Santa Monica State Beach: #DiaperWatch - Day 1 to Day 3...

#DiaperWatch Day 1 - Friday, July 21, 2017 at approx. 10:10 a.m.

Dateline: Sunday, July 23, 2017 at the southern border of Santa Monica near the water's edge. Just south of this location Venice Beach begins.  Here at this location is a used and soiled diaper that has been there since at least this past Friday, July 21, 2017 when I first observed it.  It was still there on Sunday, July 23rd!  Proving once again how inept and incompetent is the City of Santa Monica when it comes to hand picking up of #beachtrash near the water's edge.

For the sake of clarity, here are the photos I took on Friday, July 21st and on Sunday, July 23rd and the approximate time of each photo.

This failure to pick up such an unsightly and disgusting piece of #beachtrash is symptomatic of the City of Santa Monica's intentional and flagrant disregard for the public health and safety, in my opinion.

#DiaperWatch - Day 1, Friday, July 21, 2017:

Above and below, Friday, July 21, 2017 at approx. 10:10 a.m.

Below, "still there"...  Friday, July 21, 2017 at approx. 12:15 pm.  (note: Santa Monica South Lifeguard Tower 29 in the background.)

Welcome to Santa Monica State Beach... Bring your umbrella and beach towel and the City will let you set up right beside a used and soiled diaper right near the water's edge...  And if you come back on Sunday, you can sit beside that same used and soiled diaper again!  You will have to pay $10 or more to park in the beach parking lot both days, however...

#DiaperWatch - Day 3:  Sunday, July 23, 2017

Above and below,  the same used and soiled diaper, at approx. 9:50 a.m...

Below (x 2 photos): later that same day, Sunday, July 23rd, at approx. 1 pm...

Disgusting, huh?!  The same City that is spending thousands of dollars self congratulating itself on its Downtown Plan is somehow incapable of handpicking up #beachtrash like this used and soiled diaper near the shoreline day after day and in spite of the City's multiple statements to the contrary.

What happens when a small child wanders off and gets hold of this used and soiled diaper and gets feces on their hands?...

At what point is the State of California and its Attorney General, Xavier Becerra, it's Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom and its Governor Jerry Brown going to taken action and realize Calif State Parks is not supervising the City and effecting the necessary changes in order to protect public health and safety?

Respectfully submitted,

William Maguire,
Concerned citizen,
Attorney at law,
and business owner in the City of Santa Monica

(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)

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Symptomatic of Dysfunction: The Story of Santa Monica Beachtrash...

Welcome to Santa Monica State Beach!...

Dateline:  Saturday, July 22, 2017... late morning and early afternoon along Santa Monica State Beach, adjacent to Lifeguard Tower #25 (x-ref: 2500 Ocean Front Walk).  A large discarded glass bottle of alcohol still partially full lays in the sand just above the berm, proving once again that the City of Santa Monica does not pick up #beachtrash every day, in spite of statements by the City to the contrary.

As I arrived at this location at approx. 11:40 a.m. this morning, I noticed this empty bottle laying in the sand. No doubt it had been there since at least the previous evening.  At there it was to remain today uncollected by the City of Santa Monica.

Nice, huh?!... a large discarded partially full glass bottle of alcohol near a family with two small children. This family has just paid $10 or more to park in the beach parking lot and have carried their large canopy shelter and their belongings out to the shoreline and within 20 - 30 feet is this #beachtrash that remains because the City of Santa Monica is so utterly irresponsible.

Seriously!... HOW DO YOU MISS THIS GLASS BOTTLE near the shoreline if you daily (e.g., "every day") claim that the City of Santa Monica hand picks up #beachtrash near the water's edge?
I'll tell you how!... By not doing so!  That's it!  IT's the UTTER FAILURE to actually have ANYONE walk along the shoreline and hand pick up #beachtrash. 

Later, at approximately 12:30 pm, I noticed a City of Santa Monica sanitation truck drive right by this glass bottle without picking it up (see photo below).

Below, note: same discarded glass bottle at lower left; and City of Santa Monica truck at middle right.

I also observed a small green SMPD atv drive right by it and within a couple of feet of this bottle and not stop and pick it up either. Granted it is not the job of the SMPD to do so, but so goes the complacency and lack of any sort of accountability by the City of Santa Monica in the collection of #beachtrash near the water's edge on a daily basis (e.g., "every day" per Mayor Winterer...  x-ref: #baloney).

It's a rare occasion when one of these City sanitation trucks STOPS and the driver gets out and picks up #beachtrash that they observe in the sand and which they typically ignore, in my opinion.

This glass bottle and its presence on a Saturday morning near the water's edge is symptomatic of the dysfunctional and complacent City of Santa Monica sanitation department, not to mention City Hall, which could care less about #beachtrash and its collection and disposal, in spite of the fact that it threatens public health and safety and despite the fact that the City somehow is still able to collect beach parking fees from beach patrons which costs the general public $10 or more on the weekend.

Finally, in my opinion, the time is long overdue for the State Attorney General, Xavier Bacerra, to take the City of Santa Monica to court for breach of contract and for its continuing failure to protect the public health and safety.

Respectfully submitted,


William Maguire,
Concerned citizen,
Attorney at law,
and business owner in the City of Santa Monica

(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)

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Friday, July 21, 2017: Santa Monica Beachtrash Report

Welcome to Santa Monica State Beach... home of the used diaper...

Dateline: Friday, July 21, 2017, a narrow but very revealing audit today from the border with Venice, Calif. to Ocean Park in the City of Santa Monica, a distance of perhaps one-half mile, near the water's edge.

We begin at the turnaround (or starting) point at the border with Venice, Calif. where the City of Santa Monica uses its so-called "Specialized" Equipment, e.g., tractor towing a rake, back and forth above the berm. The area of our audit is below and does not include the area where the tractor and rake are used.  The area of this audit concentrates between the berm and the water's edge where the City of Santa Monica continues to represent that their staff daily ("every day") walks and hand picks up #beachtrash.... which turns out to instead be a continuing "misrepresentation".

Here are the photos I took of this limited, perhaps, one-half mile stretch of Santa Monica State Beach that the City of Santa Monica did NOT bother to hand pick or otherwise collect or dispose of #beachtrash near the water's edge on Friday, July 21, 2017:

Nice Used and Soiled Diaper!...

Above and below, discarded plastic water bottles near the water's edge that would be very simple for the City of Santa Monica to hand pick up and dispose of.

#Beachtrash at the time line, above and below, that also would be very simple for the City to hand pick and dispose of...

Below, the same used and soiled diaper is still there at approximately 12:15 pm...

And even later, at approximately 12:40 pm, I observed a white colored City of Santa Monica sanitation truck drive down to the border with Venice, Calif. and the driver never got out of the truck and never got closer than a 100 feet to the used diaper and did NOT dispose of the used diaper even though I had sent the City a photo of it from my Twitter account at approx. 10 a.m.

Below, in the distance at mid frame, notice the white City of Santa Monica truck driving away without ever stopping and picking up the used diaper... at approx. 12:40 pm...

x-ref:  Twitter post at 9:57 a.m. (Friday, July 21, 2017):

#TGIF #santamonica state beach #useddiaper and #beachtrash near water's edge - @santamonicacity @GoSantaMonica @SustainableSM @HealTheBay

     https://twitter.com/TMESQ/status/888457814024142848

comment: In other words, the City of Santa Monica had specific notice of the used and soiled diaper on Santa Monica State Beach by 10 a.m. At 12:40 pm, approximately, a City sanitation truck drove down to the border with Venice, Calif. and its driver drove up to and within approximately 100 feet from the used diaper and never got out of truck and did not pick it up and remove it. 

This represents a total failure to collect and dispose of #beachtrash, specifically, a used and soiled diaper which likely contains fecal matter, which represents an obvious public health and safety risk.

Conclusion:  The sanitation dept. of the City of Santa Monica continues to be dysfunctional and the City continues to misrepresent its daily efforts to collect and dispose of #beachtrash near the water's edge. This failure to remedy this ongoing #beachtrash issue represents an obvious failure by City Hall to effect change to ensure the public health and safety.  Additionally, the failure of the State of California to get the City of Santa Monica to daily hand pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge reveals the State to be complicit in this failure to protect the public health and safety.

Respectfully submitted,

William Maguire,
Attorney at law, and
business owner in the City of Santa Monica

(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)

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Friday, July 14, 2017: Santa Monica Beach Trash Report

Dateline: Friday morning, July 14, 2017 between approximately 8:45 a.m. and 9:45 a.m., along Santa Monica State Beach starting at the north end of Santa Monica (just south of Santa Monica Canyon) and walking toward the Pier and stopping at Sorrento Beach at Lifeguard Tower #8 (out front of the Jonathan Club).

Here are the photos I took of the uncollected #beachtrash left from previous days that the City of Santa Monica has not disposed of near the water's edge, as well as that the storm drain run off behind Lifeguard Tower #8 at Sorrento Beach which is absolutely filthy with #beachtrash.

Above and below, this plant debris, esp. sharp shafts of broken bamboo, are dangerous and can cut feet.  Day camps use this beach and children could be hurt and still the City of Santa Monica is unable and unwilling to dispose of it.

Surfboards and body boards are set up for a summer day camp...

Endless #beachtrash uncollected and not disposed of by the City of Santa Monica near the water's edge!...

Just another day of uncollected #beachtrash near the water's edge at Santa Monica State Beach.

Respectfully submitted,

William Maguire,
Concerned citizen,
Attorney at law,
and business owner in the City of Santa Monica

(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)

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