Written by Michael Palomba
The age of personal responsibility and individual freedom seems to be coming to an end, at least in this nanny state that we call California. In the latest instance of local government thinking it knows better than the people it represents, the San Diego City Council has voted to ban motorized vehicles along many beaches here in San Diego.
Motorized vehicles like electric scooters and e-bikes have been officially banned along Mission Beach and Pacific Beach, as well as Mission Park Bayside and La Jolla Shores. The ordinance, sponsored by City Councilwoman and mayoral candidate Barbara Bry, was passed by a slim 5-4 margin. Councilmembers Georgette Gómez, Chris Ward, Scott Sherman, and Chris Cate dissented.
Bry stated, “This will protect pedestrians and cyclists. The boardwalks are Class One bike paths and should be kept safe.”
On a personal note, I find it interesting that Councilwoman Barbara Bry wants to keep us safe from electric scooters and bikes, but not from illegal aliens. Last year, she advocated for making San Diego a headquarters for illegals. I’m sure Angel Families and many others would agree that illegals are a far bigger threat to our safety than electric scooters.
You can read more about Angel Families and their heartbreaking stories here.
It is good, however, that Bry is making her priorities evident before the upcoming primary election. She’s allowing voters to see that she truly isn’t worried about the safety of San Diegans and would rather focus on banning things she doesn’t like. Bry has also advocated for a strict home-sharing policy that would limit homeowners in San Diego from renting out their homes for more than 90 days per year. As far as I know, Bry did not contribute to anyone’s mortgages, so I’m not sure why she feels that she has the right to control how people use their homes.
Now, back to the scooter ban. Councilman Scott Sherman, who is also running for mayor of San Diego, had this to say about the ban: “Instead of trying to use regulations and common sense solutions let’s just ban the things — if we’re going to ban scooters because of accidents then you need to ban bicycles too.” Speaking sarcastically, of course.
Representatives from Bird, one of the most prominent electric scooter operators in the city, said the ban was “short-sighted” and that riders would now be forced onto busy streets that may not even have bike lanes.
San Diego’s ever-increasing regulations also stifle business and hurt the economy. Earlier this month, Lime, one of the nation’s largest electric scooter operators, pulled scooters from the entire city, citing unclear regulations causing profitability issues.
It seems that more and more government officials, local and national, are forgetting the true purpose of government. Its purpose is not to tell us what we can and can not do, but to secure our liberty and protect us from threats against it. When government officials fight to diminish our freedom, they become precisely the threat that they are elected to combat.
Across the country, we see a rise in liberal officials trying to regulate every aspect of our lives. I’m glad to know that Councilwoman Barbara Bry is no different. I’ll remember that when I’m in the ballot box, and I hope the majority of San Diegans will as well.
