City of San Diego to Beach Residents: ‘Yer On Yer Own’

By Geoff Page

There is a scene in the movie, “Blazing Saddles,” a Mel Brooks classic, (see above) where a preacher tries to stop the crowd from shooting the new – Black – sheriff. The preacher holds the Bible up and someone shoots it, whereupon he says, “Son, yer on yer own” and walks away. Seems this is the City of San Diego’s slogan.

This is what the city says. It is from an email city mayoral representative Randy Reyes sent to a long list of people:

Thank you for your email. I wanted to address your comments about the City’s decisions as it relates to the current status of the OB Pier. Public life and safety is and will remain the top priority. The 75-foot clearance from the pier is a rule that is in place to ensure that we protect San Diegans. There currently is signage at the Pier, and we will continue to work with Parks and Recreation staff, as well as Lifeguards, to ensure that these signs remain accessible to the public. On that same note, we will continue to remind the Lifeguards, that they need to be enforcing and communicating this rule with surfers and beach go-ers.

“Public life and safety is and will remain the top priority.” This is what the city actually does.

Bluff Danger

As reported in The Rag, there is a very dangerous piece of bluff that could collapse at any moment. The Rag informed the city about this on June 18, about six weeks ago. Despite suggestions of some signage and danger tape, not a thing has been done.

When asked about what the city had done or was doing about this situation, the following response was received on July 22:

Based on the site assessments that they conducted, City Geologists recommended that City staff monitor the site on a quarterly basis, as well as post-storm events; installation of additional signage warning park users of unstable cliffs at both official and unofficial entry points to Garbage Beach; and a recommended distance of at least 80 feet away from this section of the bluff face for the public to maintain.

The picture below is from Friday, July 26. There are about 12 people in this picture. In the foreground is a kneeling young woman with an infant. The picture says it all. Beachgoers, even you little ones, yer on yer  own.

OB Pier

The picture below is of a sign on the pier gates.

“Beware of Hazards on, around, and under pier. Additional structure failure may occur.”

Why is the sign warning about hazards “on” the pier when the gates are locked and no one can get “on” the pier? What does “around and under” mean. How far around? Under where, on land or in the ocean? What does “additional structure failure mean?!”

The sign makes no sense. The only dangerous place is in the ocean where the surfers are. Surfers do not climb the steps to the gates to read signs. Ah, the city says, we have that covered. There is a rule that surfers must stay 75 feet away from the pier.

Yes, there is a rule, but how would anyone in the water know that? Well, there used to be a sign on the north side of the pier that said “it shall be unlawful to swim or surf within 75 feet of the pier.” There was a sign. Today, this writer swept up and down the pier with a high-powered telescope. No sign of the sign. It is gone.

Thinking this might be something the lifeguards should be concerned about, this writer stopped at the main lifeguard station to ask two men sitting outside if they knew the sign was gone. No real reaction. When apprised of the missing sign, that the city is telling people is there, little reaction. It was impressed upon them that this needed to be remedied. The response was OK.

After putting the telescope away and getting angrier by the moment, this writer returned and asked to speak to whoever was in charge of the station. Unfortunately, it was the same, unenthusiastic person that was sitting outside. After again pressing him on the need to fix this he said, deadpan, “There is process.” He was reminded that the “process” starts with a phone call that he was in no hurry to make.

Interactions with lifeguards has always been unsatisfying, they listen and do nothing and look irritated that they have been bothered. One would think that a reaction from a public employee, whose salary our tax dollars pays, might be a bit more appreciative and reactive. Like “Thank you very much for bringing this to our attention, we did not know the sign was gone. I’ll call the city now and report it.”

The picture below is from documents obtained using the Public Records Request portal. It is the city’s own consultant recommendations for signage on the pier about the danger.

The report showing this sign recommendation is dated April 24, 2024. It was also learned from that report that the city has never sent a diver down to look at the collapsed pier. No one knows if it is sticking up below the surface or if it is lying on the bottom.

The “process” has not resulted in an actual sign. Apparently, surfers and kayakers and swimmers near the OB Pier, yer on yer own.