The California State Park system includes 63 state beaches.  These pieces of property represent to many residents, the intrinisic appeal, beauty and value of this state.  But an issue has recently surfaced in Sonoma County that epitomizes a fundamental governance challenge for the State – should access to these public lands be free?

Below is a link to a brief summary of the bureaucratic squabble that is going on between the state and this county over the proposal of the Parks Department to install self-pay devices at 14 beaches.  Because permission from Big Brother is required to do anything in this state, the Parks Department had to apply to Sonoma County in May of 2012 for  a coastal development permit to install the equipment.  That application was denied in January of 2013 and the legal battle ensued.  And now over 2 years later, the matter is still unresolved.  Please stay tuned!

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/3800908-181/california-coastal-commission-deadlocked-on

And if the press accounts of this issue wet your appetite for further reading and perspective on it, here is a link to the staff report used in the Coastal Commission hearing:

http://documents.coastal.ca.gov/reports/2015/4/w17a-4-2015.pdf

I am sharing this information because if you do read the comments from the citizens weighing in, you will see the core debate over private benefits and public good.  One can argue the beaches belong to all of us and the general fund (i.e. income taxes), should fund their support.  And on the other hand, there is the position that individuals should pay fees for the use of specific parks.  This is an ongoing struggle in this country and it will no doubt continue.