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July 28, 2006 -

Enough Funding To Receive Gift

Eight years of work by the Trust for Public Land to turn the Coast Dairy Ranch site near Santa Cruz over to public agencies were finally successful when, according to the S.F. Chronicle, “Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently allocated $16.4 million in the 2007 budget to boost park operations, and the state Public Works Board unanimously approved the deal July 14.”

The site comprises 6845 acres ten miles north of Santa Cruz, and transfers control of seven beaches (Scott Creek, Davenport Landing, Davenport, Sharktooth, Bonny Doon, Yellow Bank and Laguna Creek) to the state.

We’re not as familiar with the others, but when we lived in the area a few years back, Bonny Doon was popular as both dog-friendly and clothing optional, and overnight beach camping regularly occurred. Curious whether the new management of this beach will lead to changes in these practices.

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July 18, 2006 -

One Open, Five To Go

San Diego’s ongoing financial problems have prevented it from selling bonds intended to raise money for the replacement of five lifeguard stations in South Mission Beach, North Pacific Beach, La Jolla Cove, Children’s Pool in La Jolla and La Jolla Shores.

The issue is discussed in an article on the lifeguard service’s new tower in Pacific Beach, opened in May 2006 after original approval by the San Diego city council in 2001, and financed by a 2002 bond issuance that was supposed to raise money for several of the needed stations. Cost overruns are blamed for the fact that only the one station was actually built with the raised funds.

Previously: Lifeguard Budget Constraints, More on Lifeguard Budget Cuts

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July 14, 2006 -

Shifting Sands in La Jolla

In a San Diego Union-Tribune article focusing on the placement of bouys to protect swimmers, there’s some good discussion of the issues of public beach at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club. The resort had previously posted signs reading “No Trespassing Allowed,” but as a result of a settlement, the current signs reading “Public Beach Access Permitted Along the Water’s Edge” will be changed to “Public Beach Access Permitted.”

The resort maintains its property rights extend to the mean high-tide line, and thus that the public’s beach is non-existent at high tide and only includes the wet sand at other times. According to the article that deed interpretation may be indispute. Regardless, club president William J. Kellogg is reported to have said that club security officers will continue to ask people (presumably only those people who haven’t paid the club to be there) to leave the sandy portion of the beach.

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July 5, 2006 -

Cleaning Up

Spent the morning at Del Mar volunteering for Surfrider’s Beach Clean Up Day. Eight pounds of garbage, including a broken surf fin, lots of empty beverage cans and some clothing. Despite the recent hype over cigarette butts being a garbage nuisance (here and here) that needs to be banned, I found a total of about eight during an hour round-trip walk south from 15th Street. Pound for pound, banning clothing would have put much less refuse in my bag.

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Interesting Sites

Beachapedia.org Beachapedia
Cal. Coastal Commission Like them or not, they are one of the biggest players around when it comes to coastal access in California.
Howling Point Your moderator’s personal site. He does have a life outside of this, as shown by the occasional gaps in posting.
Surfrider Foundation Activities and campaigns for clean water, beach access, beach preservation and protecting special places.