Here's something you might be interested in.
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
No 2013 fireworks over Lake Murray?
Lawsuit cloud still looms
Plans for a Fourth of July fireworks display at Lake Murray Reservoir are "on hold" until a court of appeals decision is announced, San Carlos Area Council president John Pilch said at the May 1 meeting.
"It could happen if the court decides in the next month or so," he said. The court is evaluating the City of San Diego appeal of a ruling to block fireworks above bodies of water in the city.
Pilch serves on the committee that organizes the Independence Day celebration, which has included Music Fest — live music at the lake. The music and fireworks show started in 1997 and became known as the largest Independence Day celebration in East County. The music started about noon, with bands playing until about 9:15 p.m., when fireworks started.
Fireworks displays at Lake Murray and in La Jolla were challenged in lawsuits filed against the City of San Diego by the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation. The Encinitas foundation was represented by Coast Law Group, which was co-founded by attorney Marco Gonzalez. He is a managing partner and founder and executive director of the foundation, according to a page on the Coast Law Group website.
In May 2011, the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation won the first lawsuit that maintained the city failed to study and mitigate the environmental impacts of the Independence Day fireworks show at the La Jolla Cove. The city appealed that ruling, and a stay was ordered on a second lawsuit, pending the appellate court decision on the first lawsuit.
The next two foundation lawsuits challenged two city actions to resolve the issue by amending the municipal code. The city council in November 2011 approved municipal code changes to allow exemptions in the permit process for events such as fireworks shows held at city parks. The third and fourth lawsuits were joined and were the subject of a June 2012 court hearing. The court ruled against the city, stating San Diego failed to review the environmental impact of fireworks. The city appealed that decision.
"The city attorney's office has decided to fight this rather than put together an EIR [environmental impact report]," said Pilch.
Event organizers faced another challenge several years ago. As money became tight during the economic downturn, fundraisers such as pancake breakfasts were held. In 2011, organizations including the July 4th/Music Fest Committee and the Lake Murray Kiwanis sought and obtained donations and sponsors to stage the fireworks show without the music fest.
Last year, the Fourth of July fireworks show was canceled. "This difficult decision was made after careful consideration of the liability exposure which the event would produce and the possibility of litigation directly involving the committee," read an announcement on the Navajo Events website.
While 2013 fireworks are "on hold,” there won't be live music at Lake Murray, Pilch said. "Having a music fest without fireworks doesn’t make sense," he said. “With no fireworks at 9:15 p.m., we might have things thrown at us."
Here's something you might be interested in.
No 2013 fireworks over Lake Murray?
Lawsuit cloud still looms
No 2013 fireworks over Lake Murray?
Lawsuit cloud still looms
Plans for a Fourth of July fireworks display at Lake Murray Reservoir are "on hold" until a court of appeals decision is announced, San Carlos Area Council president John Pilch said at the May 1 meeting.
"It could happen if the court decides in the next month or so," he said. The court is evaluating the City of San Diego appeal of a ruling to block fireworks above bodies of water in the city.
Pilch serves on the committee that organizes the Independence Day celebration, which has included Music Fest — live music at the lake. The music and fireworks show started in 1997 and became known as the largest Independence Day celebration in East County. The music started about noon, with bands playing until about 9:15 p.m., when fireworks started.
Fireworks displays at Lake Murray and in La Jolla were challenged in lawsuits filed against the City of San Diego by the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation. The Encinitas foundation was represented by Coast Law Group, which was co-founded by attorney Marco Gonzalez. He is a managing partner and founder and executive director of the foundation, according to a page on the Coast Law Group website.
In May 2011, the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation won the first lawsuit that maintained the city failed to study and mitigate the environmental impacts of the Independence Day fireworks show at the La Jolla Cove. The city appealed that ruling, and a stay was ordered on a second lawsuit, pending the appellate court decision on the first lawsuit.
The next two foundation lawsuits challenged two city actions to resolve the issue by amending the municipal code. The city council in November 2011 approved municipal code changes to allow exemptions in the permit process for events such as fireworks shows held at city parks. The third and fourth lawsuits were joined and were the subject of a June 2012 court hearing. The court ruled against the city, stating San Diego failed to review the environmental impact of fireworks. The city appealed that decision.
"The city attorney's office has decided to fight this rather than put together an EIR [environmental impact report]," said Pilch.
Event organizers faced another challenge several years ago. As money became tight during the economic downturn, fundraisers such as pancake breakfasts were held. In 2011, organizations including the July 4th/Music Fest Committee and the Lake Murray Kiwanis sought and obtained donations and sponsors to stage the fireworks show without the music fest.
Last year, the Fourth of July fireworks show was canceled. "This difficult decision was made after careful consideration of the liability exposure which the event would produce and the possibility of litigation directly involving the committee," read an announcement on the Navajo Events website.
While 2013 fireworks are "on hold,” there won't be live music at Lake Murray, Pilch said. "Having a music fest without fireworks doesn’t make sense," he said. “With no fireworks at 9:15 p.m., we might have things thrown at us."
Comments