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Los Angeles Beach Could Literally Go To The Dogs
Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro (Photo by leicahooligan via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)
There's nowhere in Los Angeles city limits where you can bring your dog to the beach. That could change with one city councilman's proposal to finally turn over one of its beaches to the dogs.
Today Councilman Joe Buscaino asked the Arts, Parks, Health, Aging and River Committee to look into a proposal to open up Cabrillo Beach to dogs, according to City News Service.
That's good news for dog owners who have few places in Los Angeles County to bring their pooches. There is a catch: the dog park is in San Pedro, which is technically city limits, but not very convenient for a lot of Angelenos. The only off-leash dog beach in Los Angeles County is at Rosie's Dog Beach, which isn't far in Long Beach. Further down the coast in Orange County, there's a dog beach in Huntington Park. (You can also head to the beach in Malibu if you keep your dogs leashed.)
There's one more thing about this proposal that might not impress dog owners, depending on how much their dogs enjoy frolicking in the surf. The whole reason Buscaino wants to turn this beach over to dogs is that the water there isn't very clean. Cabrillo Beach routinely receives "F" grades for its water from environmental groups like Heal the Bay, since the water circulation isn't great there.
"But today you'll find families down at inner Cabrillo Beach splashing in the water," Buscaino told CNS. "We need to send a message to the people that beach is not safe—so my idea is to give it to the dogs."
Recreation and Parks and the Port is supposed to study Buscaino's proposal and report back in 30 days on whether it would be possible to put the park at inner Cabrillo Beach on the harbor side of the breakwater. He's asking them to look at Long Beach, Huntington Beach and Malibu as models.
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