Welcome to Venice Beach: Good from far but far from good...
 |
| Ave 21 at Venice Beach... Looks beautiful from the parking lot. |
Near the water's edge, however, it is a much different story!...
Yes, that's a dead bird!...
Dateline: Tuesday morning at and after 11 a.m. starting at Ave 21, I walked up to Navy St. near the water's edge and took photos of the #beachtrash uncollected and not disposed of by the L.A. County Dept. of Beaches & Harbors (aka, LACDBH). It was obvious to me that NO ONE from LACDBH had walked near the water's edge from Ave 21 to Navy St. and hand picked up any #beachtrash due to the multiple glass bottles, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, a dead bird, etc. that I observed near the water's edge below the high tide line where LACDBH does not operate its tractors and rakes.
The same old story goes on and on... LACDBH operates its tractors pulling rakes above the berm and the high tide line BUT does not daily hand pick up #beachtrash between the water line and the high tide line where most beach patrons congregate. In other words, there continues to be an area of the beach that LACDBH does NOT daily clean up #beachtrash. Today is one of those days just like so many others. LACDBH stubbornly resists sending its employees out EVERY DAY to hand pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge left behind by careless beach patrons.
The very area of the beach that sees the most use by beach patrons is, in other words, not cleaned daily of #beachtrash.
An empty and discarded glass beer bottle can be observed both above and below...
Below, this lost/discarded pair of a small child's sandals were there this past Sunday, July 23rd, when I walked by this same area below the berm...
Below: Now this is attractive? You've just paid $10 to park your car at the beach parking lot and this is what you get in return... an aluminum can, plastic bottles, plastic and paper products. Thank you, LACDBH...
Comment: I do not expect perfection from LACDBH. There will always be some #beachtrash. It is obvious, however, that LACDBH is not really even making a choice to make it better on a daily basis. The purpose of showcasing so many photos of #beachtrash is to illustrate just how much of it there is that remains virtually ignored by LACDBH. And to make matters worse, LACDBH is offended that I bring this to their attention. In the words of the comedian Steve Martin, I say, "Well, EXCUSE ME!!!".... for bringing to your attention that your department is NOT doing the job it is paid to do, namely, daily cleaning up the #beachtrash near the water's edge on this PUBLIC STATE BEACH.
Lots of wildlife, namely, seagulls, etc. near the water's edge... yet another compelling reason for LACDBH to daily clean up the #beachtrash near the water's edge so that they do not ingest the #beachtrash or are otherwise harmed by it.
Below, you can see where the tire tracks of the tractors end at the berm and below the high tide line.
This illustrates for the reader that the area where the birds are standing is precisely the area that day in day out does NOT get hand picked of #beachtrash by LACDBH...
Looking back toward the Venice Breakwater, the image below also shows where the tractor and its rake stop at the middle of the frame and to the right below the berm and the high tide line is the area where there is significant #beachtrash that is virtually ignored day in day out by LACDBH and which is certainly NOT hand picked and dispo
What a beautiful day!... Too bad the beach is not clean for beach patrons to enjoy...
Too bad that LACDBH did not hand pick up the #beachtrash near the water's edge this morning.
Below, plant debris, namely, a broken off piece of cactus, which if stepped on would not be a pleasant experience. Just another foreign object virtually ignored and not collected by LACDBH.
*** Dead Bird Alert ! ***
How about a "dead bird" to go with your day at the beach with friends and/or family...
*** Used/Soiled Diaper Alert ! ***
How about a used and soiled diaper left behind by a careless beach patron?
Welcome to Venice Beach!... Be sure to say thank you to LACDBH...
Below, another discarded glass bottle near the water's edge adjacent to Navy St....
Below, is a #beachtrash totem that I erected in the sand below the berm near Thornton Ave. lifeguard tower and composed of aluminum cans, a glass bottle, plastic bottles, plastic cups, plastic and paper products, and the "dead bird" previously noted. Shown here as representative of the #beachtrash near the water's edge that daily is ignored by LACDBH.
note: Full Disclosure... After taking this photo, I placed the dead bird and the glass bottle in a nearby beach trash can. The remaining #beachtrash was left for LACDBH to pick up..... hopefully. It's their job after all, not mine.....
Dead bird, close up... a reality check on the continuing failure of LACDBH to daily hand pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge along Venice Beach...
Newport?!... I thought this was Venice Beach?!... A discarded pack of NEWPORT® cigarettes found in the sand just to the west of the Venice Breakwater AND not collected or disposed of by LACDBH.
A partially burnt piece of driftwood with some sharp edges that could lead to some nasty splinters in one's foot. This same piece of driftwood was still there along the berm to the west of the Venice Breakwater this past Sunday, July 23rd, when I walked by there. x-ref: Burnt Driftwood Watch: Day 3. The reason this does not get picked up and disposed of by LACDBH is because they do not have staff that daily walk near the water's edge to pick it up and dispose of it. There is another reason, in my opinion, that this #beachtrash does not get picked up by LACDBH and that is simply because as an entity they just don't care to do so nor do they think they have to.
Both LACDBH and the County Board of Supervisors continue to bury their collective heads in the sand hoping this issue will just go away. After all, it is just one person (me) pointing out these glaring omissions and the simple thing to do is to do nothing. Well Congratulations to both LACDBH and the Board of Supervisors. You've got a filthy beach near the water's edge at Venice Beach and you own it lock, stock and barrel. If and when a member of the general public is harmed due to this ongoing gross negligence, it will be the County of Los Angeles that will be held liable for its failure to protect the public health and safety.
Respectfully submitted,
William Maguire,
L.A. County resident,
Concerned citizen,
Attorney at law
(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)
*** *** ***
No comments:
Post a Comment