Santa Cruz Beach Curfew
From ActCoastal
| Month | March |
|---|---|
| Year | 2020 |
| Summary | The City of Santa Cruz sought, as part of its beach management plan, a curfew at its Main Beach from midnight to 5 a.m. The adjacent beach, Cowell’s, already has a similar curfew, which the City asked to continue.
In its application, the City listed “narcotic use, alcohol consumption and abuse, littering and trash, fires, water quality, camping, vendor storage and drug paraphernalia” as the reasons this curfew is necessary. Since most of what was listed is already illegal, opponents to the curfew argued that disallowing people on the beach would criminalize sleeping, sitting, generally hanging out and otherwise merely existing on the beach outside of the wet sand. (The curfew would exempt the wet sand in order to allow for surfing, swimming and walking along water’s edge.) The City of Santa Cruz also stated that despite the nighttime access restriction on Cowell Beach, “criminal activity has been persistent and ongoing during the nighttime hours at Cowell Beach.” The City notes that the police department is too understaffed to effectively patrol the beach for existing crime, all of which raised the question of how the police will have enough staffing to enforce an extended curfew. Commissioners approved the curfew in a split vote. |
| Outcome | 
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| Outcome Description | Several Commissioners expressed concern about the proposed beach curfew, which the City justified as necessary due to safety concerns, especially among the area’s unsheltered population who often spend time at the beach at night. Commissioner Zahirah Mann noted that “safety concerns” are often used to sometimes exclude different populations. Commissioner Erik Howell, who was among those voted against giving the city its permit, said curfews should be set in a way that is the least restrictive way possible. Some Commissioners also noted that creating a police state on the public’s beach could set a poor precedent for the rest of the state. |
| Why You Should Care | The California Coastal Commission has historically opposed beach curfews; the agency’s LCP update guidance states that “Closure to public use of any portion of the beach inland of the mean high tide line is not encouraged.” In the zone between “disallows” and “is not encouraged,” however, many conflicting issues of access, resource protection, social inequity, public safety, California’s homelessness crisis and the ability of jurisdictions to enforce our agreed-upon laws exists. |
| Image | 
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| Decision Type | Coastal Development Permit |
| Staff Recommendation | Approval with Conditions |
| Staff Report | https://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2020/3/W22c/W22c-3-2020 report.pdf |
| Lobbyist/Agent | |
| Opposition to Project | Stepping up Santa Cruz |
| Coastal Act Policies | Chapter 3 |
Voting Detail for Santa Cruz Beach Curfew
| Commissioner | Vote |
|---|---|
| Donne Brownsey |  |
| Caryl Hart | |
| Sara Aminzadeh | |
| Erik Howell |  |
| Katie Rice | |
| Effie Turnbull-Sanders |  |
| Mike Wilson | |
| Carole Groom | |
| Dayna Bochco | |
| Roberto Uranga | |
| Steve Padilla | |
| Linda Escalante |  |
Meeting Page
View Meeting Page for the meeting where this issue was discussed/voted on.