As Nov. 4 nears, many students are taking stances on a variety of issues that will be on the ballot. The one-year trial ban of alcohol on San Diego beaches and the incidents that prompted officials to impose it and similar bans has gained a lot of media attention this year. Proposition D would keep the ban in place permanently.
San Diego State international business senior Sean Devlin thinks the issue is worth looking into for students. During the past few months, he has been in charge of outreach to SDSU students for www.noonpropd.org, the Web site for the San Diego Safe Beach Coalition. It’s an all-volunteer group of mostly beach-area residents who feel strongly that one of the lead advocates of the ban, San Diego City Councilmember Kevin Faulconer, jumped the gun when pushing for a permanent ban last year.
Devlin has worked with many other students in building awareness of what is on the ballot and what the group feels is at stake if Proposition D passes.
“It’s not just the beach, it’s city parks, locations that have never been a problem area for drinking,” Devlin said.
German studies senior Mustafa Alobaid said that anyone wanting to drink and have a good time has plenty of places to go besides public areas like the beach.
“It’s better to keep the beach a family place,” he said. “If they want to drink, they can do it next to the beach. They have bars right there.”
Devlin said another problem is the misconception that the only people who oppose the ban are young adults who want to get drunk.
“A lot of the older demographic understands that it’s not just people that want to drink in excess,” he said.
Adding to that point, Devlin said that the vast majority of the group’s directors are over the age of 35. He said part of the reason for their support is the agreement among ban opponents that the proposed permanent ban goes too far.
A lot of Pacific Beach residents, he said, think that stricter enforcement would be more efficient than a ban.
The larger police presence resulting from the ban is precisely the reason why Alobaid supports it.
“The fact is that law enforcement will be there all the time,” Alobaid said. “Even if fights don’t happen because of alcohol, because of the ban, they would actually be there for other fights that occur.”
Whether students are for or against the ban, Devlin said it pays off to learn about what will be on the ballot, citing that in 2002, the last attempt to impose a ban was narrowly defeated. He also said many students he has spoken with didn’t even know the proposition is on the ballot and think there is already a permanent ban in place.
“Some people don’t realize that it was just a one-year ban,” he said. “One classroom on campus can decide whether or not years from now people will be able to enjoy alcohol responsibly at all city beaches and parks.”
Students evaluate Proposition D
Voters decide the outcome of a permanent alcohol ban on the beach on Nov. 4
Published: Thursday, October 9, 2008
Updated: Thursday, October 9, 2008
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Demand real solutions – Vote no on Prop D!