San Diego

A San Diego City Council committee voted Wednesday to continue closing two parking lots in South Mission Beach to vehicles at 8 p.m., despite a recommendation from the city manager’s office that the early closing time is unnecessary.

The council’s Public Facilities and Recreation committee voted, 5 to 0, to maintain a 3-month-old policy of closing the jetty parking lots from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. to all vehicles. The early closing will stay in force until May 24, when the committee will review the issue again, said Pete Hogan, the committee’s consultant.

In response to resident complaints of crime, gang violence, noise and traffic congestion, the council voted Oct. 24 to extend the restricted hours at both lots. Residents who testified Wednesday were overwhelmingly in favor of maintaining the same hours, Hogan said.

Deputy City Manager Coleman Conrad, however, recommended closing the oceanfront lot from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., and closing the bay-front lot from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m.

In a report, Conrad told the committee that there were only five crimes in the parking lots between May 27 and Sept. 30, none of which involved violence. A gang fight erupted Aug. 21 and ended when a gang member fired several shots into the air, the report said.

The report also stated that closing the lots would have little effect on traffic congestion, which results from the street layout and popularity of the beach area.

However, residents testified that early closing of the lots during the past three months has dramatically reduced noise.