Laguna Beach City Council voted unanimously to ban shade coverings other than standard beach umbrellas on nearly all city beaches. The ordinance affects about 95% of beach areas and takes effect May 26. The change aims to address safety concerns raised by lifeguards needing a clear line of sight to the ocean and to manage large summer crowds. Residents supported the ordinance, arguing that big shade structures bring more belongings and contribute to beach trash that the city must remove. Earlier proposals included a full ban, but Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond recommended a compromise allowing limited canopies in specific zones. During the vote, some residents also raised concerns about crowding and long stays at non-beach parks such as Heisler Park.
"Laguna Beach City Council voted in favor of an ordinance that bans shade coverings other than standard beach umbrellas on nearly all of the city's beaches. The ordinance, which passed unanimously, would affect about 95% of the city's beach areas and is set to take effect on May 26."
"“Most of us here grew up sitting underneath umbrellas. You know, we didn't bring giant shade structures down,” Councilmember Sue Kempf said during an earlier April 14 meeting discussing the ordinance. “... It doesn't sound great, but when people bring big shade structures, they also bring a lot of stuff. And part of the problem with all the trash on the beach is people are bringing a lot of stuff. And then we as a city have to get rid of them.”"
"Marine Safety Chief Kai Bond recommended a compromise that would allow canopies and other beach coverings up to 8 by 8 feet to be set up in specific zones on Main Beach and Aliso Beach, behind lifeguard towers at least 20 feet away from emergency access paths and at least 5 feet apart from other canopies and beach coverings."
"“The barbecues there at Heisler Park ... people show up at 6 o'clock in the morning, or whenever you can come to a park, and they monopolize it all day long,” Claudia Redfern said. “You should be able to only stay there two hours or four hours.”"
Read at SFGATE
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