Community Corner

Bathroom Hours Reduced at Local Beaches

The action is due to budget cuts, according to the County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Early-morning  visitors to Will Rogers State Beach will soon have to put nature’s call on hold or find an alternative method to answer it because bathrooms will be opening later beginning May 1.

The Department of Beaches and Harbors, which oversees the daily custodial functions of Will Rogers State Beach in Pacific Palisades, is cutting back its operations due to budget cuts, according to Beaches and Harbors.

A new maintenance schedule means bathrooms will not open until after 7 a.m. at the earliest, and some might not open until 11 a.m.

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Debbie Talbot, spokeswoman for Beaches and Harbors, said the schedule would be determined on a daily basis, taking beach attendance and the weather into consideration.

“Some of the beaches are not as crowded as others,” she said. “We will be giving up-to-the-minute updates on our Facebook and Twitter pages.”

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The social media tools used by Beaches and Harbors were implemented six weeks ago, said Talbot. People can sign up to get up to the minute alerts and information about  Beaches and Harbors' daily operations, she said.

 During the winter, the restrooms will receive only one “heavy” cleaning each day. Some bathrooms could be closed on weekdays, and possibly on weekends.

“The changes in operating hours are a reflection of reduced staff and trying to utilize them as effectively as possible,” Talbot said. “We will not be closing restrooms during the summer hours.”

Beach services such as weed abatement, landscaping, large debris cleanup, parking lot/stairway/embankment cleaning and volleyball net replacement "will be performed when daily staffing levels allow," a county press release states. 

The department recently cut 18 staff members due to budget constraints, Talbot said. Although the department generates money through parking fees and the asset management of Marina del Rey, it also depends on state funding, and that has been reduced.

“There is only so much money to go around,” said former Malibu Mayor Andy Stern, who sits on the county Beach Commission. “Every government agency has to cut back.”

Stern said more cuts could be coming up, including reduced lifeguard services.

Some of the beaches owned and/or operated by the county are Will Rogers State Beach, Surfrider, Dan Blocker, Point Dume, Zuma and Nicholas Canyon.


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