OXNARD : State to Install Gate at McGrath Beach
Prompted by an increase in crime at McGrath State Beach, park officials will install a gate at the entrance to the popular beach area between Oxnard and Ventura, officials announced Wednesday.
Starting July 15, park rangers will close the new gate nightly at 10 p.m. and reopen every morning at 8 a.m.
Increased incidents of vandalism, theft, public disturbances and other crimes in recent months triggered the decision to install the gate, state park officials said.
Although rangers and lifeguards respond to late-night emergencies at McGrath, they do not perform nightly patrols of the state beach, authorities said.
Park officials said they hope the new gate will also keep motorists in four-wheel drive vehicles away from the sensitive wetlands along the mouth of the Santa Clara River.
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