Commission: Cities Need State Approval To Close Beaches At Night
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The California Coastal Commission is targeting beach curfews, saying cities like Los Angeles need state approval to close beaches at night.
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The commission says people have a right to be on the sand whenever they want and California cities with curfews are violating the Coastal Act.
Reacting to complaints, the coastal regulators have told Los Angeles it must relax its midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew barring the public from beaches, piers and oceanfront parks from Will Rogers State Beach to Cabrillo Beach.
Commission leader Peter Douglas tells the Los Angeles Times that people, including those with recreational vehicles, have a constitutional right to use the beach in the middle of the night.
But Deputy City Attorney Gerald Sato says the commission has no authority over local laws beyond approving buildings, fences and other structures.
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