This month the court will decide if the California Coastal Commission has the right to ban driving on the Oceano beach and dunes.
I raised my son in Oceano, and I have no memories of us on the Oceano beach because we never went there: I didn’t want to risk our lives dodging cars, trucks, motorhomes, vans, and buses. We always had to drive to Pismo or Avila, although we lived a mile away from the Oceano beach.
But I remember the front yard’s fence of my Pier Avenue property knocked down and a few missing boards. The sheriff said it was probably beach campers collecting wood for their fires.
I remember dozens of Christmas trees and old furniture burned on our beachfront, the fire reaching illegal proportions, and at least 150 square feet of stinky, dangerous debris left behind.
I remember a beach driver shouting at me while walking on the Oceano beach: “Get off the road!”
I remember off-roaders saying that I need to be screwed … in a wooden box 6 feet under. The sheriff explained that it was not a threat until they pointed a gun at me and said they were going to kill me.
I remember when smokers could smoke on airplanes, in restaurants, movie theaters, and people died from secondhand smoke. Aren’t you grateful we outlawed that harmful behavior?
Lucia Casalinuovo
Oceano
This article appears in Jun 8-18, 2023.
