP, Page 3
Councilman Kevin Faulconer overlooks Pump Station N at Santa Clara Place. When the pump station takes in more water than it can handle, the PAUL HANSEN | Beach & Bay Press pipe feeding the station backs up.