SeeCalifornia.com

Travis Allen, California Assembly, 72nd District, Huntington Beach, introduced Assembly Bill 1102 which will protect beach bonfires for all Californians. This week it passed in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources with a 7-0 unanimous bipartisan vote.

Do they still allow  bonfires at California beaches? According Carmel-by-the-Sea beach commissioner Kathy Bang, there are 435 beaches in California and of those, only 38 allow fires.  In Newport Beach’s Corona del Mar some residents want bonfires  eliminated along with the smoke filtering into their homes on the hill overlooking the beach. These homes typically cost no less than $5 million but generally are double that amount (not that money has anything to do with clean air.)  The City of Newport Beach has begun requiring that visitors use charcoals in the fire pits instead of wood this summer.

“Beach bonfires are an activity enjoyed by people from all across California, including those who cannot afford multi-million dollar beachfront homes,” said Travis Allen.  “This legislation will ensure that every Californian has access to our beautiful beaches through the irreplaceable attraction of a beach bonfire. Once again the Legislature has sent the message that we must protect our beach bonfires and access to our beautiful coast for all Californians.”

In Carmel city officials are trying to come up with new beach bonfire regulations. Current laws allow guests to build fires directly in the sand.