I’ve received a bunch of responses to my post yesterday about the trash piling up in front of the cliffs in Ocean Beach. Here’s some of the comments and some responses for readers:
Reader Sue asked:
Can you tell me where the picture was taken? I assume it’s somewhere out along the cliffs and not right at the public beach. That does make a difference in what the City should provide.
If I go somewhere and there is not a trash can, I have to take the trash back to my car, etc. I don’t just leave it assuming someone will get it. I think that is a problem. We do need to take responsibility for our own behavior and not expect the City to clean up after us everywhere we go.
Thanks for the question Sue. I’ve embedded a Google map that shows you exactly where that trash is located. It is indeed on the cliffs, immediately next to a staircase that leads down to a public beach. The city used to have a trashcan here, but removed it to deal with massive budget cuts.
I think your comments about personal responsibility echo what I’ve been hearing from the Mayor’s Office. The mayor’s spokesman, Darren Pudgil, called me a few times yesterday to explain that because “a financial meteor hit the city,” residents should be adopting the philosophy posted up all around national parks: “Pack it up, pack it in.”
But it looks like the city’s changing its tune a bit. This morning, I got a call from Jose Ysea, spokesman for the city’s Environmental Services Department. Ysea said that while the trash is an issue the Park & Recreation Department should be handling, his department will be clearing it away and monitoring that area for a few weeks to see that the problem doesn’t return.
“I was speaking with our code officer, he said he wanted to make sure the problem didn’t return so he’s going to monitor it for a while,” he said, referring to just the spot in OB that I photographed.
Meanwhile, reader Lamont indicates that it’s happening elsewhere:
Same situation along the cliffside in La Jolla before you get to the Cove. They removed all those trash cans too. This city is pathetic.
And finally, check out this letter from Kathy Keenan, executive director of the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition, on the trash issue.