Special Notice / Hearing: None__
Vote Required: Majority
To: Honorable Board of Supervisors
From: Supervisor Don Horsley
Subject: Tunitas Creek Beach
RECOMMENDATION:
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Introduction of an ordinance adding Section 3.69 to the San Mateo County Code, respecting Tunitas Creek Beach, and waive the reading of the ordinance in its entirety.
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BACKGROUND:
Tunitas Creek Beach is a large, but hard-to-reach sandy beach along Highway 1 south of Half Moon Bay. While most Coastside visitors experience Tunitas Creek Beach merely as a view from the bridge over Tunitas Creek, there is a pull-out parking area on the ocean side of Highway 1 south of the bridge. From there, a path leads to the bluff where a steep, difficult and eroded trail descends to the beach. A creek runs generally east-west underneath Highway 1 to the beach, where the creek enters the Pacific Ocean. The property above the mean high tide line at the beach is privately owned, to the north of the creek by a limited partnership called Tunitas Beach LLC, and to the south by a private trust called V Trust. The State of California owns the right-of-way where Highway 1 is located.
Unfortunately, the same topographical and vegetative features that make Tunitas Creek Beach a remote and secluded daytime retreat for beachgoers has also made it an attractive spot for less welcome beach activities, particularly at night. The fact that the property is in private ownership has led some to erroneously conclude that Tunitas Creek Beach is a place where the public is allowed to do things that are generally forbidden on public beaches. What was once a rugged beach known only to a few fishermen and the most intrepid day hikers has, in a few short years, become a popular spot for overnight camping and, on some occasions, full-blown parties with bonfires, amplified music, electric stage lights and even illegal fireworks displays. The total absence of visitor amenities such as trash receptacles and restroom...
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