Oceanside Bans Liquor to Curb Trouble in Park

The Oceanside City Council Wednesday banned drinking at Buddy Todd Park in an attempt to quell raucous weekend behavior by beer-guzzling youths at the popular picnic site.

The action came because of complaints by neighbors that the actions of the youths had placed their once-tranquil neighborhood under siege.

The ban on drinking will take effect in about 45 days. The move was one of several recommendations unanimously approved by the five-member council to deal with the problem.

Neighbors said many of the rowdy youths are Marines from nearby Camp Pendleton who, particularly during the summer, cruise cars along the narrow road winding through the park with radios blaring, drinking excessively, creating traffic snarls and harassing residents.

Neighbors also said signs of drug-dealing and prostitution are beginning to surface in the 19-acre park, on a hilltop overlooking the San Luis Rey Valley.

Not a Panacea

“I’m not pretending that this is going to solve all the problems,” said Mayor Larry Bagley. “But we are taking action, one step at a time, to correct what is essentially a behavior problem.”

Acting Police Chief Michael Shirley reassured residents by saying that there is “no wholesale drug usage or prostitution” at the park.

But Shirley recognized the links between drinking and rowdy behavior and promised increased police surveillance of the park the rest of the summer.

The council also approved making one side of the park road a tow-away zone in an effort to ease congestion caused by a combination of slow-cruising vehicles and parked cars on the one-way route.

In an effort to reclaim Buddy Todd as a family park, council members plan to hire a recreation leader who will organize activities and monitor the park next summer.

“More active family use of the park will be a deterrent for the types of activities that the neighbors are complaining about now,” City Manager Ron Bradley said.

Many residents of the area had hoped that the city would totally ban cars in the park, a proposal still under study. However, they expressed satisfaction with the council’s actions so far.

“I like taking a six-pack to the park and drinking like anybody else,” said Oscar Culp, who favored the ban on drinking. “But I’ll be more than glad to stop drinking if it’s going to help cut down the problems.”