State of California Spent $42,000 Fighting Nudity at San Onofre Beach

Public records show the State of California has spent $42,000 fighting the Naturist Action Committee over the issue of nudity at San Onofre Beach, and that the Parks Department took action against nudists over only two written complaints, according to a story today in the Orange County Register.

Ken Kramer, district superintendent of the Orange Coast District, said the money spent was well worth it.

"Our approach to this issue transcends dollars and cents," Kramer said. "This is money well spent to make sure we address these concerns. We have the duty to make sure that with this type of increased popularity and visitation that we have a park where all visitors feel welcome and that there is lawful activity occurring."

When asked about the shockingly low number of written complaints, Kramer said that the majority of the complaints were verbal, yet there is no documentation of those, and no explanation as to why records were not kept. Kramer also would not directly blame the nudists as the source of the complaints, yet showed his own bias by claiming that there was a "correlation between the two" without presenting any actual proof.

Kramer also indicated that if people did not comply with the San Onofre nudity ban, that his department would be "forced to take it to the next level."

It's abundantly clear that the California Department of Parks and Recreation, which is cash strapped to begin with, has done something overwhelmingly unpopular by banning nudity at San Onofre. Read the comments on the article and take the poll - the vast majority of respondents already feel that this is all a complete waste of taxpayer money and resources.

NAC might have lost the battle, but stands to win the war by taking a stand for naturist and nudist rights against out-of-control parks management. As more details emerge, AANR appears to be more and more in the wrong on this issue. It's hard to fathom an organization like AANR, which professes to represent nudists and their rights to be clothes-free in designated areas, would actually cave in on such an important case, and cede the loss of San Onofre as something acceptable in appeasing parks officials, who have shown time and time again that they cannot be trusted.

Thanks must go to Cindy Carcamo of the OC Register for researching and reporting this story. These new revelations should open the door for a new strategy to restore nudity at San Onofre. The question is: will AANR finally admit that it has been tragically wrong on this particular issue and unite with the NAC and the Friends of San Onofre to finally present a united front against those who would further erode our civil liberties and natural rights?