SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego city leaders are considering requiring permits for nonprofit beach programs, a move that some organizations say could limit coastal access for underserved communities.
Casey Jones has always been fascinated by the beach.
"I love the water. I love the ocean," Jones said.
What he loves even more is the community that introduced him to the waves — Paddle for Peace. Without them, Jones says his understanding of environmental impacts would be limited.
"I wouldn't know about how anything that we do in our world impacts the ocean, which is very important to our lives and our earth," Jones said.
The nonprofit organization aims to diversify San Diego's coastal spaces by making activities like snorkeling and surfing free and more accessible to youth.
"So when I look around and I see kids at the beach that are typically not seen here, it really warms my heart," Risa Bell, founder and executive director of Paddle for Peace, said.
These programs operate under California law AB 2939, which allows nonprofits to use public parks and beaches without special permission. Bell says the city's proposed resolution to enforce permits undermines that legislation.
The city's proposed permit would reduce nonprofit's access to the beach, allowing them to only be used on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
"The fact that they're trying to limit nonprofits, specifically nonprofits that are focusing on equity and coastal access, it's very problematic," Bell said.
While the city maintains the permits are intended to enhance safety, adding that lifeguards claim they've witnessed unsafe practicies. However, Bell argues that safety has always been her organization's priority.
"Paddle for Peace exists to teach ocean safety and reduce the drowning rates of black and brown children," Bell said.
Currently, nothing is set in stone. The city says they want to have further discussions with nonprofits and lifeguards before making a final decision.
"We're happy to work with the city and lifeguards to show our training and our insurance and on the other hand, they need to educate themselves and stop reducing us to untrained summer camps," Bell said.
Regardless of the outcome, Bell remains committed to her organization's mission.
"We're never going to stop coming and we're never going to stop fighting for our rightful place at the coast," Bell said.
A city spokesperson says the resolution will likely go before the board again in September.
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