Why should we save the fire pits?

Simple outdoor pleasures make San Diego great. Fire Pits on the beaches have survived for decades, through prosperous and lean times.  Let's not let the city use these tight times as the excuse to eliminate them forever.

 

This is an opportunity to reduce the costs, but not destroy a San Diego tradition.  Costs could certainly be cut by reducing off-season maintenance, switching to seasonal staff, or changing the methods used to clean the pits.  It seems that costs have already been reduced from $173,000 to $120,000 per year since the 2008 proposal.

The California Coastal Commission has now told the city of San Diego that they need to get Coastal Commission approval to remove the fire pits. Other offices of the Coastal Commission have recently told the same thing to Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. It is important for you to let the city know, now, by phone or email, that you officially object to the removal of the fire rings. Learn more about the fire rings and the coastal commission.  The fire rings are a valuable public amenity that provide safe family enjoyment on the beach.
What can you do?  Contact the Mayor and the City Council today! Really, their staff will politely answer the phone and take your comment.  Follow the link to City Hall Contacts.
If you live in the city, it's best to call your council member on the phone.  Otherwise, you can phone the Mayor's office (619-236-6630).

For the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the City of San Diego had a donation page where you could contribute to save the fire pits.
 http://www.sandiego.gov/philanthropycenter/opportunities/firepit.shtml

You can see a list of donors at the page.

To contribute to save the fire pits in 2011 and beyond, please visit the San Diego Foundation.

*Note, savethefirepits.com is not collecting any donations. Please contact the San Diego Foundation at the link above to make donations.  The San Diego Foundation may be able to facilitate significant donations.

For additional coverage and the "Adopt-a-fire-pit" campaign in Ocean Beach, check out the www.obrag.org. Also check out the many linked articles on our Press Coverage page.