Application for Liquor License at Unfinished Ocean Beach Plaza

Looks Like It’s Too Late to Complain – Or Is It?

Perhaps passersby thought it was just one more of the other construction and real estate signs hanging on the chainlink fence that surrounds the unfinished skeleton of the Ocean Beach Plaza.

But there it was.

An application for a liquor license. Geez, the place isn’t even built yet and they’re already trying to get the crucial permission from the ABC.

How will Ocean Beach take this? Another commercial establishing selling booze.

But wait. Look at the application. It says it was posted April 23, 2018 – and people who wish to oppose it have 30 days in which to do so. Okay, that was yesterday, Wednesday May 23 by my count. Sorry, too late to complain.

So, who’s applying, you ask.

It’s a company called “Dirty Birds Ocean Beach”. Dirty Birds is a sports bar and grill San Diego business. It has 3 other sites: Pacific Beach, the College area and Liberty Station. In fact, they announce the opening of their Ocean Beach location “coming soon,” on their website.

The other locations serve local craft beer and offer a “full service bar.”

Without judging Dirty Birds brand, food or drink, there may be some problems with the application notice hanging out there on or next to the chainlink fence.

Dirty Birds in PB

The address for the Dirty Birds application is 1929 Cable Street – but it might not be properly noticed without actually being on the front of the actual business. The application could be for the main space that faces the intersection at Cable and Santa Monica.

But it may not be legally posted behind a fence facing a closed sidewalk. If the posted notice is not visible to the community, then it defeats the whole purpose of the notice. And what business would want to sneak in under the radar without anyone noticing?

hat tip to Doug Blackwood

A former lawyer and current grassroots activist, I have been editing the Rag since Patty Jones and I launched it in Oct 2007. Way back during the Dinosaurs in 1970, I founded the original Ocean Beach People’s Rag - OB’s famous underground newspaper -, and then later during the early Eighties, published The Whole Damn Pie Shop, a progressive alternative to the Reader.

9 thoughts on “Application for Liquor License at Unfinished Ocean Beach Plaza

        1. Applicants who expect to navigate the ABC process usually hire lawyers to expedite the process and who know the rules. It is possible that Lil’ Miss tried to do it on their own. It is probable that Dirty Birds has a consultant for their paperwork, as they have a history of knowing how to make it work.

  1. I’m assuming that the overwhelming majority of OBceans have heard of Dirty Bird’s (and many have been there) as it is a pretty popular place (the original PB location) and they do have pretty good food as far as pub grub. What exactly is the problem?

    1. Chris- If its so popular and everyone likes it, let them go to PB, or Liberty Station or the College area, and enjoy it. Or do we need one on every corner?

      It should be patently obvious given media coverage, OB panning Board efforts, and the general feeling of the OB citizenry this past year, that liquor licensing in OB is a problem. A more than 300% problem to exactly define it.

  2. Competition getting fierce…I don’t know how OB will sustain all of this outside of peak tourist season…it’s a burger place that serves beer, calm down.

    1. I think the post tries to reflect a large sentiment in OB questioning the wisdom of bringing in more and more commercial establishments selling alcohol. Count, for example, the number of places on the last couple blocks of Newport that sell it.

  3. Its called saturation Chris: don’t need it , don’t want it,San Diego needs housing: not more commercial development!

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