XPost: alt.surfing, oc.general, alt.california
XPost: sac.politics

DANA POINT The city will pay the Surfrider Foundation $150,000
in a settlement agreement that resolves a six-year legal dispute
over the hours of access to Strand Beach through gates at the
Strand at Headlands cliffside community, officials said Monday.

The settlement amount is about one-third of what Surfrider
Foundation is asking for attorney fee reimbursement in its Oct.
18 lawsuit against the city. The lawsuit seeks $448,429.08.

“Surfrider Foundation is pleased to announce its dispute with
the City of Dana Point has been resolved,” the group said in a
statement. “Surfrider looks forward to moving on to other issues
supporting beach access and ocean conservation.”

Dana Point Mayor John Tomlinson said the city considered the
settlement fair to “both Surfrider and the taxpayers.”

“We look forward to collaborating with them and other coastal
advocacy organizations including the Coastal Commission and the
Ocean Institute to educate the next generation about the
importance of protecting and preserving our coastal resources
and providing access to the coast,” he said.

The agreement with Surfrider follows an April settlement between
the city and the California Coastal Commission that required the
community’s center gates be open 24 hours a day. The city is
also required to provide 24-hour access on two nearby trails
overlooking the community and public access from 5 a.m.-10 p.m.
at nearby Strand Vista Park.

The city also agreed to provide $300,000 for public education
and access. The education will be done in collaboration with
Surfrider and the Ocean Institute and will benefit children from
low-income families.

On Wednesday, the Coastal Commission is expected to discuss the
gate restrictions that prevent public access from 10 p.m.-5 a.m.

According to a report, the commission’s staff is in favor of the
time restrictions but wants access to be stopped by a rope or
chain, not gates. The commission will meet in Ventura.

The city’s dispute with the Coastal Commission and Surfrider
began in 2009, when Dana Point officials approved an ordinance
to limit beach-access hours through the neighborhood after
requests by Sanford Edward, the community’s developer, and some
homeowners.

The Coastal Commission and Surfrider fought the ordinance in
court, saying it could set a precedent that could limit beach
access throughout California. A court ruled in the public’s
favor in 2011.

The city sued the commission and Surfrider sued the city. A
lower court ruled against the commission, but last fall a San
Diego Superior Court judge reversed the ruling.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2254 or eritchie@ocregister.com or
on Twitter:@lagunaini

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/access-737474-surfrider-
city.html

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