San Onofre State Beach is a gorgeous stretch of coastline, but did you know that the state leases it?
For decades, the lease has cost a whopping $1. As the Voice of San Diego previously reported, the lease expires this summer — and that bargain price is no longer allowed under federal law. Now, some are wondering what's next.
“It has culture,” Jessica Ripley, a Huntington Beach resident out for a surf in San Onofre, said Wednesday. “People that come to San Onofre love San Onofre. It’s like their religion.”
A religion, Ripley says, she makes time for once a month.
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“San Onofre is like mellow, rolling, gentle, peaceful vibes,” Ripley said.
Since the 1930s, surf competitions have been at San Onofre State Beach. Then in 1971, through President Richard Nixon’s Legacy of Parks, the land was leased to the state by the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.
The base told NBC 7 the Navy has owned the land since the 1940s. Now – 53 years later — the agreement ends on August 31.
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“People have been coming down here and sneaking in here before that was even established at all, so there is an incredible history. There’s an incredible love for this place,” Gavin Spear, an avid surfer, told NBC 7.
Surfers like Spear can’t help but wonder what’s next.
The founder of San Onofre Parks Foundation Steve Long told NBC 7 over the phone that’s what they’re trying to figure out. His nonprofit works to support California State Parks to educate the public about the coastal environment. He is also familiar with the ongoing negotiations. The nonprofit started a renewal lease task force, a grassroots effort to gently encourage answers about the 50-year lease from California State Parks and the U.S. Navy.
Laws have changed since the original lease, and now military installations must charge market-rate prices to lease their lands. Market-rate for this 6.5 miles of coast and some inland areas could be in the millions, according to Long. Neither the California State Parks nor Camp Pendleton confirmed that number as negotiations are ongoing, but the base had this to say, in part, in an email statement:
“Camp Pendleton is dedicated to minimizing any impact to the public and will ensure that patrons retain uninterrupted access to the park regardless of lease renewal agreements.”
Also in that email, it reads that if an agreement cannot be reached before August 31, the maintenance and operation of San Onofre State Beach Park will fall under the authority of Camp Pendleton.
In a separate email response from the same party, this response was provided about the potential cost of the new lease agreement:
“Provision of the federal military leasing statute, 10 USC § 2667 requires the DoN to receive cash or in-kind consideration in an amount equal to the fair market value of the lease interests. Thus, renewing the existing lease at $1 would not meet this requirement. Negotiations are ongoing; therefore, we are not able to speculate on those parameters at this time.”
California State Parks also responded to NBC 7 in an emailed statement providing the following information:
"State Parks continues to meet regularly with leadership from both Camp Pendleton and the Department of Navy on a regular basis. An agreement of this magnitude will take time to negotiate and finalize. Both Marine Base Camp Pendleton and State Parks understand the importance of continuing the public access to San Onofre Beach Beach and will work collaboratively and respectfully with the Department of the Navy toward a final resolution, by the lease expiration in August 2024."
The email also asked for input from the public on the lease process, which can be submitted at SOSBLease@parks.ca.gov.
For now, surfers who love it there, like Spear, hope that little changes.
"Just to be able to buy a pass and come down here whenever you want, it’s amazing, and I would love and really, really hope that continues," Spear said.
