Santa Monica's canine friends may soon get their chance to lay out in the sand – leash free.
The Santa Monica City Council approved by a 6 to 1 vote Tuesday for the city’s staff to look into working with Sacramento to create a pilot off-leash area for dogs at its local beaches.
Council member Pam O’Connor was the single vote of “no” on the recommendation requested by Mayor Pro Tem Gleam Glavis and Councilman Terry O’Day at the council meeting.
California code currently prohibits owners from letting their dogs run free on state beaches without an order from a California State Parks superintendent.
Rosie’s Dog Beach, named after the bulldog that inspired the pet playground in Long Beach, remains the only legal oceanside off-leash dog area in Los Angeles County.
Unleash the Beach, a grassroots advocacy group favoring leash-free recreational areas, championed the effort and will work with Santa Monica’s council if the pilot program is greenlit. The pilot would seek to find any negative environmental impacts a permanent dog beach would incur.
Before the vote, a few Santa Monica residents showed their support for canines to have their fair share of the ocean.
“We’re told there are more dogs than people in Santa Monica,” said one speaker. “So the dogs need a place in the sand.”
However, support wasn’t unanimous as one speaker who approached the podium in a dog mask aired his concerns for water quality and safety with the inclusion of such a program.
“There is a danger to children and other people by dogs being on the beach,” said the man, who has surfed in Santa Monica for 50 years. “The beach is about being free to bring your child.”
He added that dog feces would affect water quality.
Councilman Bobby Shriver cautioned his colleagues against being too optimistic or spending too much time advocating for the program since state beaches are outside the jurisdiction of the city and the state has long held a hardline on the subject.
“The state policy on this is pretty tough against it, and to the best of my knowledge it has not changed,” said Shriver, who once served as chair of the State Parks Commission.
Still, City Manager Ron Gould remained optimistic, sharing with the council that the study conducted by the state concerning the environmental effects of an off-leash beach area showed minimal negative impact.
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