Seal Beach Moves to Resolve Battle Over Surf Rights

In the end, they couldn’t even agree to disagree.

About 300 people jammed a Seal Beach City Council meeting Monday night for an emotional debate over claims to what seems to be unclaimable--the wind and the waves.

The gathering was supposed to lay the groundwork for appointing a committee to mediate a growing feud between windsurfers and surfers over rights to a prime area near the mouth of the San Gabriel River.

But council members decided instead to hold informal discussions among Mayor Paul Yost, who is a windsurfer, Councilman Shawn Boyd, a surfer, City Manager Keith Till and city lifeguards to try to resolve the surf battle.

The decision came after 2 1/2 hours of debate in which Yost was accused of cronyism and surfers were condemned as selfish hoarders of a gift of nature--one of the best rides between Malibu and Mexico.

“People don’t understand. It’s a rare gem,” said resident Ron Pepitone, describing the disputed area as offering the perfect combination of wind and waves for windsurfing. “We’re not talking about sailing boats; we’re talking about dancing on the waves.”

There also were some attempts to put the dispute--it’s the kind of debate that fuels Easterners’ image of West Coast living--into context.

“If this is the biggest problem we have in our city, we’re doing just fine,” Yost told the crowd.

Yost described the debate as “healthy” before agreeing to Boyd’s suggestion that both sides resolve the issue through informal discussions.

The issue erupted when windsurfers began seeking more access to the river-mouth area, which has been reserved for surfers since a 1989 city ordinance that limited windsurfing to a 600-foot-long stretch of water south of the river.

Recent increases in the number of windsurfers--and, critics say, Yost’s assumption of the mayor’s office in May--emboldened windsurfers to seek access to the better water.

Surfers, though, argue that the current system has worked for a decade. Changing the rules now would just create confusion over who should be on the water at what times.

Past attempts to work out agreements dissolved into shouting matches. Yost asked both sides to come together at Monday’s council meeting to hammer out a path for negotiation.

Yet conciliatory voices were in the minority Monday night.

“This is not the spirit of Seal Beach, and I am ashamed,” said Terri Myers, who wants both her husband--a windsurfer--and her son--a surfer--to enjoy the water. “It’s a real basic concept. Let’s share.”