
Some people can't afford to go to the beach, and lawmakers want to change that - prostoalex
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/beach-743100-beaches-people.html
======
baus
I'm currently working on a gig in OC and living in Laguna Beach. I've found it
to be one most exclusionary communities I've ever lived in. AirBNB is
effectively banned, and, as a renter, I didn't feel like I fit in at my gym
which is dominated by wealthy and long time home owners.

Like many areas, there are laws which prevent increased development which
further puts pressure on housing and rent prices.

Overall I like Laguna, but while I think most people who live here would
consider themselves liberal, their local politics are more reactionary.

~~~
ktRolster
_I didn 't feel like I fit in at my gym which is dominated by wealthy and long
time home owners_

Never be intimidated by people's wealth; it's not the American way, way: where
all people are created equal. Just remind yourself that although they have
money, they are no better than you, no more worthy of happiness than you, and
no more valuable than you.

They are, in every respect that matters, your equal.

~~~
godzillabrennus
We are all created equal in the eyes of the law but not all of us work equally
hard nor are we all blessed with the same family support structure. Many with
wealth inherited it. There is less upwards mobility in the USA than any modern
period.

~~~
ktRolster
You have changed the topic to your own preferred talking points. You should be
a politician: you'd be good at it.

------
throwaway420
Loving beaches is great, but the reasoning expressed in the article seems kind
of weird to me.

There are plenty of low income families who probably can't easily afford to go
to a beach, but at the same time there's also plenty who have also never spent
time in mountains, forests, meadows, lakes, etc.

------
knob
This is alien to me. "The average cost of a one day visit to the beach was
$22, not including parking or food, according to the study." I have lived all
my life in Puerto Rico, and the average visit to the beach is $0.00 Just, go.
The many beaches of the island is one of the reason why we don't have that
many parks - we just got to the beach instead.

~~~
rileymat2
The average is a bad metric for this, if you consider how much it might cost
for someone to stay in a hotel v. someone who makes a day trip.

~~~
dustinmr
I think the point is that in the PR community it costs nothing. So the concept
of having to pay to go to the beach is foreign to a Puerto Rican.

So compare going to the beach in South Jersey, where you have to pay just to
be on the beach, or the area in the article, vs PR where beach access is
guaranteed in the Constitution. Very different values regarding the beach as a
public place.

~~~
knob
In South Jersey you have to pay to be in the beach?

Like, are there walls with bouncers in entrances? Do I get a ticket if I pay?
Do I get a ticket if I don't pay? That is bananas.

~~~
cylinder
Land of the free and low taxes where you have to pay to be on a beach!

------
JustSomeNobody
Having lived in Florida all my life this is weird. It's so easy to take a day
trip to the beach and it just costs gas (pack a lunch, water and lots of
sunscreen).

~~~
codazoda
Really? No parking fee's? What about in high population area's such as Miami?

~~~
got2surf
I'm also from Florida, and I agree with the parent poster. Spent a lot of time
on the East Coast (Cocoa Beach, and Miami area mainly), and there is plenty of
free parking. Even close to downtown Miami (Virginia Key, for example) has
some free parking.

That being said, we have some beautiful state parks in Florida (great springs,
rivers, camping etc) which charge entrance fees. Some parks have a once-a-year
"free day", and it's great to see so many people out and enjoying the
outdoors. Not at all like the "beach version of public housing", as one
commentor rudely claimed above.

------
pdimitar
This reminds me of a similar problem we had in Bulgaria, a long time ago. Many
rich land owners and hotel tycoons teamed up and basically made it illegal to
go on the beach, plant your own umbrella, and spend the day there. Tickets,
time limits... Gosh. There was a lot of outrage but of course, nothing
changed.

Things changed slightly when those beaches got almost empty one particular
summer (sorry, can't remember the year). But then the politicians intervened
and helped the land/hotel owners make our beaches more foreign-friendly --
better, quicker, more reliable transportation, more restaurants, more bars on
the beach, better service. And the foreigners started flocking.

From then on, a good chunk of Bulgaria's beaches are a paradise for foreigners
while us the Bulgarians have to scour the beach line for a place to get some
sun. Admittedly there are still a good amount of places where this craziness
doesn't exist but a lot of beaches are practically out of limits for us now.

TL;DR -- this article sounds like somebody influential is concerned about the
economy on/around the beaches. I might be wrong.

------
CodeWriter23
It was the state that defunded the State Beaches, bringing about the day use
fees to pay for maintenance, lifeguards, etc.

And by the way there are beaches that are transit-accessible in Los Angeles
that are free to walk on.

------
gwright
What about the people who would prefer hiking or skiing or white-water rafting
or Disneyland or a day trip to Catalina Island or ...

This seems like a crazy level of economic micro-management to me.

------
hedora
This article could use some work. It names two beaches that have over 80%
white visitors, but neither of those beaches have over 80% white visitors
according to the figure in the article.

Also, they did not ask how many families actually did not go to the beach
because of costs, which is the actual metric that matters.

The price of an overnight stay might be exorbitant if you stay near the water,
but there is no reason to do that if you live in any of California's
population centers (and cheaper accommodations are available nearby).

Also, I go to the coast frequently, but have not heard of many (any?) of these
beaches. Is this some LA problem or something? It can't be, since it opens
with "California has >1,100 miles of beaches". Later, the map shows the study
is indeed only for SoCal.

With all that, I'd still like to know WTF the legislation actually does. The
article does not say. Does anyone here know?

------
tathougies
I grew up in OC. While the south county is a bunch of rich people, there are
plenty of beaches in the northern part that are totally free, especially if
you just park outside the main area. All of the beaches are ultimately free
for people just walking in, and many are just free if you know where to go,
but I understand why all the rich lawmakers think that all the beaches are
expensive -- all the ones they think are worth going to certainly are. For us
plebes though there is still plenty of beach.

Also, judging by how crowded the beach is on weekends, I'm guessing access
isn't much of a problem

------
hedora
I looked up a better article:

[http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coastal-
accommod...](http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-coastal-
accommodations-20170201-story.html)

Apparently, the plan is to make our beaches great again by building hotels
inside of state parks.

------
jdavis703
If you care about the beach it's important that a broad swath of the
population appreciates the coastal areas. That ways when it comes time to vote
on bond and tax measures that go to restoring and managing these areas, people
understand the importance of what they're voting for.

------
troisx
That's great, they can make more beaches be like Dockweiler, the most
"diverse" on the chart. Where one can currently experience gangs, graffiti,
littering and constant violations of the law that the lifeguards and tiny
police presence are incapable of enforcing.

------
madengr
Nutty CA.

This will probably reduce the number of beachgoers. Do I want to take my
family to the equivalent of a public housing project? Hell no.

~~~
cwingrav
So, we increase jails and police to put "them" there? Better we integrate as a
society so we all enjoy each other and get along. It's possible and will
eventually happen. But these opinions need to wither.

~~~
madengr
No one needs to be put anywhere. The government will never force social
integration; it will always stratify. Do you take your family to stay at
America's Best Value Inn, maybe saving $30? I don't; I'll pay the extra for a
non-seedy place. If the government starts handing out $30 vouchers, those who
can afford it will kick out another $30 to avoid that place. That's just the
way it is.

It's why some people shop at Target instead of Walmart. They sell the same
shit, but people pay a little extra to avoid the depression of Walmart.

Same with Costco vs Sams Club. Costco is like Sams, but without the tattoos.

