At least until the end of the year, the court will be in session. The Beach Area Community Court (BACC), which had been funded by a grant that recently expired, received what is called “bridge funding,” thanks to the San Diego County Board of Supervisors. “We have approved $8,000 for the Beach Area Community Court which will cover them through the end of this year,” said Supervisor Greg Cox, Chairman of the County Board of Supervisors. “Bridge funding is designed to help the transition, in this case, from a grant to a permanent funding source. It is not meant to be ongoing financial commitment.” Cox was quick to laud the BACC for its efforts and noted its success is a key factor in the allocation of the bridge funding. “It is a great program which is obviously having a positive impact and proving to be a tremendous benefit to the community.” Ben Nicholls, executive director of Discover Pacific Beach, which helps oversee the BACC, is thrilled with the new operating dollars. “Greg Cox really saved the program,” he said. “In all honesty, we were on the verge of shutting down the BACC in mid-August. To have the County Board of Supervisors provide the bridge funding is phenomenal. You cannot run program on grants over a long term. They are not permanent so this bridge funding is a huge help.” The BACC is an option for certain offenses in which the offender can appear before a “court” of local citizens and a legal representative to discuss their crime and figure out a way to make restitution, which always includes some type of community service. In exchange they will have the offense removed from their record and may avoid paying a fine. More than 75 percent of the offenses are alcohol related. “The BACC has proven to be an effective way to help the offender understand there is a consequence of their actions for both the victim and the perpetrator,” Cox said. “There have been some very positive projects done by the offenders, like the painting of signs, picking up trash and other efforts to improve Pacific Beach.” Ironically, while being funded by the grant, offenders appeared before the BACC free of charge. However, that may soon change, according to Nicholls. Last month, residents met with the Public Safety Neighborhood Services division of the City of San Diego to discuss options which will support the BACC once the bridge funding ends. “We are looking at charging a fee to everyone who goes through the BACC,” Nicholls said. “About $30 per person would fund the court on an ongoing basis year after year.” Nicholls explained the City Council would have to approve such a fee and the earliest there will be a vote on the issue could be this month. “If you like the idea of having the offenders paying a fee, then we need people to write the City Council or their representative,” he said. For more information visit www.pacificbeach.org and click on the link for the Beach Area Community Court or call the Discover Pacific Beach at (858) 273-3303.