Santa Cruz Residents Charge The Public To Use A Public Beach
Written by 991KBU on July 14, 2018
A neighborhood on the beach near Santa Cruz is charging for admission to a public beach … and that may affect Malibu.
The admission fee is giving the California Coastal Commission fits … according to the Los Angeles Times.
An outfit called the Opal Cliffs Recreation District is selling gate keys to locals and visitors alike … for 100 dollars each.
They claim that a longstanding agreement … established by state and county permits … allows them to sell gate keys to the beach.
The proceeds are going to keep the beach clean and safe . they tell the L A Times.
The Coastal Commission says those agreements are void … because of the state’s landmark Coastal Act.
It declares that access to the beach is a fundamental right guaranteed to everyone.
The Times declares this move will set up a legal fight over the future of the beach.
There is a similar operation on Point Dume … where a homeowners association owns the access road to the beach between Paradise Cove and Point Dume.
There are a few legal differences between the Opal Beach gate near Santa Cruz … and the Dume beach keys.
The Santa Cruz beach gates are controlled by a special committee set up by the local government … as opposed to the Point Dume gate … which is controlled by homeowners.
And the Santa Cruz gate is open to the public … if they pay an entrance fee.
But Coastal enforcement officers say they are going after the gate … and that may have legal precedent on Big Dume.
Stay tuned.
