Countywide : O.C. Beaches Veto Per-Person Charge

Despite a recent recommendation by the state Department of Parks and Recreation that state beaches levy a per-person entrance fee, all seven Orange County state beaches will avoid such a charge now.

David Pryor, lifeguard supervisor for the Orange Coast District, said it would be difficult to collect a fee because many people walk or ride bikes onto the beach. Also, many beaches already have parking fees, he said.

The Orange Coast District operates Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington State Beach and Crystal Cove State Park.

Newport Beach, which operates Corona del Mar State Beach, and the Pendleton District, which runs San Clemente, San Onofre and Doheny state beaches, also said that they will not charge visitors the $2 fee.

Carl Drake, an aquatic specialist with the state Parks and Recreation Department in San Francisco, said the Santa Monica Mountains District, which operates a number of state beaches in northern Los Angeles, is the only beach district in Southern California to implement the new charges so far.

“Nobody’s really happy about it. We would rather not charge at all,” Drake said. “But this is the real world.”

The state Legislature and governor had asked the Parks Department to raise about $16 million. In response, the department revamped its fee schedule, upping the charge for camping and parking by about 20% and authorizing the per-person charges.