The Battle Over Beaches and Booze : Trial run for ban on alcohol this summer would be a wise course to follow

An early morning at Mission Bay Park on a summer Saturday showed the damage that drinking can do to beaches and parks, and why the San Diego City Council’s determination to pursue a ban on alcohol makes good sense:

As picnickers arrived to reserve their bayside spots, they were greeted by the debris of the hardy partying the night before. Two young women were asleep in a car, oblivious to their blaring radio or the people pounding on the car windows. Two bleary-eyed, disheveled men huddled around a dying fire surrounded by empty beer cans and wine cooler bottles. Park and Recreation Department crews struggled to clean up the litter-strewn grass and sand.

Would an alcohol ban have alleviated the problem? The six-month experimental ban at La Jolla Shores and two parks would indicate yes. Neighbors of those parks reported dramatic decreases in rowdyism, vandalism and noise. That’s why the ban on alcohol was made permanent in the trial areas, and a one-year ban instituted at other beaches and most large parks. But 45,000 voters objected, petitioning for a referendum. The City Council chose to back off rather than spend $500,000 for a citywide election.

The decision was fiscally wise, given tight budgets, although the reluctance of council members facing reelection to share the ballot with an unpopular measure was probably a greater motivator than frugality.

Later this month, the City Council will consider a different approach: a summer-only emergency ban. The idea is to tackle the immediate problem and then put the bigger question on the June, 1992, ballot--when no council seats are open.

Opponents say the council is trying an end-run around a referendum. We disagree; scaling back the one-year ban to three months and giving voters the final say is a reasonable compromise. If a six-month trial at one beach and two parks was so successful, a three-month experiment citywide deserves a try.

Booze ban opponents would be wise to work with the council on devising a constructive summer ban, perhaps even trying the idea of establishing drinking zones, or “nodes,” at the beach. Because, once the city starts showing the Police Department’s videotape of “America’s Finest” rowdy drinkers, 45,000 petition signers may find themselves outnumbered.