Ever been to the mile-long Dan Blocker County Beach in Malibu (near Corral Canyon Rd.)? If the answer is no, you can partly blame Los Angeles County, which makes it pretty difficult to actually get down to the surf, according to the Los Angeles Times. In addition to a chain-link fence blocking off much of the beach, there's no sign, no parking, no permanent restrooms, and, most strikingly, no pathway down the 20-foot bluff from the PCH to the beach (people still manage to lug kayaks and surfboards down there, though). The County has owned the 11 acre property--named after the Bonanza actor--since 1995 and operated it for even longer, but it's done very little to make it accessible to the public. After receiving a $700,000 grant for improvements from the California Coastal Conservancy in 2004, the County dawdled, spending only $113,000; the agreement was terminated in 2010 and the money was taken back.
Now Jefferson "Zuma Jay" Wagner, a Malibu city councilmember and surfboard shop owner, wants the city to take over Dan Blocker, run it as Malibu's first city beach, and handle the issues with accessibility and amenities. But the county insists they are finally taking action and says the Board of Supes will vote this year on "a $4.8-million proposal to build 15 parking spots, a walkway, benches, drinking fountains and restrooms on two acres of bluff-top." A spokesman for Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, who represents this part of the County, told the Times, "It's not going to be a city beach."
· A Public Beach in Malibu With Few Amenities [LA Times]
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