CALIFORNIA MEETS THE MEDITERRANEAN: Cass Street’s Fig Tree Cafe serves up a high quality, locallysource ingredients with generously-sized portions. 9
Happy Holidays from all of us at The Beach and Bay Press May your days be merry & bright! Thank you for your continued support
SANTA RETURNS TO PB: Mr. Claus returns to Garnet Avenue to wish all of the spectators a Merry Christmas at the PB Holiday Parade. 3 Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008 – Jan. 7, 2009
www.beachandbaypress.com
Donor saves fire pits from being snuffed BY SEBASTIAN RUIZ | BEACH &BAY PRESS
PAUL HANSEN | BEACH & BAY PRESS
After the city threatened to remove the 186 fire pits scattered throughout San Diego’s beaches and Mission Bay, an anonymous donor pledged $259,500 to fund the program that maintains the popular “hot” spots.
An anonymous donor has stepped forward to help save the city’s beach fire pits, saving the San Diego tradition of sitting around a warm fire in the sand, but also leaving questions about how to pay for other city services on the chopping block. City crews started removing the concrete fire pits Wednesday, Dec. 10, before an anonymous donor pledged about $259,500 through the San Diego Foundation to pay for the maintenance of about 186 rings through the next year.
Despite the stormy weather, Mayor Jerry Sanders made the announcement about the donation at the lifeguard station at the foot of Grand Avenue in Pacific Beach on Monday, Dec. 15. If economic conditions improve, the funding could return, he said. The city has about a year to match the donation to keep the pits operating past 18 months, he said. The donation saves two city staff positions selected for elimination in the face of a $43 million budget gap the city is working to close.
“It’s still our city employees out there cleaning the [fire pits]. What this does is provide a funding source for that,” Sanders said. The two-man job requires the use of a front-loader and a dump truck and takes an average of 30 minutes per pit, according to a city statement. Each pit weighs nearly a ton and needs to be lifted before the ash and debris is scooped, cleaned and taken to Fiesta Island. Park and Recreation Director Stacy LoMedico said the city has already SEE FIRE, Page 7
EPA mulls waiver for secondary wastewater treatment plans coast. San Diego is one of the last big cities to keep applying for the With local experts and politiwaiver, Reznick said. This is the cos claiming the city imports too third waiver the city has applied much water, treating and for since 1995. reusing sewer water for irrigation A public comment process for — or even drinking — takes on a the waiver will continue over the new meaning. next several months, requiring Meanwhile, the Federal Enviapprovals from agencies such as ronmental Protection Agency is the San Diego Regional Water verging on granting the city Quality Control Board and the another five-year pass in upgrad- California Coastal Commission. ing its sewage treatment process- The first public hearing takes es to the next level of cleanliness, place Wednesday, Jan. 21 at the called secondary treatment. San Diego Regional Water QualiAt least one local environmen- ty Control Board offices, 9174 tal group has met with the Sky Park Court, at 9 a.m. mayor and city staff in an effort Environmental groups such as to tackle the problem of rethink- Coastkeeper have traditionally ing the city’s water and wastewa- opposed the city’s application for ter infrastructure. the waiver. “We’re trying to reach an They sued the city in 2000 agreement [with the city] over because of it, Reznick said. The the next month or so … to really suit partly resulted in a water lay the groundwork for longrecycling report to the city, term planning for our sewage released in 2005. and water infrastructure in San Though another lawsuit is Diego,” San Diego Coastkeeper “not off the table,” Reznick said, executive director Bruce Reznick now is the time to work with the said. city “hand in hand” to plan for The city applies for a permit future water recycling. He added every five years, allowing the city that he needs a more compreto empty treated sewage about SEE WASTEWATER, Page 5 four miles off the Point Loma BY SEBASTIAN RUIZ | BEACH &BAY PRESS
PAUL HANSEN | BEACH & BAY PRESS
MERRY OM-MAS The always-merry men of OMBAC wave to the crowd from their award-winning vintage fire truck during the PB Holiday Parade Sunday, Dec. 14.
Trader Joe’s says goodbye to founding manager BY LARRY HARMON | BEACH &BAY PRESS
Pacific Beach is losing one of its fixtures when longtime Trader Joe’s manager Kim Guentert retires after more than 40 years
with the specialty grocery store. According to Trader Joe’s first mate David Larkin, Guentert opened the Pacific Beach location in September 1986, marking it the first Trader Joe’s in San Diego.
After the store’s successful launch, Guentert moved around the city to open other stores around the city until he returned to Pacific Beach six years ago, according to Larkin. SEE TRADER JOE’S, Page 7