Berm 2014

It's that time of year again. The sand wall is about to go up and it could go up before Thanksgiving. This year the county has to get a permit to construct it, which is approved by the Coastal Commission. That is happening now. This is the time to get your comments and concerns to both the Coastal Commission and the county.  The sand wall cannot violate the conditions of the Coastal Act. 

Go to this site https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-sand-wall-construction-in-venice-and-marina-del-rey to sign the petition.

 Write to the Coastal Commission: Matt Stone -- matt.stone@coastal.ca.gov

Below are sections of the Coastal Act we feel the berms may be in violation of.

http://www.coastal.ca.gov/coastact.pdf


ARTICLE 6 DEVELOPMENT:

Section 30251 Scenic and visual qualities

The scenic and visual qualities of coastal areas shall be considered and protected as a resource of public importance. Permitted development shall be sited and designed to protect views to and along the ocean and scenic coastal areas, to minimize the alteration of natural land forms, to be visually compatible with the character of surrounding areas, and, where feasible, to restore and enhance visual quality in visually degraded areas. New development in highly scenic areas such as those designated in the California Coastline Preservation and Recreation Plan prepared by the Department of Parks and Recreation and by local government shall be subordinate to the character of its setting.


ARTICLE 2 PUBLIC ACCESS:

Section 30211 Development not to interfere with access

Development shall not interfere with the public's right of access to the sea where acquired through use or legislative authorization, including, but not limited to, the use of dry sand and rocky coastal beaches to the first line of terrestrial vegetation.

ARTICLE 5 LAND RESOURCES

Section 30240 Environmentally sensitive habitat areas; adjacent developments

(a) Environmentally sensitive habitat areas shall be protected against any significant disruption of habitat values, and only uses dependent on those resources shall be allowed within those areas.

(b) Development in areas adjacent to environmentally sensitive habitat areas and parks and recreation areas shall be sited and designed to prevent impacts which would significantly degrade those areas, and shall be compatible with the continuance of those habitat and recreation areas.

Address For The Petition

The address for the petition is:

https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-sand-wall-construction-in-venice-and-marina-del-rey

Berm 101: Who's Responsible, What They're For, And What You Can Do

If you want to cut through the clutter of agencies and governments responsible for the beach area, here's the one thing you should know:

Sand berms are ultimately the responsibility of Los Angeles County.

Not the city, not the mayor, etc.

Here's the second thing you should know:

The berms are NOT constructed to protect homes.

They're constructed by a county department in order to protect a county business (operation of parking lots). The body in charge of the county is the Board of Supervisors, which has five members. The berms go up in the Third District, which is represented by Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky.

So talk to Zev and tell him how you feel. Click here for contact info.

You can also sign this petition, which will send an email to Zev and his fellow Supervisors when you sign it.

Here's the third thing you should know:

The berms are expected to be built again on November 18, 2013.

Time is running out, so contact Zev now.

County Employee's Email Contradicts Last Year's Commitments

The following email was sent from a staffer for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky to local residents on November 12, 2013. It completely contradicts assurances [about the permit expiring] and commitments [about involving the community] that were made by the same staffer in December 2012.  You can contact Zev's office here to let him know how you feel about this, though you may want to take anything they tell you with a healthy dose of skepticism:

The Department of Beaches and Harbors will be constructing the Venice Beach seasonal sand berms beginning in early November.  The berms will be substantially the same as in previous years, and no changes are proposed that would warrant another round of discussion.  The purpose of the berms was explained at our meeting last December, and the same reasoning continues each storm season.  

The berms are covered by a Coastal permit which is up for renewal next year.  The Coastal Commission understands the critical need to protect public resources and supports the County’s seasonal sand berms on Venice Beach as well as several others under our jurisdiction.  All conditions of the permit are followed, including the presence of a biologist on the beach during construction, to ensure that environmental concerns are heeded and habitat protected.  As I am sure you are aware, Venice is a fully urbanized beach, and could never be returned to a fully natural state without banning public use.  As such, the beach and its support system must be properly and responsibly maintained.

I have included below the written response [redacted] received from [redacted] of Beaches and Harbors just prior to our meeting last year.  I trust this will help refresh everyone’s memory of the County’s duty to protect beach access and amenities for everyone that wishes to visit the coast.  There is ample evidence that beachgoers easily access the water during the winter months, and many enjoy the uniqueness of the berms for the short time they are up.

Should there be any significant change in the County’s seasonal sand berm program, the department will  communicate with the surrounding community as appropriate.

Thank you,

[redacted]

The berm is about to go up again! Construction of the berm is scheduled to begin as early as November 18, 2013. We have written a petition which states the following:

We are opposed to the 10-15 foot sand wall/sand berm that is scheduled to be constructed in November 2013 on the beach in Marina del Rey and Venice.  It obstructs our views of the ocean, blocks beach access and may disrupt the marine ecosystem. These negative consequences impact both residents and businesses in the area.

If County of LA Beaches and Harbors wants to protect public parking lots and bathroom facilities, which is the only reason the sand wall is constructed, they need to find an alternative method that works with the needs of the community.

To sign it, go to: https://www.change.org/petitions/stop-the-sand-wall-construction-in-venice-and-marina-del-rey

So What Happened Last Year?

In December 2012, a community meeting was held at the Venice Beach Lifeguard HQ about the sand berm that had already been constructed.

At the meeting, County employees told residents that they would not take down the berm nor reduce the height that year.

They told residents that the berm's permit with the Coastal Commission was renewed for several years at a time but would need to be renewed again before construction in 2013.

They told residents that they would involve the community before construction in 2013.

Guess what? Not true!

The permit was good for another year, so residents were given the false impression that they could address this with the Coastal Commission.

There also doesn't seem to be any indication that officials have made any real effort to engage the concerned residents as of early November, with construction rumored to begin on November 18.

Community Meeting: Tuesday, Dec 11, 6pm-8pm

*** NOTE: This meeting was held in December 2012 ***

PREVIOUSLY:

Hosted by LA County Department of Beaches & Harbors

Tuesday, Dec 11th from 6pm-8pm

Lifeguard Headquarters – Venice Beach

2300 Ocean Front Walk, Venice, CA

Come and tell the County how you feel about the 15-foot sand wall they’ve build along the beach. They’ve already said it’s NOT to protect homes and they may not realize how the community really feels about it.