The Beach, Brought to You By . . . : Advertising Revenue Needed, but Discretion Must Prevail

“A day at the beach” is synonymous with a carefree life, even if it only adds up to a few hours in the sun. But with cell phones sprouting on the next blanket and small planes towing signs for sun block, it is not quite as easy as it once was to get away from it all. Soon, there will be advertisements on the beach as well.

Last month the Board of Supervisors approved a plan for the county to seek corporate sponsors and sell advertising space on beach and park benches, trash cans, lifeguard towers and signs.

Given the economic realities of the post-bankruptcy county, the supervisors had little choice. Their decision was a good one.

However, the supervisors were right to insist that the ads be as minimally intrusive as possible. Let’s not have dozens of people hired for the day to amble up and down the sands while wearing signs urging us to “Eat at Joe’s.”

Los Angeles County and Huntington Beach already have beach advertising programs. They provide good models.

Trash cans emblazoned with the logo of a radio station or a surf-wear maker are fine. Also promising are proposed “adoption” programs in which companies agree to pay for beach and park maintenance costs. In exchange, they receive signs recognizing their contributions.

That would be similar to the signs along freeways, noting that a corporation or service group has “adopted” the road and pays to keep it cleaned.

The county hopes the ads will bring in up to $800,000 a year. The state Department of Parks and Recreation runs seven state beaches in Orange County and will join the county and coastal cities in marketing the ad program to corporations. That is a good example of cooperation that can benefit all jurisdictions.

Each government will have final approval over ads in its jurisdiction, a wise realization that local tastes and sensitivities can differ.

Taxpayers pick up the bill for keeping beaches clean and monitored by lifeguards. In recent years, cities, the state and the county have wrestled with increasing costs of beach maintenance. Parking fees at some beaches have been raised, then lowered, then raised again. So long as the ads are discreet--no billboards, please--they can mean a financial break for the county.