Beach Parking Fee Hike ‘Outrageous’ Say San Clemente Leaders

UPDATED 2 p.m. Wednesday: The Orange County Register reports state park officials have said they'll roll back fees at Calafia Beach to $15 for July 4:

Rich Haydon, superintendent for San Clemente, San Onofre and Doheny state beaches, said Tuesday that the state will do away with hourly parking rates on the July 4 holiday at Calafia Beach, part of San Clemente State Beach, but the day rate will be $15 – not the $20 the Coastal Commission would allow.

Original Article:

The California Coastal Commission this month approved an increase to Calafia State Beach parking fees from $15 to $20 daily on certain crowded days, a move that has local officials up in arms.

“The sample fee schedule includes a new holiday rate of $20 a day and suggests it could apply to Thanksgiving, Traditional Winter Break from Sunday prior to Christmas Day through Sunday preceding New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Weekend, Lincoln’s Holiday Weekend, President’s Day Weekend, Memorial Day,” states the commission staff report.

California State Parks, which administers Calafia beach, trails, park and campgrounds, told the commission the move was in keeping with a directive from state lawmakers to review ways to increase revenue to the parks.

The new fee schedule would be flexible, using automated fee collection units. They would also change short-term rates during holidays and holiday weekends to $2-per-hour instead of $1-per-hour. The hope, according to the report, is to encourage more visitor turnover and, hence, add revenue.

Councilman Tim Brown at Tuesday’s council meeting urged residents to contact the parks department, himself or the city with concerns about the new fees. He worried that not only would the increase make the beach unaffordable to some community members but also that motorists would create congestion and parking problems in surrounding neighborhoods to avoid the fees.

“It feels like we’re doing a lot of heavy lifting for the parks department on the fees, so I think we deserve a place at the table,” Brown said. “I found out about this Thursday night at 10:41.”

Councilwoman Lori Donchak agreed.

“[Twenty dollars] is outrageous for a day at the beach,” she said.

San Clemente Mayor Bob Baker said California State Parks and the Coastal Commission have “crossed the line” with this latest increase.

“Are we really trying to balance the budget on the backs of people who want to take their kids to the beach on the Fourth of July?” Baker said.

Unfortunately, the city doesn’t have much control over state agencies, Baker said, but he said he is opposed to similar parking fee hikes for city-administered beaches.