Commentary: Protect the beach bonfire fellowship
Our Southern California beach bonfire rings continue to be endangered by the board of directors of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.
Judging by statements made by South Coast AQMD Chairman William Burke, recent changes to Rule 444 were the first steps toward his ultimate goal of removing all wood-burning beach bonfire rings in Los Angeles and Orange counties.
The fellowship of the bonfire is a California tradition that is central to our beach culture in Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and throughout our state.
We didn’t start the fire on this issue in Huntington Beach. This imbroglio was sparked when Newport Beach officials, including Councilman Keith Curry, sought to remove that city’s fire rings, prompting the AQMD board of directors to step in with its regional approach.
After the AQMD had been called in, Curry liked to say that each city should decide rules for itself. Read between the lines, because Curry voted to remove the fire rings from the Balboa beach and Corona del Mar State Beach.
What drives his desire to keep people off the beach after the sun sets over the Pacific Ocean?
At a Feet to the Fire candidate forum, Curry shocked many in the audience with his rhetoric justifying removal of the beach bonfire rings to keep the “gangbangers” off the beach.
Curry’s statement is an embarrassment that you’d only expect from someone who hasn’t experienced the last several decades here in Orange County. You shouldn’t judge someone to be a “gangbanger” just because he doesn’t look like or dress like you.
This isn’t the first time that the councilman has insulted people he thinks are from areas inland of Newport Beach. In a column he wrote, Curry referred to those from beyond Newport as having “ZIP code envy.”
Coastal access matters to visitors and residents of California, regardless of our ZIP code. This is especially true during the summer and fall months, when daytime temperatures are high and people head from coastal, urban, foothill and desert areas to the beaches.
With our busy schedules, the evening hours may be the only time friends and family can get together at the beach. Once the sun sets and the air chills, the only way for most people to enjoy the beach after dark is by the comforting glow of a warm beach bonfire.
The bonfires that warm as winds blow cold salt air over the beaches are an experience that should be preserved for future generations.
From the onset of the dispute between the California Coastal Commission and the AQMD, I asserted that state legislation was the most cost-effective way to solve this issue. Litigation, as a potential solution, will only make the lawyers wealthy at the expense of the taxpayers.
In defense of our beach bonfire rings, 72nd District Assemblyman Travis Allen (R-Huntington Beach) introduced AB1102, which was widely supported by Republicans and Democrats throughout Orange County, except for a few holdouts like Curry.
AB1102 had unanimous support from the California Assembly, but when faced with many other issues, the California Senate did not complete action on the bill before time ran out in the legislative session. That means the voters in California’s 74th Assembly District will choose whether Allen has a new supporter for his bill or a new opponent for the next legislative session.
We need to draw a line in the sand and show Sacramento where we stand.
Huntington Beach Mayor MATTHEW HARPER is running for state Assembly in the 74th District, which includes sections of Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach.