Harassment and Blocking Access to Public Beach to Paddle Boarders

[Sup-position]

Interesting happenings here at Trinidad Island Public Beach, (Huntington Harbor),
Huntington Beach, California, USA.

The Home Owners Association has taken it upon themselves to harass people that are using the Public Beach to launch their paddle boards from.
They have set up Easy Ups all around the Public Park to limit outside people  from being able to enjoy the park and beach.
Have parked their cars around the closest points to the Beach/Park.
They have even put manure around the park  and beach..
Must be someone that want to take this one on..

[SeaMe]

They have set up Easy Ups all around the Public Park to limit outside people  from being able to enjoy the park and beach.

You mean these: http://ezup.com/ ? (Easy-Ups are for toddlers) Check what the regulations are for that area. If it's a public park/beach then most likely they're not allowed to be left up overnight. You can complain to the local authority, or just pray for heavy winds/rain—most ezups collapse under those conditions.

Have parked their cars around the closest points to the Beach/Park.

If it's considered by the municipality to be street parking, you're not going to be able to do much about it. What does the signage in the area say? If they're not violating the law, you're either going to have to get there earlier or just suck up the longer walk. If they are violating the law, then go to every government office you can and make a complaint in writing. If there's reason to get the DEP involved, even better. DEP intervention is what helped paddlers of all sorts reclaim Maple Cove in Red Bank after the borough illegally paved over parking, added meters and tried to remove it from ROSI.

They have even put manure around the park  and beach..

It sounds like they're fertilizing something. I doubt homeowners would be willing to take the hit to property values just to keep paddleboarders away.

[The Kernel]

Ralph:

Any idea what's driving the HOA to do that?  Had they been having problems in the past with people trashing the area or causing trouble?  I would hope there's something substantive there....

If it's just a bunch of cranky "Stay out of my park!" types, we could always consider a group "SUP-in" as an assertion of right of access like we did at Trail 1 recently....

[Sup-position]

Just a bunch of privileged people that think they can control a public area.

One gal has several houses on the island and doesn't like any one using the park that is next to her house and taking up "Her" Parking.

Others sucking up to her for approval.

They have been at us for 2 years attacking our Sup Rental Program.

We have called the Police many times on these Crazies...

Paddle Boarding is not a Crime... (sound familiar)

[The Kernel]

What is their contention regarding the SUP rental program? 

[PonoBill]

Sometimes an oversized reaction is the best approach. Organize a protest in front of her house. Stick her name on the signs and call her out. Most people doing passive aggressive stuff like that don't have the nerve to directly confront. Call her bluff, and if she's nutty enough to come out and yell at you or do something stupid, take lots of video. Write to the newspapers, get a radio and TV station to come to the protest. Call it what it is--a rich bitch trying to steal from the public.

That park is undoubtedly there as part of the negotiation to build the project. She and her supporters are trying to cheat on the agreement.

I've found that slow escalation hardens positions. Going straight to nuclear weapons works more often than it doesn't. Just don't do anything illegal, and point out all their transgressions.

[Sup-position]

What is their contention regarding the SUP rental program?

They don't like anyone using "Their Beach", there has been a proliferation of paddle boards in this area.
The Paddle Boarders like to launch (personally owned) or land on this beach from other launch points (several concessions here)
They have claimed that all the traffic is from our business, wish that was true...

Now that they are camping out and seeing that we are a small percentage of the "Problem" they are going after
anyone with a paddle board.

These people never use the beach and are rarely seen out of their houses.
At least it is getting them out.

One of the reasons they are targeting us is because we happen to live here...
They seem to think they can tell me how to run my business...
We are in compliance with City Code and Regulations..Bullies....
 

[SeaMe]

They don't like anyone using "Their Beach", there has been a proliferation of paddle boards in this area.
The Paddle Boarders like to launch (personally owned) or land on this beach from other launch points (several concessions here)
They have claimed that all the traffic is from our business, wish that was true...

Now that they are camping out and seeing that we are a small percentage of the "Problem" they are going after
anyone with a paddle board.

These people never use the beach and are rarely seen out of their houses.
At least it is getting them out.

One of the reasons they are targeting us is because we happen to live here...
They seem to think they can tell me how to run my business...
We are in compliance with City Code and Regulations..Bullies....

If I'm looking at the correct spot on Google Maps, this will be a tough fight:
https://www.google.com/maps/@33.726333,-118.065713,3a,90y,38.3h,75.81t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s4xJ7Q-RUptTM-DM4YFg-PA!2e0

It's a public park right at the end of a residential cul-de-sac…yuck. The parks department should have had the foresight to define the parking spaces, designating at least three for park/water users, but those are the type of details that are often overlooked. If home owners are harassing paddlers, then it's time to whip out the GoPros and document, document, document. That's the only way to put a stop to it quickly.

In the meantime, look at how the park is funded. If it receives any federal dollars directly or if the parks department / county / township / whoever-is-in-charge uses the park to qualify for other federal funding, then they are obligated to make sure it's accessible. If you point out that they're not in compliance, their funding will be frozen—nothing motivates local government to set things right like having federal money they're counting on yanked.

[Sup-position]

Like I said, I am a resident here.
Do I want to be the one that pulls the trigger?

[SeaMe]

Like I said, I am a resident here.
Do I want to be the one that pulls the trigger?

Yes, actually. It's important to show that public access has support not just from visitors, but also from residents.

[Califoilia]

Ralph, if that is the same beach the I met you at a couple times, I can understand the difficulties everyone must be having.....that's a small little beach, with really no parking, other than the neighborhood street parking.

While I understand your unhappiness with not being to get in there to use the "public" beach, I can also most certainly understand the local residents unhappiness with all of the crowds, on what I'm sure they thought was going to be a quite, uncrowded cul-de-sac street....

Not to mention their belief that that beach was going to be their own little private paradise....I'm sure none of them ever figured it would be a "commercial" launching area for a "paddle board rental business".

Considering you're doing everything legal in your usage of the area, and since they have no legal recourse of getting you to cease and desist....they're simply doing what's in their legal rights to detour and/or upset you, and apparently it's working, like it or not.

So now all you can do is beat them at their own game, and LET'S PARTY!!! 

"End Of The Summer Zoner SUP Fest in Huntington Harbor".....pick a date, and early start time (ie, dawn patrol)....we'll all meet up, take up all of the street spots, fill the beach with our E-Zups and beach chairs, go for an early morning harbor paddle, and them come back for a "breakfast on the sand", and just a whole bunch of music, loud laughter, and games.

Sounds like fun....when we doing it?   

[Sup-position]

If we do this it better be big or at least constant...

Who is in?

[SeaMe]

If we do this it better be big or at least constant...

Who is in?

I will be there in spirit, if not body (I'm on the opposite coast).

[hbsteve]

Ralph--You have been good to me as a customer.  I'll join in to support our right to water access from a public beach.
We can also paddle in from a different beach.  By land and by sea....

[Weasels wake]

Do they allow dogs there?  It's an important question, if they allow dogs there (I'm sure poop bags are required), but not you guys (who don't poop on the beach), then you have a discrimination claim there.  We'd like to think that we are better than dogs.
Just sayin'.