We are not asking that the Santa Barbara County anti-nudity law be overturned. View the full text of Santa Barbara County Ordinances No. 2507, § 1; Ord. No. 2564, § 1; Ord. No. 2931, § 1, Municipal Code Section 25-10.

We ask that the enforcement policy be brought into line with public opinion, and that it conform with how beaches elsewhere are being successfully managed to avoid user conflict.

We also wish to point out that the 1977 law was only occasionally enforced at Bates Beach for 20 years until 1999. It is STILL not being enforced at many other beaches and hiking trails. Moreover, the local law was passed before most of the other case law (see The Law, above menu) occurred. We have also included how juries are being instructed regarding nudity laws in the state, which shows the difficulty local jurisdictions have in getting convictions should the person ticketed decide to fight the citation.)

Nudists recognize that lewd behavior has no business on a beach nor in any public place. We strongly support the enforcement of anti-lewd behavior laws both on the beach, and anywhere else in public. Knowing that sometimes a nude beach may attract people so inclined, it is important that the nudist community organize to help law enforcement when such incidents occur. We can be of great assistance to the undercover officers who occasionally patrol the area. At other successful nude beaches in the country, one key to success is the formation of a Beach Ambassador network, kind of a Neighborhood Watch system. At Black’s Beach in San Diego, Haulover Beach in Florida, San Onofre Beach to the south, and at others, nudists ambassadors wear special hats and make a point of welcoming all nude beach visitors, distributing Behavior Etiquette Guidelines, and watching for any inappropriate behavior. If someone is suspected of misbehaving, or even just staring too much, the Ambassadors make a point of talking to the violator at once. These people usually are ashamed of being discovered and leave the beach immediately. On those rare occasions when they refuse, the Ambassadors call the local sheriff. After awhile the word gets out this is not a safe beach for such activity. At Haulover such activity is now practically non-existent despite the large influx of new tourists during the summer. Testimonials and References from local officials in Florida (including the Mayor and Chief of Police) may be read if you click here. We are very willing to initiate such a program at Bates Beach.

Ambassadors Help Reduce Crime

We have no objection to persons being ticketed or arrested for inappropriate sexual behavior, using drugs, or harassment of others on or near the beach. Our Ambassadors are trained to observe and report such occurrence should the person refuse to leave.

As has happened at both Black’s Beach and Haulover Beach, eventually the word spreads this is not a good place for such activity, and they go away. We have letters in your presentation kit from both the Mayor and Chief of Police of Miami attesting to the efficiency of the beach volunteers to keep their beach safe and clean.

Ambassadors Keep the Beach Clean

Photos 0f recent Bates Beach cleanup. About 20 bags of trash were filled.

As can also be attested, nudists are great environmentalists, and have a reputation for keeping their beach clean, far cleaner than comparable “clothed” beaches.

For the past three years, members of SCNA and the Nude Beach Alliance have organized a periodic Cleanup Day to help clean the entire beach, from the concrete barrier to the Point. These will continue and probably occur more often, should the nude section be restored, as we will have more volunteers to help. (Yes they will be dressed while on the non-nudist section of the beach.)

We also plan to establish a formal relationship with the local Homeowner’s Association at the Point to handle and disagreements that may occur in the future.

Left: Ambassadors at Haulover wear special hats; Center: Haulover Information Booth keeps beachgoers informed and acts as place to go if anyone has a problem; Right: Lifeguards and the ambassadors at Black's Beach California have a great relationship.

Ambassadors Have Great Relationship With Law Enforcement

At both Black’s Beach and Haulover, law enforcement and the nudists work together to prevent beach crime and to solve any problems that might arise. We have included testimonials from the Mayor and Police Chief of Miami in your packet.

4. Allow Proper Signage

We understand that some people are offended by beach nudity. We also respect the rights of those who don’t want to find our beach accidentally. We propose proper signage at both ends to notify beachgoers of the area’s designation, so beach goers can decide for themselves.

At successful nude beaches around the country, there is proper signage (shown is the sign at Haulover Beach, Florida) at both ends to notify beachgoers of the area’s designation. There is also a sign on the reverse side reminding nudists the need to be dressed beyond that point. These signs help avoid user conflict on the beach.

Our organization is willing to help cover the cost of these signs. We can also provide removable orange cones to designate the boundaries on the sand so that the boundaries are even more obvious.

Proper signage on the walking path on the cliff above the beach is also essential to discourage voyeurs and to give law enforcement another tool to prevent any illegal activity going on there. Signs also will help reduce the chance of people falling off this unprotected and unstable cliff.

While this may be the most controversial parts of our proposal, we want to go on record as not opposing the county if they want to charge for beach parking at Bates Beach. Most other beaches in the county require users pay a parking fee and it can help fund any additional revenue the sheriff’s department might think they require to respond if gawkers need to be tickets and/or removed.

This does not require a manned booth, but simply a coin or bill-receiving device on a mechanical gate arm that spits out a parking tag. This unmanned system works successfully at many beaches in Los Angeles County. We don’t mind having to pay for admittance, and it might actually reduce the number of gawkers and drug abusers attempting to use the cliffs for their illegal activities.

As members of the Chamber, we will partner with merchants on special promotions. This is the key to profitability for the county. We will distribute promotional flyers about local businesses, restaurants, and hotels with out Beach Etiquette material to entice beachgoers to stop in town after they leave the beach.

Again, we are not asking that the law be changed, only that its enforcement be updated to comply with more recent state decisions and with what is practical to enforce given limited law enforcement resources.

We are asking for the supervisors to adopt our proposal for two years only and direct the sheriff department accordingly. After these two summer season we will regroup to assess where we are and if our relationship should be extended. All we ask is a fair chance to make it work!

8. Estimated First Year Revenue Generated by Bates Beach, Carpinteria, CA

Let's do the math:
At Bates Beach there are 156 marked parking spaces, plus about 30 parking spots for cars parking parallel against the curb on the other side of the lot. If the county charges a $5/car gate fee to enter the lot, 100 cars per day will yield $500/day (about $50,000/year). Note: If the lot is at capacity during the summer, the maximum revenue is about $93,000 per year, but we aren't using this number in our calculations.

If the nude beach attracts 500 people per weekend day (a low estimate during the summer), a 10% response at $10/meal translates to $400,000/year for local restaurants.

If 15 of the cars in the lot contain tourists who will stay overnight one night in Carpintera, and the average hotel/motel fee is $125/night per room (double occupancy), this generates $ 100,000 in gross income for the hotels from out of town tourists you would not otherwise get.

The bottom line:
Total (conservative) estimated local revenue generated by the nudists at Bates Beach = $550,000 during the first full year.

One more idea: If the main bus line between Santa Barbara and Ventura stops at the beach, or if a shuttle bus service were to begin between local hotels and the Linden St restaurants to/from and Bates Beach, these revenue estimates should explode!

Are we exaggerating? To the contrary, we think these numbers are very conservative. Click here to jump to the material provided about Haulover Beach and Black’s Beach for some idea of how large this revenue could become over time.

Bringing back the clothing-optional section of Bates Beach will:

• Reduce crime! This is the best use of diminishing public safety resources on and around the beach.
• Provide needed additional revenue to local merchants, cities and to the County without additional cost.
• Help the county avoid user conflict and better serve the diverse recreational interests of the public.
• With 80% of the county population supporting us, this is not a controversial political decision!