WHAT'S THE NEWS?
State Parks & Rec Letter
Regarding San Onofre Beach Nudity
and Followup
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California Department of Parks and Recreation
Southern California Naturist Association
Dear Southern California Naturist Association,
The peace officer staff of San Onofre State Beach would like to take a moment of your time to address
your organization about some concerns relating to San Onofre State Beach, specifically the area of
Trail 6.
With summer approaching and as the Bluffs Campground prepares to open for camping we expect
record-breaking crowds to return to San Onofre State Beach to enjoy the beach and escape from the
inland heat. Large numbers of people come to the Trail 6 area to enjoy nude sunbathing in an area that
has not been designated by the California Department of Parks and Recreation as a clothing-optional
area. Just as a reminder to your organization, there are no areas in any California State Park unit that
have been authorized for nude sunbathing or as a clothing optional beach/ area. With this in mind, the
Orange Coast District Peace Officer Staff enforces the violation of the California Code of Regulations,
Section 4322: Nudity, in accordance with the 1979 memorandum developed by past California State
Parks director, Russell W. Cahill. "The enforcement of the nude sunbathing regulations within the State
Park System shall be made only upon the complaint of a private citizen. Citations and arrests shall be
made only after attempts are made to elicit voluntary compliance with the regulations."
As the populations of surrounding communities continue to grow and with the advent of the Internet, the
amount of people coming to the Trail 6 area continues to grow as well. In the past few years there has
been an increasing amount of citations issued or arrests made for persons who have engaged in lewd
conduct and/ or indecent exposure in the Trail 6 area. For many newcomers to this area there appears
to be confusion between nude sunbathing and lewd sexual activity at a public beach. The State Parks
Peace Officers of San Onofre State Beach have also cited/arrested persons who have admitted to
being members of local and national naturist organizations, including a member of The Naturist Society.
We know that The Naturist Society and The Friends of San Onofre Beach along with other naturist
organizations work diligently to educate the people who visit these areas that "Nude is not Lewd".
The primary purpose of this letter is to ask you and your membership, as well as those organizations
that you affiliate with to continue your diligent education of people who use San Onofre State Beach for
nude sunbathing. We ask that you remind your members that lewd activity and indecent exposure are
serious violations of California law and any persons found engaged in lewd behavior will be cited and/or
arrested. All acts of officer observed lewd conduct will be documented and all cases will be sent to the
San Diego County District Attorney's office for prosecution of those individuals who take it upon
themselves to violate the law.
Organizations like yours have worked hard and your members have sacrificed time, money and energy
in preserving a way of recreation that they enjoy and want to preserve for others to enjoy. There are
individuals that are engaging in inappropriate behavior in these areas that in turn are destroying the
privilege that you have protected and worked so hard to preserve. If you have difficulty in attempting to
approach these individuals or you encounter resistance while attempting to educate them do not
challenge them. We highly recommend that you attempt to contact a State Park Ranger or Lifeguard
and summon them for assistance. Additionally, if you are noticing inappropriate behavior while visiting
the beach contact a Ranger or Lifeguard.
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Our goal is to provide and maintain a safe environment for a wide array of visitors to San Onofre State
Beach. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in helping our peace officers in obtaining this goal.
Enclosed is an abbreviated reminder of rules and regulations that are tailored for the Trail 6 area of San
Onofre State Beach. This is an abbreviated listing and not all of the regulations are present.
Sincerely,
California Department of Parks and Recreation
Orange Coast District Headquarters
3030 Avenida del Presidente
San Clemente, California 92672
P.O. Box8366
Calabasas, California 91372
Page 2
May 25,2005
Orange Coast District
San Onofre State Beach
State Park Peace Officer Staff
Enclosure (1)
Followup Discussion About This Letter:
Friday, June 17, 2005
Gary,
Yes, I got the same letter, as did Lloyd Johnson of Blacks Beach Bares. Neither of ours was signed by anyone; I assume yours was not signed either? The only real issue I have with the Rules & Regs sheet is the reference to "a federal citation for indecent exposure..." as there is no such thing. The MPs or any federal officer can enforce state law on federal property. But as you know, simply sunbathing or walking on the beach nude does not violate California's indecent exposure law.
Allen
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Affiliated with the
Southern California Naturist Association (SCNA) 23679 Calabasas Rd #160 Calabasas CA 91302-1502 (818) 225-2273 |