On Saturday before the city’s workshop on the future Ocean Beach Pier, Mayor Todd Gloria spoke to reporters and stunningly, dangled out the hope that the pier could reopen “before summer.”
The Times of San Diego reported:
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is optimistic that the storm-damaged Ocean Beach Pier can welcome visitors in the next few months. But he can’t promise that.
“My hope is that we can reopen the pier before the summer,” Gloria said Saturday. “But I can’t give you the full-fledged commitment to do that until we get out there and do the assessment.”
In contrast, Councilwoman Jen Campbell “wasn’t so optimistic about an upcoming reopening,” The Times reported.
“The OB Pier is in bad shape,” she said. “It’s so unsafe underneath. The pillars under water are almost destroyed.”
Gloria was also quoted as saying:
“Is it minor repair of railing or more structural in nature? It really could be either or both.”
The Times:
The city is willing and able to make hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of allocations for repairs, but continuing to do so annually just isn’t sustainable, he said.
“I can’t foresee a world where we don’t have an Ocean Beach Pier,” Gloria said before the presentation in Liberty Station. …
“I don’t want to prejudge the public process,” the mayor said. “The city wants to understand what are the aspects people love the most about the pier — whether it’s fishing, views, the café – the priorities for preserving or repairing.
Given the dire status of the pier and a nearly universal resignation that its state is so bad, it has to be replaced — not repaired, Gloria’s equivocation is puzzling.
Why is he dangling out some kind of hope to the public that the pier could reopen in just a few months? To be fair, he does add that he can’t promise it and that someday (when he’s not mayor?) we won’t have the OB Pier.
Yet, Gloria’s smudging up the reality about the pier does indeed fit a pattern of San Diego politicians downplaying the crumbling nature of the pier. From Faulconer on down — remember all those press ops of our electeds proudly standing in front of the pier’s gate proclaiming it’s ready – again – for the public?
What is so damning about being upfront about the damage? Is it political? Does Gloria feel his image will be tarnished if the pier has to be replaced and the current one permanently shut down for safety’s sake? Does he think people will blame him?
Gloria stated he doesn’t “want to prejudge the public process.” What does that mean? As the chief executive of the city, shouldn’t he be forthcoming about what’s happened to the five-decade old iconic structure?
At this point, the only blame he has earned recently is his charade about the status of the pier.
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Once again, Campbell demonstrated that she has no idea what she is talking about.
“Mayor Gloria Dangles” – I love the name! Who came up with it?