Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

If You Hold It, They Will Defile It

The Pacific Beach Block Party is over, according to Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of Discover PB, an association that includes 1200 PB business owners. Discover PB was granted the party permit by the city for the past two years. Nicholls says his board declined to host the event, and "We requested the city not issue a permit to anyone for the [2006] PB Block Party."

An estimated 105,000 turned out to see 43 bands play at the 30th annual festival on May 14.

"On balance, the block party had a negative impact," says Nicholls. "It gave PB an image as a place to get drunk." Locals against the event say the block party attracts public urination, fights, vandalism, and a drop-off in business.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Marcie Beckett, a member of savepb.org, collected a survey of what residents and businesses think about the event.

"In summary, it was a huge negative impact on residences and businesses. Bars may make $100,000 that day, but other businesses, like Henry's and Trader Joe's, lost $40,000. This year the Hells Angels and gangs showed up, and the police were just trying to keep fights from breaking out. They admitted they couldn't keep up with misdemeanors like urination." She says she wants the event moved. "It just got too big. The last Street Scene in Gaslamp drew 130,000. Because they got too big, they had to move to Qualcomm."

Nicholls says a workshop was held on November 21 to determine what events residents, businesses, and community organizations could support. It's been determined that the PB Block Party name won't be used and any other event may not include organizer Kevin Hellman.

"In the past, the block party was created by Kevin behind closed doors. When does a community get to participate in its own street fair?"

Jim Moore, president of the PB Town Council, says his board is split on the issue.

Meanwhile, Hellman says he is moving ahead with plans for a scaled-down event: the PB Street Fair, to be held April 29 and to include two or three stages (compared to last year's seven).

"If the community doesn't want the event, we won't do the event," says Hellman, noting that there were only four block-party-related arrests last year. Regarding the huge crowds: "We are a victim of our own success." And regarding those who want the block party out of PB: "They want PB to be like La Jolla. But it's not going to be as long as [homeowners] rent out to college students."

Hellman gets paid for organizing the event but would not disclose the amount.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Secrets of Resilience in May's Unforgettable Memoir

Next Article

East San Diego County has only one bike lane

So you can get out of town – from Santee to Tierrasanta

The Pacific Beach Block Party is over, according to Benjamin Nicholls, executive director of Discover PB, an association that includes 1200 PB business owners. Discover PB was granted the party permit by the city for the past two years. Nicholls says his board declined to host the event, and "We requested the city not issue a permit to anyone for the [2006] PB Block Party."

An estimated 105,000 turned out to see 43 bands play at the 30th annual festival on May 14.

"On balance, the block party had a negative impact," says Nicholls. "It gave PB an image as a place to get drunk." Locals against the event say the block party attracts public urination, fights, vandalism, and a drop-off in business.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Marcie Beckett, a member of savepb.org, collected a survey of what residents and businesses think about the event.

"In summary, it was a huge negative impact on residences and businesses. Bars may make $100,000 that day, but other businesses, like Henry's and Trader Joe's, lost $40,000. This year the Hells Angels and gangs showed up, and the police were just trying to keep fights from breaking out. They admitted they couldn't keep up with misdemeanors like urination." She says she wants the event moved. "It just got too big. The last Street Scene in Gaslamp drew 130,000. Because they got too big, they had to move to Qualcomm."

Nicholls says a workshop was held on November 21 to determine what events residents, businesses, and community organizations could support. It's been determined that the PB Block Party name won't be used and any other event may not include organizer Kevin Hellman.

"In the past, the block party was created by Kevin behind closed doors. When does a community get to participate in its own street fair?"

Jim Moore, president of the PB Town Council, says his board is split on the issue.

Meanwhile, Hellman says he is moving ahead with plans for a scaled-down event: the PB Street Fair, to be held April 29 and to include two or three stages (compared to last year's seven).

"If the community doesn't want the event, we won't do the event," says Hellman, noting that there were only four block-party-related arrests last year. Regarding the huge crowds: "We are a victim of our own success." And regarding those who want the block party out of PB: "They want PB to be like La Jolla. But it's not going to be as long as [homeowners] rent out to college students."

Hellman gets paid for organizing the event but would not disclose the amount.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

Next Article

Live Five: Rebecca Jade, Stoney B. Blues, Manzanita Blues, Blame Betty, Marujah

Holiday music, blues, rockabilly, and record releases in Carlsbad, San Carlos, Little Italy, downtown
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader