THURSDAY, JANUARY 24, 2013
San Diego Community Newspaper Group
www.SDNEWS.com Volume 27, Number 3
Fate of OB Pier police trailer yet undecided
Boat show visitors explore new and brokerage boats at the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show, which returns for the fourth year to Harbor Island from Photo by Nicole Sours Larson | The Beacon Jan. 24-27.
Free rides, mini-sub exhibits to highlight Sunroad Boat Show BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON | THE BEACON For relief from the winter doldrums, remind and refresh yourself with the pleasures of recreational boating at the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show, which debuts on Thursday, Jan. 24 and continues through Sunday, Jan. 27. The location is at the east end of Harbor Island, at Sunroad Resort Marina, 955 Harbor Island Drive. Show hours are noon to 6 p.m. on Jan. 24 and 25, and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Jan. 26 and 27. This year’s show, the 24th annual event and the fourth at Sunroad, boasts about 125 sail and powered vessels to explore and inspect — 25 percent more than last year. “We’re considered the largest sail display in Southern California, with new vessels from Jeanneau, Bénéteau, Hunter, Tartan and Catalina, as well as several catamarans from 38 to 51 feet,” said show director Jim Behun, who doubles as the marina’s general manager. The in-the-water vessels are split about equally between sail and power offerings. Unlike many boat shows, the Sunroad show offers both new and brokerage, or used, boats from 35 feet up to the
Photo by Jim Grant I The Beacon
least preventing — crime in the area surrounding the pier, which was notorious for vagrancies, drunkenness and criminal activity, the Ocean Beach MainStreet Association (OBMA) explored the option of placing a temporary police trailer in the pier parking lot for officers to use the facilities, write reports or take breaks while on patrol in the area. The Ocean Beach Planning
The fate of the police department’s trailer near the Ocean Beach Pier is uncertain, depending on the fate of an application for a coastal development Photo by Jim Grant | The Beacon permit from the California Coastal Commission.
The annual San Diego winter boat show returns to Sunroad Marina on Harbor Island between Photo by Nicole Sours Larson | The Beacon
Plenty of activities on deck for annual boating spectacular Pat Rains to highlight show seminars The author of four cruising guides to the waters of Mexico and Central America, published by Point Loma Publishing, capt. Pat Rains will anchor the San Diego Sunroad Boat Show’s seminars this year. She will present a seminar entitled “Mexico Cruising 101 for Sail and Power,” complete with handouts and a question-and-answer session on Jan. 26 and 27 at noon at
An application is posted at the police trailer giving notice to seek a coastal development permit.
SEE TRAILER, Page 5
SEE SHOW, Page 5 Jan. 24 and Jan. 27.
BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON | THE BEACON
BY MARIKO LAMB | THE BEACON A police trailer that was once deemed a “temporary fix” to deter criminal activity in Ocean Beach has sat at the same location in the pier’s parking lot for more than a decade. While some call the trailer a view-blocking blight to area residents, others say its function as a deterrent to crime has proven successful over the years, bolstering businesses and the safety of residents in the area. When local property owner Vince Adame filed a complaint to the California Coastal Commission about a code violation — specifically that the trailer was never issued a coastal development permit (CDP) — debate flared about the police trailer’s use, purpose and aesthetic appeal at its location by the sea. According to police Lt. Natalie Stone, who was put in charge of handling the notice of violation, the trailer was installed in the parking lot after the Newport Avenue police substation closed in 1999 because of the city’s financial duress. To continue fighting — or at
Aquarius to exhibit unusual vessels
the Sunroad pavilion. Her presentation focuses on cruising destinations in Mexico, itineraries, security issues, necessary paperwork and cruising preparations. CAPT. PAT RAINS
Since 1989, Shelter Island-based Aquarius Yacht Services, which prides itself as “San Diego’s best yacht maintenance service,” has focused on providing San Diego boat owners with diverse marine services, including diving and hull maintenance, along with mechanical services. Yet Aquarius’ distinctive exhibit at this year’s boat show will offer visitors the chance to check
SEE RAINS, Page 5
SEE VESSELS, Page 5
BY NICOLE SOURS LARSON | THE BEACON
OB planners get creative to stimulate voter interest, draw new membership BY TONY DE GARATE | THE BEACON To generate interest in annual elections, the Ocean Beach Planning Board (OBPB) is inviting Obeceans to write their very own advisory propositions on a matter of their choosing. All it takes is 35 signatures in the community, and your referendum — as long as it’s not frivolous — will appear on the March 12 ballot. It’s one of the two novel touches — the other being online or absentee balloting — intended to create more buzz and increase participation on election day, when voters select seven of the 14 planning-board members for two-year terms.
Like the other 40-odd community planning groups holding annual elections in March, the OBPB can only make recommendations to the city regarding landuse and quality-of-life issues. But with a new mayor at City Hall who has stressed a renewed dedication to the neighborhoods, it could be an exciting time for democracy at the community level, said Landry Watson, who sits on the OBPB’s Election Committee. “These propositions will be advisory only — we can’t make the city lower our taxes,” Watson said. “But we’re hoping we can SEE PLANNERS, Page 4