Celina Oseguera
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Similar to San Luis Obispo’s St. Patrick’s Day 2014, this year’s annual Cesar Chavez Day celebration on Shell Beach was calm and had a considerably low number of attendees.
Cesar Chavez Day — dedicated to the farm worker unionizer Cesar Chavez — is a popular holiday among college students in San Luis Obispo, especially Cal Poly students, who often venture to Shell Beach to celebrate.
According to Pismo Beach Police Department Commander Jake Miller, there were only approximately 30 students at Shell Beach for the celebration on Monday. Approximately 25 Pismo Beach officers were stationed at the beach.
The reason for the low attendance was most likely because of the cold, rainy weather, Miller said.
“It was kind of breezy and cold. It looked like it was going to rain most of the day,” he said.
Because of the lack of students, the police only had one incident on the beach — an ambulance was called for an intoxicated young woman.
According to Miller, the beach was much more populated on Cesar Chavez Day in years past.
Last year, there were approximately 500 to 600 partygoers on the beach, several of whom were cited for misdemeanors such as public intoxication. Those numbers don’t come close to Cesar Chavez Day 2012, when approximately 4,000 to 5,000 people visited Shell Beach, Miller said.
Away from Shell Beach, there was also a large, 400-person party at a residence on Slack Street, San Luis Obispo Police Department (SLOPD) Captain Chris Staley said.
SLOPD arrived to break up the gathering at around 2 p.m. The host of the party was cited for an unruly gathering. The DJ who provided the music was cited for a noise complaint, according to KSBY. Partygoers were around the home and on top of the roof, Staley said.
These types of gatherings do not usually happen in San Luis Obispo on Cesar Chavez day, Staley said. The celebrations are usually contained to Shell Beach.