On Monday, March 22, 2010 the Dana Point City Council voted to maintain limited public access hours to the mid-Strands Vista gated accessway between 8am-5pm. South Orange County Surfrider supports the California Coastal Commission’s view that these hours are unnecessarily strict and violate the California Coastal Act.
In June 2011, the Superior Court of San Diego ruled that the City of Dana Point’s reasons for limiting access hours were unfounded. They were ordered to take down the gates and apply for a coastal development permit. A 14 day Writ of Mandate was formally served to the city on August 9th. As of August 23rd, the city had continued to ignore the public’s interest in regard to beach access, not to mention expended almost $300,000 in legal fees.
As of November 4th, 2011, The City of Dana Point has still failed to comply with the June 2011 judgment to remove gates and apply for a coastal development permit.
Since the ruling the City of Dana Point has tried to hide these facts from public knowledge, while the gate continues limited hours, restricting public access to the beach. We urge residents of Dana Point and the surrounding area to voice their opposition to limited access hours by signing the petition and contacting council members directly. You can now also join the Strandgate page on Facebook! Share this with your friends and neighbors!
