Supervisors to Study Plan to Take Over 8 State Beaches

In the latest attempt to resolve a long-running battle over maintenance of local beaches, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors agreed Tuesday to consider a proposal to take ownership from the state of eight beaches, including Malibu, Manhattan Beach and Redondo Beach.

The county began consolidating the operation of maintenance crews and lifeguard patrols at state and city beaches in the 1970s to bring uniformity to what had been a patchwork of services.

However, there has been an impasse over beach funding for years, with the cash-strapped county insisting that the beach cities and the state increase their share of maintenance costs. Service costs at all of the state beaches--including Topanga, Dan Blocker, Point Dume, Las Tunas and Royal Palms--amount to $4.3 million annually, with the state contributing virtually nothing for upkeep.

State officials and those who represent beach cities argue that beaches are used and enjoyed by county residents and are a regional responsibility.

While the county has continued to negotiate the issue, it also has threatened to pull its lifeguards and maintenance crews from some of the most popular beaches on the West Coast in an effort to get the state and beach cities to ante up more money.

On Tuesday, the board agreed to extend a service arrangement with the state beyond its Dec. 31 deadline through March while considering the cost of owning the beaches it already maintains.

There are a number of possible drawbacks to such a plan. Officials concede that initially it probably will cost the county more money. Continuing beach services until April 1, for example, will strip county coffers of about $500,000.

By taking ownership of the beaches, the county also could lose money that has been provided by the state in past years for capital improvements.

Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky questioned whether liability costs the county might assume as owners would outweigh the benefits.

Supervisor Deane Dana, whose 4th District covers much of the South Bay’s coastline, argued that ownership of local beaches would give the county greater flexibility.

The county is negotiating with the cities of Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Avalon about increasing their contributions for maintenance of the beaches. Service agreements with the cities are scheduled to expire on April 1.

Some of the 22 beaches operated by the county generate enough revenue--mostly through parking fees, food stands, marketing deals and film permits--to offset maintenance costs. But nearly half of the total is derived from only three beaches: Santa Monica, Will Rogers and Venice.