Introductory Appetizer... Seven Disgusting Examples of #Beachtrash and Dead Birds today!.....
Dateline: Sunday, August 20, 2017, along Santa Monica State Beach south of the Santa Monica Pier, I walked along the shoreline and took numerous photos of #beachtrash, dead birds, wood debris, paper and plastic debris, etc. near the water's edge uncollected and NOT disposed of by the City of Santa Monica.
Once again, all of these photos of #beachtrash substantiate the fact that the City of Santa Monica does not, in fact, clean up #beachtrash near the water's edge on a daily basis, in spite of repeated statements by the City of Santa Monica to the contrary. In other words, not only is the City of Santa Monica pursuing a policy of omission of duty, the City is also misrepresenting that it is fulfilling this duty to daily clean up #beachtrash near the water's edge. Additionally, the City continues to collect beach parking lot revenues EVERY DAY.
Today I observed FOUR (4) dead birds near the water's edge. Certainly, dead birds represent a public health and safety issue. Add to that numerous aluminum cans, glass bottles, plastic bottles, etc. near the water's edge and you have a recipe for injury.
Remarkably, no one seems to care, however, at the City of Santa Monica OR California State Parks.
In any case, here are today's complete set of photos of #beachtrash observed near the water's edge that was TOTALLY ignored by the City of Santa Monica and which greeted beach visitors today at the beach south of the Santa Monica Pier.....
I started at 2200 Ocean Front Walk (aka, the area by the shoreline adjacent to lifeguard tower #22)...
Above and below, Nice huh?!... someone left their underwear behind yesterday and the City of Santa Monica couldn't care less! Meanwhile, you've just paid over TEN DOLLARS to park your car so you could enjoy the beach and shoreline with your family..... Thank you, City of Santa Monica.....
Below, you can clearly see the line drawn in the sand by the rakes that are towed by the City of Santa Monica tractors. These tractors and rakes do a good job of catching #beachtrash ABOVE the high tide line. These tractors do NOT operate below the high tide line, however. In other words, from the line in the sand to the water's edge is not cleaned by the tractors. This area must be hand picked in order for the substantial amount of #beachtrash which accumulates daily to be removed and disposed of. Unfortunately, the City does not daily hand pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge.
Below, a photo of lifeguard tower #25 (at 2500 Ocean Front Walk)...
Out front of Tower #25 is the same large piece of driftwood observed yesterday. The City of Santa Monica has not removed it because (1) they don't care, and (2) no one from the City has bothered to clean up #beachtrash below the high tide line...
I planted the driftwood in the sand at the edge of where the tractor operates. MAYBE now the City of Santa Monica will wake up and dispose of it... maybe..... a nearby empty pack of CAMEL® cigarettes has been added to this #beachtrash totem. Would you walk a mile for a Camel and a large piece of driftwood?!...
Below, Dead Bird #1 of the Day...
Obviously, NO ONE from the City of Santa Monica is walking the shoreline near the water's edge and hand picking up #beachtrash. The Mayor says that they do it EVERY DAY! Which is obviously a misrepresentation.
Below, #beachtrash beside the world famous Santa Monica Pier near the water's edge left over from the day before and which remains uncollected and NOT disposed of by the City of Santa Monica...
The City does not EVEN pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge that is RIGHT SMACK DAB next to the Santa Monica Pier!...
Below, Dead Bird #2 of the day... right next to the Santa Monica Pier...
Lots of #beachtrash beside and beneath the Santa Monica Pier left uncollected by the City of Santa Monica which apparently cares nothing about putting its best efforts into cleaning up the beach for the expected and anticipated Sunday beach crowds which the City heavily promotes and invites to visit its beaches.....
Below, a long splinter ridden piece of distressed lumber near the water's edge uncollected and not disposed of by the City of Santa Monica... Why?!... because the City does not care about the health and safety of the general public.
Below, Dead Bird #3 of the day!...
Above and below, a literal and figurative garbage pit of #beachtrash near the water's edge and perhaps 100 feet south of the Santa Monica Pier and left over from the day before, and which remains uncollected and not disposed of by the City of Santa Monica... including aluminum cans, two glass bottles of CORONA® beers, plastic and paper products..... Absolutely DISGUSTING!... and further proof of the gross negligence of the City of Santa Monica with respect to the collection and disposal of #beachtrash near the water's edge AND on a Sunday!...
From the City of Santa Monica, we hope you have a Michelob ULTRA day at the beach...
Below, Dead Bird #4 of the day!...
Nice, huh?!... Dead Bird #4 is right smack in front of the beach umbrellas set up for hotel guests of the two luxury hotels in the background, namely, Shutters On The Beach AND CASA DEL MAR!...
Above and below, a discarded 16oz aluminum can of MODELO® beer, the leading cult beer brand to have a second life as #beachtrash!...
The City of Santa Monica does not deserve the privilege of hosting this otherwise beautiful natural resource that is Santa Monica State Beach. The City of Santa Monica should no longer earn any revenues from the beach parking lots owing to the City's continued failure to clean up the beach of #beachtrash on a daily basis so that the beach is clean and safe for beach patrons. This ongoing refusal to daily clean up #beachtrash near the water's edge represents a continuing threat to public health and safety. The City cannot be bothered with this responsibility, however. The City apparently only wants to be able to collect the beach parking fees. As for cleaning the beach and sand of #beachtrash, if it cannot be raked up by their tractors, then the City just cannot be bothered to finish the job properly to make sure that the shoreline near the water's edge is clean and safe for the general public.
The time is long overdue for the State Attorney General to act AND act with certainty against both the City of Santa Monica for its failure to clean up #beachtrash near the water's edge, as well as act against California State Parks which continues to fail to supervise the City to make sure that the beach is clean and safe for the general public near the water's edge. Perhaps another State Department should be selected for this role as guardian of Santa Monica State Beach, e.g., CalEPA, for example.
Finally, instead of watching me take photos of #beachtrash, the City sanitation dept. staff ought to spend that time stopping and getting out of their trucks and ATV's and hand pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge. That would be serving the public's interest...
Respectfully submitted,
William Maguire,
Attorney at law,
Concerned citizen
(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)
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