An undercover video published by The Guardian went viral last month when a reporter and his friend decided to test the waters on Lunada Bay’s fabled brand of localism. The video revealed more than enough warnings from “Bay Boys”, letting then know they weren’t welcome in the water, while other surfers took the opportunity to cover the visitors’ car in surf wax while they were gone. When the reporter Rory Carroll and friend Noah Smith took their complaints to Palos Verdes police the response did little to admonish the behavior of the local surfers. “They are pretty much grown men [with a] little man’s mindset … They don’t want you playing on their swing set. But it is what it is. If you feel uncomfortable, you know, then don’t do it,” a police officer told them.
Now, with the popularity of the video and seemingly bad publicity for local police force, the city’s Police Chief has issued an official response. Police Chief Jeff Kepley says his force will be stepping up their efforts over the upcoming winter to monitor issues at Lunada Bay.“While I understand the perspective of those who grew up here, the truth is that this is a public beach,” Kepley said. Kepley assured the video taped response from a member of his unit was not in line with his personal views, adding “The message I want put out there is that the police department will take these complaints seriously.” One specific detail offered as to how local PD will monitor future problems at Lunada Bay was to outline the use and training of a new volunteer program. The Parkland Volunteer program will have anywhere from 4 to 8 volunteers patrolling local parks and open spaces, including beaches. It is Kepley’s method of having extra “eyes and ears” on the coastline later this year, once the new volunteers are trained in the late summer months.
