The San Diego Surfriders Foundation is calling out the person, or people, responsible for illegally painting a curb red in La Jolla Shores to stop beachgoers from parking outside their homes. It's considered a misdemeanor offense, but it does not stop people from doing it year after year in coastal communities.
“Parking is an issue, and the red curb is particularly annoying because, in most cases, it doesn’t appear to be necessary for emergency vehicles,” said Jim C.
He told NBC 7 he has lived near La Jolla Shores for 30 years and has seen red curbs pop up near the beach quite often.
“This area is bad, but it’s not as bad as some,” Jim said.
He was able to snag a spot, on Camino Del Collado, across the street from a bogus red curb paint job, Thursday morning. A representative with the city of San Diego told NBC 7, that 154 feet of Camino Del Collado was illegitimately painted red.
“On this street, it’s been happening for over a year,” said Kristin Brinner.
She’s a volunteer with the San Diego Surfriders Foundation and said another Surfrider volunteer discovered the newly painted red curb last week.
“This kind of vandalism is a pretty hateful act, saying these coastal homeowners that are so lucky to live right next to the beach have more of a right to access the beaches than the general public,” she told NBC 7.
She said she sent out a letter to homeowners who live on Camino Del Collado, asking people to respect public parking and equitable beach access.
Neighbors NBC 7 spoke with supported Brinner. Virginia Winegardner has lived on Camino Del Collado for more than 60 years. She admitted the street is narrow, and having both sides of the street open to the public makes it difficult for drivers to navigate, but she said the lack of parking is worse and wants access back.
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“My friends have nowhere to park when they come,” Winegardner said.
Some people said they plan on parking along the illegal red curb anyway and hope they are not ticketed.
“We would hope that, yeah we don’t get a ticket, but if it’s illegally painted red, then I think that’s the bigger issue,” said Chad B, who said he remembered the curb was open for parking a few weeks ago.
NBC 7 reached out to the San Diego Police Department to find out if someone can be ticketed for parking along an illegal red curb. Lieutenant Shawn Takeuchi confirmed with NBC 7, that someone could get a ticket for parking along a red curb, even if it is illegitimate. He said officers do not have a database to refer to before citing someone. However, Lieutenant Takeuchi said most officers could identify a bogus red curb over a legitimate red curb. He said people could dispute a ticket if they feel it is wrongfully issued.
Brinner said she was told it could take up to 90 days to fix the curb, but a Public Information Officer with the City of San Diego told NBC 7, a work order was issued to paint over the curb, and it should be complete by the end of the week.
