WHAT'S THE NEWS?
NBA Bates Rally
October 2006
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 Information table in picnic area above the beach
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Press Release: NUDE BEACH ALLIANCE GROUP PLANS VOLLEYBALL GAME AND PICNIC AT BATES BEACH SCNA and the Nude Beach Alliance of Santa Barbara County are co-sponsoring a rally at Bates Beach on Saturday, October 14 in support of re-establishing a nude beach at that site. The event begins at noon and will feature free hotdogs and soft drinks for everyone, plus a volleyball game on the stretch of beach where the local nude beach was located for thirty years until 1999. The two organizations want to emphasize this is a clothed event as nudity has not yet been approved for the beach. Supporters are encouraged to wear their “I want My Nude Beach Back” T-shirts, which have been distributed throughout Carpenteria and Santa Barbara during this past summer. T-shirts will be available for sale at the event to raise funds for the continuing nude beach campaign. Representatives from the local news media and from the Sheriff’s Department and city council all have been invited, as have the homeowners at Rincon Point, about a mile down the beach from the proposed beach site. We have also invited friends from the nude beaches at San Onofre and Black’s Beach to attend and voice their support. Depending on the weather, up to 100 supporters are expected to attend the four-hour event. NBA will have their “WE Want Our Nude Beach Back” T-shirts for sale. The party will be at the site of where we want to establish a nude beach. “We have spent the summer talking to local residents and merchants both in Carpenteria and along the Santa Barbara boardwalk,” said Marc Welter, co-organizer of the beach rally. “With very few exceptions, everyone was either very enthusiastic about bringing back the nude beach or said they didn’t care as long as the beach was secluded. “The nude beach at Bates was a local tradition for over two decades. It brought in lots of tourist dollars to the area. If you look at that beach now it is practically deserted and unsafe. We want to work with law enforcement to make the area safe again so that people who enjoy nude recreation have a place to go.”
BATES NUDE BEACH RALLY DRAWS CROWD DESPITE MORNING RAIN An estimated three-dozen nude beach supporters rallied at Bates Beach in Carpenteria on Saturday, October 14, despite a moderate rainstorm that morning and previous night. Organizers Marc and Sonya, who had distributed flyers throughout Santa Barbara, Carpenteria and Ventura, said the earlier rain definitely reduced the numbers expected because the flyer said the rally would be cancelled if it rained. By mid-morning, the clouds over the beach had parted, and the rest of the day was a beautiful 70 degrees. For those who came, the rally was an enjoyable time for participants to meet and discuss the beach status with some of the local residents. “One problem we had was that someone kept taking down our flyers near the beach,” said Sonya. “We posted information on several bulletin boards alongside other flyers, but when we returned several hours later, our sheets had mysteriously disappeared.” She said this happened several times, so she suspects someone was trying to discourage the rally. “Next time, we will do it a little differently,” she vowed. The event was cosponsored by SCNA and the Nude Beach Alliance of Santa Barbara County. The groups had contacted the local sheriff’s office, city hall, and several local newspapers “so everyone knew who we were and what we were doing,” said Marc. Throughout the summer, members of NBA have been distributing information to businesses and store merchants in the area. “Everyone has been very friendly and supportive,” said Sonya. “Almost all want to see the Nude beach come back because it is good for business, but few want to put their names on a petition yet. They’re waiting to see what happens with our efforts.” With the beach sand so wet from the storm, no volleyball game was held on the beach itself. Those at the rally contented themselves talking to the few people who were walking down the beach walking their dogs. “The beach is almost deserted every day, compared to the old days,”sighed Sonya. “It’s a great waste of a natural resource. Most of the local residents we spoke to seemed supportive too.” The group said it would spend the winter months talking to more locals and then hold another rally in the Spring. “By then, we will have decided if we will want to take the next step and engage the local politicians and law enforcement in a dialog about how to re-establish the beach.”
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