The city is ignoring a request from the coastal commission to provide better signage and amenities
Lunada Bay is one of the most scenic stretches of coastline in Southern California, but visitors hoping for a nice bench to sit on and admire the views—or a pair of coin-operated binoculars—will apparently have to look elsewhere. That’s because the city of Palos Verdes Estates is resisting a request from the California Coastal Commission to provide amenities that would make the bay a bit more visitor-friendly.
As the Daily Breeze reports, the commission’s request is partly in response to the antics of a rowdy group of surfers known as the Lunada Bay Boys. The group is known to terrorize out-of-towners who come to surf at the beach; a hidden camera video taken by a reporter for The Guardian shows them taunting the journalist and egging his car.
In March, members of the surfer gang were named in a class action lawsuit that alleged, among other things, that they sexually harassed a woman who was visiting the beach and that one surfer deliberately ran into an off-duty police officer while on the water.
The city, however, has been reluctant to crack down on the behavior of the Bay Boys—or to make the beach a more welcoming destination. Now, as the Breeze reports, Palos Verdes Estates City Manager Tony Dahlerbruch has authored a letter to Coastal Commission Enforcement Agent Jordan Sanchez rejecting the commission’s request for more signage and the type of amenities found at other beaches in the area.
“The evidence simply does not support the assertion that isolated incidents have precluded public access to the coastline at Lunada Bay,” states Dahlerbruch’s letter.
Emails obtained by the LA Times in spring show that city officials, including Dahlerbruch, have routinely dismissed allegations against the Bay Boys as “urban legend,” in spite of persistent claims of harassment.
In September, the Palos Verdes Estates City Council approved the demolition of an unpermitted stone fort that the Bay Boys use as a hangout.
- Palos Verdes Estates pushes back against call for amenities to Lunada Bay [Daily Breeze]
- LA’s Rich Old Guy Surfer Gang Accused of Shockingly Bad Acts [Curbed LA]
- Palos Verdes Estates Providing Cover For Rich Old Dude Surfer Gang [Curbed LA]
- A Rich Old Dude Surfer Gang is Terrorizing a Los Angeles Beach [Curbed LA]