Viewing the Waves

In stories about a Pacific Beach parking strip, reporter Adam Z. Horvath has written that “one of the last stretches of oceanfront parking” will soon be replaced (“Coast Panel Endorses Park for P.B. Waterfront,” July 24).

The Pacific Beach parking area is by no means the “last stretch of oceanfront parking” in San Diego County.

If Mr. Horvath drives south along the coast, starting north of Carlsbad State Park, he’ll find a dirt lot used for parking that overlooks the state beach. South of the state park, he’ll see cars parked with their tires in the sand, and another dirt parking lot facing the beach.

In La Jolla, Mr. Horvath will notice that he can park his car the right way in a large La Jolla Shores parking lot and see waves and boardwalk action galore.

In Ocean Beach, he’ll encounter two oceanfront parking lots. They are so near the ocean that city maintenance workers have to sweep the lot edges clear of sand.

At Sunset Cliffs, he’ll notice many people parking on a few dirt cliffs right above the pounding surf.

In Coronado, he’ll see many people parked along Ocean Boulevard at lunchtime, peering at the beach through gaps in the rock storm barrier.

About five miles down the Strand Highway, he’ll see drivers pulling into parking spaces thick with white sand at Silver Strand State Beach. This lot is so close to the ocean that violent storms a few years ago washed half of it away.

By not mentioning these other oceanfront parking areas, Mr. Horvath has added uncalled-for sentimentality to a very serious environmental situation. CAROLE SCHOLL

Ocean Beach