Will Rogers Beach and parking lot were packed on a Sunday afternoon.
Beaches and Parks 4 All is an alliance of citizens from Council District 11 who are fighting for continued access to beaches and parks for children and families. A virtual meeting was held on July 19 and statistics were released pertaining to those who are using two major City beaches.
The group was formed to fight motion 21-0350, co-sponsored by Councilmen Mike Bonin and Mark Ridley-Thomas, which passed the City Council on May 26.
The motion supports a feasibility study that would place homeless in temporary shelters at Will Rogers State Beach, Dockweiler Beach, LAX land and two city parks, Mar Vista and Westchester. Through emails obtained by the Pacific Palisades Community Council through the public records act, L.A. City and County officials had been working on the proposal for almost 10 months, without alerting the public. (July 8 CTN story: https://www.circlingthenews.com/beach-parking-lo…ing-the-homeless/ )
Some say that those who live near Dockweiler and Will Rogers beaches are NIMBYs, but people living near those areas know that access to the ocean is vital from people all over L.A. County.
A survey conducted over the past two weekends, which asked people visiting those two beaches where they were from (See survey below), disputes that notion.
The majority of people using Dockweiler were from Council District 9 (Downtown L.A., below the 10 Freeway and adjacent to the 110 Freeway — Councilmember Curren Price, Jr.’s district).
The majority of people using Will Rogers were from Council District 8 (below the 10 Freeway, which includes Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw and West Adams — Marqueece Harris-Dawson’s district).
Breaking the data down by race, about 40 percent of those visiting Will Rogers Beach (WRSB) were Hispanic or Black and at Dockweiler (DB), the minorities using the beach were 70 percent.
“We are residents, business owners and outreach workers who are galvanized by this motion,” said Palisades resident Nina Madok on behalf of Beaches and Parks 4 All. “This motion sets a precedent for what the City can do.”
The group strongly supports help for the homeless, but “public spaces are for recreating, not habituating, Madok said. “Using public spaces does not serve the underserved. Using public spaces does not serve the unhoused. We must preserve access to public spaces for all — and all means all, regardless of ethnicity and socioeconomic status.”
Madok noted that time is of the essence because a City Council vote on the Bonin/Ridley-Thomas motion could come in August. Her group says that many people from outside CD 11 who use the beaches are not aware of Bonin’s plan, which would take away access for the poor and have an impact on underserved communities.
The mission statement from the nonprofit is “protecting equal access to recreational spaces for everyone.” And by everyone, they mean children, veterans, families and homeless.
Donations (tax deductible) are sought by the group who are working to hire lobbyists, hold rallies and pay for social media campaigns. Volunteers are sought. Anyone who would like to host a community meeting can contact: beachesandparks4all.org.
Dear Sue,
I would like to thank you for your outstanding contributions to this community. Your most article about BEACHES AND PARKS is excellent! It methodically listed pertinent statistics about who are the majority users of these beaches. These are compelling reasons that beaches and parks should be reserved for creation, not habitation, as well as dispelling Bonin’s supporters’ misguided charge of District 11 residents’s NIMBY attitude.