Police Trailer Removed From OB Pier Parking Lot After 20 Years

Photo by Tony de Garate

By Tony de Garate

When word got out that the Ocean Beach police trailer was going to be removed from its long-standing spot in the parking lot at the foot of Newport Avenue, OB’s most notorious spot for aggressive panhandling, open drug use and violence, some were skeptical when the announced date was April 1.

But it was no hoax. Bert’s Office Trailers brought a giant flatbed and carried away their trailer as advertised, ending a police brick-and-mortar presence that, in all, had lasted nearly five decades in this funky beach community.

For nearly 20 years, the idea was simple. Give police a space in Ocean Beach to work on a report, stow gear, microwave a snack, plug in a computer or just use the restroom, and the increased presence would have a scarecrow effect. Some say the idea came from convenience stores advertising “free coffee for cops.” Who’s going to hold up your gas station if police are likely to come around for a free cup of joe?

The trailer was installed in 1999, when police lost a 29-year lease and were forced to give up a community relations storefront at 5025 Newport Ave., a location that has since become a barbecue restaurant. Residents, visitors and merchants complained the sea wall at the foot of Newport Avenue — a favorite hangout for the homeless — was increasingly riddled with crime, according to a fact sheet from the Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association (OBMA), an organization that represents more than 500 members. Bert’s offered the trailer for a mere $200 per month (eventually upped to $500), and the OBMA readily agreed to foot the bill. Illegal activity decreased immediately, OBMA said.

In the long term, there was a $4.56 million plan to replace the aging lifeguard tower on nearby Abbott Street with a structure for joint lifeguard-police use. But in the interim, many community leaders agreed the trailer would work nicely as a temporary police outpost.

The trailer was not without its detractors. Some charged it was an eyesore, took up valuable parking and hindered views of the break from nearby Surf Check Alley. Even some among the Ocean Beach Planning Board (OBPB), a locally elected body sanctioned by the city to make land-use and quality-of-life recommendations, had misgivings about the trailer’s “temporary” status. When it came time to renew the Ocean Beach Community Plan, a document intended to guide growth for 20 years, language was included calling for the trailer’s removal.

But the biggest threat to the trailer emerged in 2012, when the California Coastal Commission, responding to citizen complaints, issued a Notice of Violation and told the city to get a permit. The commission said legitimate concerns had been raised about public access and visual impacts and chided the city for allowing it to be placed without permission. In its biggest eyeroll, the Commission rejected the city’s contention that a structure unmoved for 12 years could be considered “temporary.” In 2014, with the somewhat reluctant support of the OBPB, police obtained a permit that would be good until March 18, 2019.

For the past two years, discussions had been ongoing with police about renewing the permit, OBMA Executive Director Denny Knox said March 27 at the monthly meeting of the Ocean Beach Town Council. But during that time, it appeared OBMA board members were growing tired of funding the full cost of the trailer — which included not just rent but also utilities, waste disposal and insurance.

Last November, a request to help out with funding made its way to the agenda of the OBPB. No action was taken, but Craig Klein, OBPB member and Newport Avenue property owner, predicted dire consequences if the trailer were removed, even invoking a 1980s, post-apocalyptic movie starring Mel Gibson to make his point. “If the trailer is gone,” Klein said, “that parking lot is going to turn into even more of a Mad Max (Beyond) Thunderdome than it is today.”

But in February, with just one month remaining before the permit’s expiration, the OBMA Board of Directors voted to abort the effort. The board decided its budget would be better spent on efforts like its Clean and Safe Program, which provides things like graffiti abatement, sidewalk cleaning and private security. Furthermore, with the increased reliance on mobile devices, it seemed police were finding fewer reasons to get out of their cars and use the trailer, Knox said.

“Times changed,” she said. “Burt’s gave us a fantastic deal, (but it was still) way too expensive for what it was bringing us.”

Community Services Officer David Surwilo told the Town Council police will still use the parking lot as a command post during events like the OB Street Fair and Chili Cook-off, utilizing canopies, quads and recreational vehicles.

“The amount … we were using it compared to the past just didn’t justify it anymore,” Surwilo said. “It was a burden (OBMA) had shared on behalf of the community for way too long, and for that we thank them.”