Point Reyes Light - October 12, 2000
Bohemian Bolinas would crack down on beach partying
Prohibit camping, late-night drinking, and open fires: such were the recommendations compiled from Bolinas townspeople on Monday in their third and final meeting with Supervisor Steve Kinsey to solve a long list of problems on the rise at Bolinas Beach.
After previous meetings in June and August in which residents complained about noise, pollution, and rowdy behavior resulting from an increase in camping and parties, Kinsey offered the 40 residents who gathered at the Bolinas Community Center this week the opportunity to tell him how the county should regulate West Marin's last unregulated beach.
Kinsey asked the group to vote for or against a whole range of options. "I feel we made great progress the other night in finding solutions to these problems," he said Wednesday. "The most interested parties were there to give us some guidance, and now we'll have to round out the plan with the other members of the community."
Quiet hours On the issue of late-night noise, which falls under a county ordinance that prohibits making noise audible from 50 yards away, the majority of residents at the meeting endorsed expanding the quiet hours.
Sheriff's Lt. John Brunslik, commander of the West Marin sub-station in Point Reyes, stressed to the crowd that while the county is in a position to control noise at the beach, citizens must be willing to file a complaint with deputies if the ordinance is to be enforced.
Alcohol consumption, which is regulated only through laws on underage drinking and disorderly conduct, could be further controlled by creating a new county ordinance, Kinsey explained. More than half of the crowd voted for a new ordinance that would prohibit alcohol consumption on the beach from midnight to 6 a.m. A small contingency thought that alcohol should be entirely banned, while another thought that the rules should be left as they are.
Littering As for littering on the beach and at its entrances at the ends of Wharf Road and Brighton Avenue, the majority of those polled endorsed beefing up local clean-up efforts. A significant number of others supported stiffer management by the local garbage authority, the Bolinas Public Utility District.
To curb pollution, about half of the attendees recommended installing a sign at the Brighton Beach entrance indicating the location of existing public bathrooms at the nearby town park. A similar number thought petowners should be provided with plastic bags to clean up after their dogs.
Some residents also supported building a permanent, landscaped restroom at the beach entrance.
Kinsey told the audience that because the Bolinas Fire Protection District has the jurisdiction over campfires on Bolinas Beach, the community should make whatever changes they want through that district. The majority of voters said that fires, which are hazardous and leave unsightly debris, should be prohibited altogether, while a smaller number supported using a system of permits.
Camping Perhaps the most controversial of the issues was whether to allow camping. Currently, an ever-increasing number of campers and homeless inhabit the beach through a public trust easement that allows them access to privately-owned areas.
At the meeting, nearly three-fourths of the audience expressed to Kinsey that despite possible objections from the California Coastal Commission, which has primary jurisdiction over beach access matters, they would like to see a prohibition on camping indicated by signs at the beach entrances.
However, deputy county counsel Renee Brower, one member of a four-person panel convened by Kinsey, confirmed the supervisor's statement that any effort to restrict access to the beach will be met with resistance from the state.
"Unfortunately, the beach is a different beast than your typical property," she said, referring to the vast complications of enacting new restrictions in the state's designated coastal zone.
Added deputy Kinsey on Monday noted that an added Sheriff's deputy in summer months moderated some unwanted activities in Bolinas, while local efforts to control vehicle access through the main entry points have been stepped up.
Recognizing that the majority of Monday's audience was made up of downtown residents and those people who usually come to meetings, Kinsey said that he will solicit broader input from Bolinas townspeople before any initiatives are put forth.
"I plan to talk to the Coastal Commission and will eventually submit recommendations for what's needed," he said. "I will then ask the BPUD and the Fire District to take up their parts, and I'll also ask for comment from the community."