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Comment or join the group by emailing us at 
info@savethefirepits.com
 
Join the cause on Facebook. 
Sign the petition with your fire ring stories.

Find the latest news and post your comments on our Blog.

Fire rings saved at Corona Del Mar in Newport Beach
See the article in Corona Del Mar Today

We can do this too.  E-mails, phone calls, and a little help from the California Coastal Commission.

Fire pits to be removed in 2010
Update 11/26/09

Mayor Sanders has announced the "final elimination" of the fire pits in the proposed 2010-2011 budget.
The city council is considering the "final elimination" on December 2nd and again some time later in December. Call now.  Really, their staff will politely answer the phone and take your comment.  Follow the link to City Hall Contacts. We are firing up again...expect news soon.

Here are the links:
Union Tribune article
Press Release
Budget Proposal
 
What can you do?  Contact the City Council today!

Update 11/8/09

Union Tribune columnist Michael Stetz has posted an update on the City's fund raising efforts for the fire pits.
It looks like the city will have its way and the fire pits will be removed.  Really pitiful, actually.

Update 7/12/09
Union Tribune columnist Michael Stetz has posted a column on the City's fund raising efforts for the fire pits.

Donate money
The city of San Diego has set up a web page soliciting individual credit card donations to keep the fire pits alive:
http://www.sandiego.gov/philanthropycenter/opportunities/firepit.shtml
The site claims that the city will refund your money, on request, if they don't raise enough cash to save the fire pits.
(note that Save the San Diego Fire Pits has nothing to do with link above.  We are not collecting money.)
 

Update 12/2008
FIRE PITS given a stay of execution...but only for 18 months!
An anonymous donor has donated over $250,000 to the city to keep the fire pits on the beaches until June 2010.
We are forming a group to protect the fire rings and the other amenities of the San Diego shoreline.  If you are interested in joining us, please send us an email at info@savethefirepits.com

A big thanks to an anonymous donor!
 
plus a hundred thanks on the Union Tribune blog!
 

Update 12/15/08
Several groups organized over the weekend to stop the removal of the fire pits while the city rushes to get them out.
The Mayor is holding a press conference today at 10:00 AM. 
If you haven't called the Mayor yet, do it now! (619) 236-6330
 
It's easy.  Call (619) 236-6330 and politely tell the person who answers the phone: your name, your city/neighborhood, and that you want to save the fire pits!
You will likely be transferred to someone else to discuss it further, if you want.
The pits are used by people from throughout the city and the region.  They make the beaches safer, contained hot coals that might otherwise be spilled on the sand.
 

Update 12/11/08 part 2
There are now hundreds of irate comments to the Union Tribune article.
The Mayor's office is now looking for sponsors of the fire pits.  Seriously, if you'd like to get information on this, please call Jenny Wolff (619) 236-7002.
My feelings are mixed on this, but I would cheer any sponsor who could keep the pits maintained at least until the new budget in July.  If we can get through the off-season, we can make our case on the true value of the fire rings.
Sponsorship would be awesome for a local favorite like Rubio's or a beach favorite like Coppertone or Hawaiian Tropic (slogan: "Don't get burned!").
Maybe Viejas or Barona could step up as a title-sponsor for Fiesta Island while a few merchants associations might like to sponsor their local pits.

In general, I think the city should be paying for this.  They could look at ways to reduce the maintenance time and redeploy the equipment operators part-time to the soon-to-be-cut sand grooming.  The good reputation of our beaches is too valuable!

Update 12/11/08
The Union Tribune has updated its article with more details. 
Several groups are trying to locate funds and volunteers, but the city says it wants $259,000 immediately or the pits will continue to be removed.  The city will not accept volunteers or partial sponsorship.  This gets more pitiful by the day.
 
Update 12/10/08 part 2
This morning, Mayor Sanders was interviewed on "These Days" on KPBS.  He stated that he supported a caller whose organization wanted to adopt the fire pits. At the same time, the city started removing the fire pits!
 
Update 12/10/08
The city began removing the fire pits today.  What is the rush to remove them?
 
Update 12/6/08
We made a lot of friends at the Ocean Beach Christmas parade!  Save The Pits!
Update: 12/5/08
Here is the New City Council.
 
Our job now is to round up community support to make sure that the fire rings are stored and not destroyed.  The city has stored them in the off-season before.

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We can stop this, but we must act now!
If you want to save the fire rings, you must phone or email the City Council (click to find your council member) and the Mayor's office (619-236-6330) NOW.   It is too late for petitions.  If you call during the day, it is best, but you can leave a message after hours.
 Tell city hall to respect the voters wishes and maintain the Mission Bay fire pits. 
 
 
Introduction
  • Due to the city budget crisis, a number of immediate cuts were proposed by Mayor Sanders in late November, 2008.  One of these included the removal of all 186 fire pits along the cities beaches and bays.  This proposal was approved by the city council and finalized on December 5. 
  • There are a number of online petitions to save the fire rings.  We have been unable to reach any of the people running these petitions.  As far as we can tell, these petitions are not being submitted to anyone in authority.  You are welcome to sign them, but it will probably do nothing.  Instead, you are welcome to email us to join our group.  But more importantly you need to contact your council member or the mayor and let them know how you feel.  If you do not live in the city, please contact the mayor's office, preferably by phone during business hours.
  • Here is the initial news story. Since then the council approved the budget but added back a lot of other things.  The mayor vetoed the councils changes.
  • The fire rings bring simple pleasure to tens of thousand San Diego residents and visitors for what should just be the price of occasional recycling of the ashes. 
  • $173,000 has been stated as the cost of the 186 fire rings, a surprising sum, but it’s less than 60 one-millionths of the city’s budget. Given some time and thought, this expense could be reduced through closer scrutiny of the maintenance schedule and methods.
    http://www.sandiego.gov/fm/pdf/qtr1_report_final_05nov08.pdf
  • These rings are a city-owned improvement serviced by city-owned specialized equipment.  What a waste to throw them away.  It would be like bulldozing the sidewalks because the city didn’t want to sweep them. 
  • If funds need to be specifically located, the council could direct them from the 2009 Mission Bay Improvements Fund. Last week the council chose to not waive those funds into the general fund. It is highly appropriate that a small portion of the revenue from the city’s bay-front land be used to prevent a popular existing capital improvement from being destroyed.
  • Mayoral spokesman Darren Pudgil said the proposal to close the fire pits was included for “no other rationale beyond having to spread these cuts across the city.”
  • Beach fires are a tradition that spans generations.  They should not be snuffed out with only a few weeks notice.  Has anyone gathered statistics on the number of users of these fire pits? Their effect on tourism?
  • The Mission Bay Park Improvement fund contains $2.5 Million, including over $250,000 to replace a gazebo.  The city should use some of those funds to save the pits.

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