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San Onofre State Beach, as seen from the top of Trail 6. The traditional clothing-optional area starts down the beach to the left (south). It uses
about 1,000 feet of the park’s public beachfront. That’s less than three and a half percent.
CA Parks officials have been talking about how changing times have made the beach less isolated and more crowded.
So, after you you’ve made your way to the very last trail in the park, but before you make your descent down the steep trail to the beach below and your half-mile walk to the clothing-optional area, pause for a
moment to see if you can spot the throngs of people the Parks spokespersons would have you believe are crowding the beach.
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 1. Americans want to be able to enjoy clothing-optional beaches
In a national survey conducted in 2006 by the independent and prestigious Roper
polling organization, 74 percent answered yes to the question:
“Do you believe that people who enjoy nude
sunbathing should be able to do so without interference from local officials as long as they do so at a beach that is accepted for that purpose?”
The approval rating for clothing-optional beaches is even higher on the West Coast, where 84 percent said yes.
In that same poll, which was commissioned by the nonprofit Naturist Education Foundation,
a majority of Americans, 54 percent, said that they favored having local and state governments take steps to set aside special and secluded areas for those who enjoy nude sunbathing.
2. San Onofre State Beach is a proper spot for clothing-optional recreation.
In study requested in 1979 by then DPR Director Russell Cahill,
Assistant Director Richard Felty and Ross Henry, Chief of the Planning Division, reviewed existing beaches in the state, with the goal of recommending a couple of beaches, one north and one south, to be
designated for official clothing-optional use.
Quoting from the DPR’s own study:
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For more from the DPR’s 1979 study, click here.
Click here for PAGE 2.
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IN COURT
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DOCUMENTS RELATED TO NAC’s LAWSUIT
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DPR’s OPPOSITION TO NAC’s PETTITION FOR WRIT
[Note: these responses contain some breathtaking nonsense!]
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COURT OF APPEALS
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Brief Summary of Current Status:
JUL 02, 2009 A California Court of Appeal has overturned last year’s Superior Court
decision favoring the Naturist Action Committee and Friends of San Onofre Beach. No citations for mere nudity have been issued at the beach since the recent ruling, but NAC advises beachgoers to expect citations
If citatations are given at San Onofre, they will likely be for violation of State Regulation 4322 (nudity in a state park), which is a misdemeanor. Conviction under 4322 is NOT a sex offense requiring
registration.
Many naturists continue to use the traditional portion of San Onofre State Beach in a responsible clothing-optional manner. However, the Parks Dept. no longer feels it must honor the
Cahill/Harrison regulation there, and it has the backing of the Court of Appeals.
San Onofre State Beach is NOT on the list of California state parks targeted for closure as a proposed budget-cutting measure.
NAC reminds you to stay in the traditional nude area south of Trail 6. Stay off Marine Base property. Speak up
for proper clothing-optional beach etiquette. Lewd activity is never appropriate. It reflects badly on the beach and may result in criminal prosecution.
NAC says: Enjoy the nude beach responsibly!
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California
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San Onofre State Beach
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Since the mid 1970s when San Onofre State Beach was first opened to the public, a relatively small portion of the park has been used
clothing-optionally. The far south end of the beach is clothing-optional, just north of the boundary with Camp Pendleton, the U.S. Marine Corps base from which the entire State Beach was originally carved.
Following a series of public hearings in 1979, a memorandum by Russell Cahill established the policy for managing nudity within units of the State Park system. Cahill, who was Director of the
California Parks and Recreation Department, formalized the State Park system’s standard administrative procedure for preserving personal liberties and resolving conflicts that might arise in an area of traditional
clothing-optional use.
The Cahill Policy, as it became known, was cited as Park Department policy in a California Superior Court case (People v. Bost, 1988) and was affirmed in
1988 as the operational administrative procedure for California State Parks in a letter written by then-DPR Deputy Director Jack
Harrison.
In May, 2008, DPR Director Ruth Coleman took it upon herself to abrogate longstanding public policy by suddenly revoking the Cahill Policy as it applied to San Onofre State Beach. In a clear violation of California’s Administrative Procedures Act, Coleman sought no public input whatsoever and held no public hearings at all before declaring the change to an administrative procedure that has been in effect for close to 30 years.
The Naturist Action Committee (NAC) and Friends of San Onofre Beach (FOSOB) have sued the California Department of Parks and Recreation, insisting that the agency be made to follow state law concerning public policy.
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RESOURCES
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PREVIOUS NAC COMMUNIQUÉS ON THIS TOPIC
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LAW AND POLICY
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PUBLIC OPINION
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INFORMATION FOR NATURISTS
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FROM FRIENDS OF SAN ONOFRE BEACH
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