PD Editorial: Striking a balance on beach fees

You almost certainly know this scene from “Casablanca” even if you haven’t seen the classic film: Claude Rains, playing the local police chief, proclaims “I’m shocked - shocked - to find that gambling is going on in here,” while simultaneously pocketing his winnings.

Sonoma County may have had a “Casablanca” moment of its own with beach fees.

Rains, of course, redeems himself before the credits roll. That’s Hollywood.

Beach fees are politics, so happy endings aren’t assured. But county officials appear to be on a path toward a satisfactory conclusion.

For anyone who arrived late, the county is contesting state plans to institute parking fees at its beaches along the Sonoma Coast.

Motorists would pay $3 an hour or $8 a day to park at Bodega Head, Goat Rock and several other beaches managed by the state Department of Parks and Recreation. Parking costs as much as $15 a day at state beaches elsewhere in California, but it’s free at most locations in Sonoma Coast State Park, which stretches 17 miles from Bodega Head to Vista Trail north of Jenner.

No spoiler alert is needed here: The prospect of paying for something that’s always been free isn’t very popular with beachgoers. And that’s not lost on their elected representatives.

Three years ago, Sonoma County supervisors unanimously rejected the state’s application to install self-pay stations or staffed collection booths at 14 sites within Sonoma Coast State Beach. The decision was appealed to the California Coastal Commission, which held a public hearing last year and is expected to revisit the issue soon, perhaps at its April meeting in Santa Rosa.

Sonoma County officials say a parking fee would be an unfair burden for low-income beachgoers. “From our children, to our seniors, to everybody in between, we absolutely have to protect our right to access the coast,” Supervisor Susan Gorin said when the issue came before the board three years ago. A county zoning administrator lambasted the proposal as “another revenue grab by the state.”

Of course, the same arguments could be applied to the coastal parks and trailheads where Sonoma County charges $7 day-use fees.

This month, the supervisors voted to eliminate those fees at Pinnacle Gulch trail in Bodega Bay and five coastal access points at The Sea Ranch. The county will continue to collect day-use fees at Doran Beach, Westside Park, Stillwater Cove and Gualala Point.

That should give county officials a little more credibility if they continue to argue against day-use fees at state beaches.

But state park officials scaled back their proposal considerably after a series of meetings with local stakeholders. Eight locations have been pared from the application, leaving self-pay stations at Shell Beach, Stump Beach and Freezeout Creek and collection booths at Bodega Head, Goat Rock and Willow Creek. Fee revenue would support the state park system, just as the county’s day-use fees benefit county parks.

Eliminating fees at some local beaches while imposing them at six state beaches may not be the start of a beautiful friendship, but it’s a reasonable compromise.