RVs and other vehicles have occupied the parking lots at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica, California, leading to frustration among local residents, surfers, and beach visitors who are demanding their removal. A petition launched by Forestville resident Brian Feulner calls for local and state governments to address what he describes as a public health, environmental, and access crisis.
The petition, which has gathered nearly 1,200 signatures, urges authorities to remove the vehicles, clean the parking lot, and restore public access. Feulner claims that the encampments have resulted in the illegal dumping of human waste directly into the parking lot, impacting beachgoers and surf camps. Recent tests have indicated that human waste was the source of fecal bacteria found at the beach.
Concerns were echoed by residents at a recent Pacifica City Council meeting. Jeanine Dubois expressed anxieties about potential health risks, stating she was concerned about hepatitis B exposure and playing in sand contaminated with waste.
City officials are reportedly working to obtain a permit from the state, including an emergency permit, that would allow them to close the parking lots. An attempt to close the lots last year was unsuccessful due to the lack of proper permits. The city's current permit mandates that the Pacifica State Beach parking lots remain open to the public 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
"We are working on that permit application," city manager Sean Charpentier stated. "...to move forward with an overnight closure of those lots and plan to submit that to the Coastal Commission by the end of this month."
Pacifica, like much of California, faces a significant homelessness crisis, and the city has implemented a parking program to assist unhoused individuals. Some residents have voiced empathy for those living in vehicles, citing difficulties in securing public housing. Trino Fuentes, who identifies as a single father with special needs children, shared on social media that he lives in his van overnight due to housing challenges, stating he is not bothering anyone and contributes to his community.
