Beach and Harbor officials are adamant about keeping much-needed revenue.
By Lauren Gustus/Special to The Malibu Times
The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors is prepared “to go to the mat” with the California Coastal Commission in order to continue advertising on the rear of lifeguard towers in Malibu and countywide, according to Stan Wisnewski, director of L.A. County Beaches and Harbors.
With the Los Angeles coastline spanning 72 miles, including Malibu, and featuring 158 lifeguard towers, this is no minor issue. All the towers are old and in need of replacement. According to Joseph Chesler, chief of L.A. Beaches and Harbors planning, each tower costs between $20,000 to $25,000 dollars. The county does not seek to increase advertising on lifeguard towers, but rather to grandfather the existing ads onto new towers.
The Coastal Commission cites Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act, which dictates that beaches not be inundated with anything that could be construed as a “visual blight,” in its desire to eliminate any non-beach related signage.
Beaches and Harbors countered the issue is not within the Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction. A Coastal Commission meeting is set for Friday to discuss the matter.
“They seem to be focused on a visual blight and other factors we don’t believe they have a standing on,” Wisnewski said. “Anything that we have out there is not reasonably offensive.”
Wisnewski likened the Coastal Commission to a camel with its head under the tent, intimating the commission is looking for a problem where there isn’t one.
“We want to continue existing programs, not proliferate the beaches with anything additional,” Wisnewski said. “That is still my stance.”
Although the county will fund construction of the new towers, the revenue from advertising is crucial to the survival of youth education programs.
The ads on the towers are part of a comprehensive marketing campaign that has allowed the county some budgetary breathing room in which it can creatively introduce inner city children to the beach. According to Dusty Crane, chief of community and marketing services division for Beaches and Harbors, children learn how to surf, sail and fish while participating in ocean sports and marine education.
“It expands their horizon as to what their possibilities are,” Crane said. “It challenges them both mentally and physically.”
Presently, there are 5,000 children enrolled in the program, and in 10 years Crane hopes the numbers will be closer to 40,000. To reach that goal, the program needs all the revenue it can get, including income from the ads on lifeguard stands.
“[The ads] help to fund a water education program,” said Andy Stern, chair of L.A. Beaches and Harbors and Malibu city councilmember. “It’s so important to introduce kids from the inner city to water programs.”
In 1982, the California state Legislature gave counties the right to advertise, upon submitting a marketing program and sufficient operating standards. But with a statewide budget crunch in the early 1990s, most county advertising campaigns were shut down and never fully recovered.
However, L.A. County maintained its marketing program, and just recently secured a seven-year, $13 million dollar deal with Nestl’s, called “Nestl’s Water of America.” Revenue from the new sponsorship will also go toward public education programs.
The signs currently displayed on lifeguard towers are sponsored by carmaker Nissan, and, in addition to pitching a product, the signs include water safety instructions. The Nissan deal also includes the bright yellow lifeguard vehicles used by the county.
No one has called the yellow trucks a visual blight, however, they are considered to be beach-related material.