State is sued over beach nudity ban
Nude sunbathers opposed to an upcoming crackdown at San Onofre State Beach sued the state parks department Thursday, arguing that officials failed to hold public hearings before rescinding a long-standing policy that tolerated skinny-dipping at the beach’s southern end.
The lawsuit, filed in Orange County Superior Court by the national Naturist Action Committee and the local Friends of San Onofre Beach, seeks to delay plans by state parks officials to begin citing nude beachgoers after Labor Day.
“We want to bring attention to the public that the Department of Parks and Recreation doesn’t care what the public thinks. We think the public is behind us,” said R. Allen Baylis, who heads the local activist group. “After being there for more than 30 years, we deserve a piece of the beach.”
An area called Trail 6, a 1,000-foot strip of sand at the state beach that abuts Camp Pendleton, is known by naturists around the world.
After decades of quietly allowing the Trail 6 beach to remain clothing-optional, officials in May announced that they would begin issuing citations because of ongoing public complaints.
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-- Mike Anton
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