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Craft is dead. Now we drink Indie Beer
This is an absurd arguement that sore losers are bringing up against the microbreweries who sold out to big breweries and made a killing. There is nothing special about producing beer, it's been done for thousands of years and the world is a sorrier place because of alcohol abuse. So you losers who didn't make a killing, go drown your sorrows in a craft beer and stop annoying the rest of us with your whining BS, and please stay off of the roads after drinking.— March 13, 2016 5:48 p.m.
Helix Brewing off to a charming start in La Mesa
Kudos to Cameron Ball and the City of La Mesa for getting it right by placing and permitting Helix Brewing Co. in an industrial zone. Meanwhile microbrewery opportunists and the City of San Diego continue to place and illegally permit microbreweries in commercial zones; thereby denying citizens their Constitutional right to the due process of law.— September 17, 2015 7:07 a.m.
Hess clan Purrowlin' O.B.
There are two dirty little secretes involved with the establishment of this tasting room in Ocean Beach. First, the property is located in a CC-4-2 zone. This zone permits alcoholic beverage outlets as a limited use subject to a Conditional Use Permit. A Conditional Use Permit requires that every resident within 300 feet be given written notification of the proposed use, a hearing held of objections, and a process available for appeal. According to the City of San Diego Open DSD the new Hess tasting room does not have a Conditional Use Permit. This is a violation of the 14th Amendment of Constitution guaranteeing the due process of law to Ocean Beach residents. Second, qualifying microbrewery tasting rooms that do not prepare food on premises are exempt from local Health Department permits. This means that dog friendly, kid friendly, food truck friendly microbreweries like the new Hess tasting room are exempt from San Diego County Health Department's sanitary inspections of restrooms, dish washing facilities, dining rooms, or anywhere else on premises that a patron may be concerned with bacteria, mold, and vermin. I thought you would like to know.— September 11, 2015 9:12 a.m.
Chargers, Airbnb, and Mark Fabiani’s vicious knife fighter
Mike Aguirre, the best City Attorney ever.— August 31, 2015 11:13 a.m.
Craft beer scene yields to burgeoning local heroin industry
Nice bit of satire Mr. Mencken. Did you know that San Diego has been declared the "Heroin Capitol of the World" and that local officials are overjoyed with the prospect of the increased tax revenues and area revitalization that follow the inclusion of heroin tasting rooms in under achieving neighborhoods. Officials are currently planning on special zoning exemptions for heroin outlets making it a convenient short trip to the "candy shop" for local connoisseurs.— August 29, 2015 12:51 p.m.
Chargers, Airbnb, and Mark Fabiani’s vicious knife fighter
Short term rentals are uses that do not conform with the zoning ordinances in residential neighborhoods. The Municipal Code allows for nonconforming uses if the property owner applies to Development Services and can qualify for a Conditional Use Permit. A Conditional Use Permit requires that residents and property owners within 300 feet be notified of the application, a staff level review be made of the application, another public notice of the review, and a hearing officers hearing of objections. If appeals are made to the hearing officer's findings they are made to the Planning Commission, another public notice is required, and finally an appeal hearing is conducted by the Planning Commission. San Diego Department of Development Service conducts this review and there is a $250,000 fine awaiting those that do not comply. Now when San Diego Development Services Director Robert A Vacchi decides to qualify a non conforming use for a use permit, such as a Type 23 microbrewery in a residential neighborhood, an entirely different procedure is utilized. In this procedure Director Vacchi simply avers that the non conforming microbrewery is a conforming use ( despite the Municipal Code) and the permit is granted. Director Vacchi doubles down when he issues an affidavit to Alcoholic Beverage Control that certifies that the non conforming microbrewery in question is a conforming use, and a liquor license is granted. Mayor Faulconer is fine with that. Todd Gloria fully supports it. The microbrewery industry could not be happier. Residents in the area are just plain out of luck if they are forced to contend with air and noise pollution and drunken activity on or near their homes. Development Services is not going to lift a finger to assist impacted residents and will ignore complaints made to code enforcement. People contending with short term rentals don't know how lucky they are to have the City actually consider enforcing the law.— August 28, 2015 4:34 p.m.
Affordable housing expert slighted by KPBS?
KPBS is dependent on wealthy foundations and government grants for it's survival. It's reporters are dependent on access to government officials for whatever inane remarks they are offering on current events. Under these circumstances KPBS needs to be politically correct. If that means ignoring the legitimate concerns of individuals or sitting on an inconvenient truth they will do so, rather than bite the hands that feed them.— August 28, 2015 8:08 a.m.
Affordable housing expert slighted by KPBS?
Everyone is telling the truth...— August 27, 2015 4:54 p.m.
These are not my beautiful hops
You are a good guy. Stay safe.— August 25, 2015 8:31 a.m.
AirBnB, the elephant in the room
Todd Gloria is perfectly happy when residents in his district are punished for operating a non conforming use without a Conditional Use Permit, but when it comes to non conforming businesses, like microbreweries, he is just as happy to ignore the Municipal Code in favor of placing these obnoxious breweries and beer bars next to residences.— August 24, 2015 2:03 p.m.