Millionaire SoCal enclave goes to war over sprawling beach living rooms

Visitors to some of Southern California’s most gorgeous beaches have been told leave their sprawling seaside setups at home.Officials in Orange County are cracking down on the type of shade coverings beachgoers can bring to tony Newport and Laguna beaches.“Shade structures, canopies and umbrellas must be no larger than 6’ x 6’ and may not be connected,” the city of Newport Beach said in a post on social media ahead of Fourth of July weekend.A resident of nearby Laguna Beach, which has restricted canopies to specific areas of the beach, said the move has a major impact.“Now it’s not people taking up all this space and acting like they have a freaking living room on the beach,” Greg Viviani told the Los Angeles Times.Newport Beach Lifeguard Captain Natalie May said large canopies, tents and popups have created a safety hazard for lifeguards and emergency responders.“Lines of sight allow lifeguards to continuously monitor swimmers and quickly identify someone who may be in distress,” she explained.“Smaller, separated shade coverings also help maintain open pathways for emergency responders, lifeguard vehicles and medical personnel who may need to reach an emergency quickly.”Laguna Beach announced changes to the city ordinance for beachgoers earlier this summer, stating that there’s now an “umbrellas only” rule at its beaches.

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By clicking above you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.Never miss a story The ordinance, which went into effect May 26, bans any structures “larger than standard beach umbrellas” at most beaches in the area.The update to the city’s municipal code states that only umbrella-style shade coverings will be allowed at almost all the beaches.

Anything other than an umbrella is prohibited at the beaches, unless granted approval by the city ...