Saturday, August 26, 2017: Venice Beach Trash Report

Venice Beach (aka, Diaper Beach)

Dateline: Saturday morning, August 26, 2017. Today I walked from Navy St. down to the Venice Pier along the shoreline and took photos of the beach near the water's edge in order to evaluate whether or not the Los Angeles Dept. of Beaches & Harbors (aka, LACDBH) had collected and disposed of #beachtrash both above and below the high tide line. 

My first finding is that LACDBH did have its tractors out grooming the sand with its rake above the high tide line. My photos demonstrate that this method is a fairly good way to collect #beachtrash ABOVE THE HIGH TIDE LINE, though some #beachtrash does not get picked up by the rakes and is left behind.

My second finding is that the area of the beach near the water's edge which is where the tractors do not operate, was not hand picked today by LACDBH.  The disgusting used diaper I found just below the high tide line adjacent to Navy St., as shown above and below, is evidence of this failure by LACDBH.  If LACDBH has ONE PERSON walk along the beach near the water's edge this disgusting and unsanitary used diaper could have been collected and properly disposed of by LACDBH.  It's beach crew does not care, however, about collecting such #beachtrash near the water's edge, in my opinion.

Below, you can easily see the line in the sand where the grooming ends near the water's edge at the high tide line... e.g, to the left the sand has been groomed and cleaned by the tractor towing the rake; to the right, nothing has been done.  Look more closely and you can see the dirty diaper just off center about 30 yards ahead... 

The Used & Dirty Diaper Near Shoe At Navy St.:  Here it is again, up close and personal!...

How about a used diaper with your GAMING GUIDE?!...  You can have both at Venice Beach thanks to LACDBH!...

Above and below, the beach is much cleaner both above and below the high tide line this weekend than last weekend... so some effort is being undertaken by LACDBH to at least use its tractors on the weekend so that the weekend crowds do not have share the sand with accumulated #beachtrash...

Above and below, LACDBH needs to bring in its "sifter machine",  aka, Sand King, which does a deep cleaning of the soft dry sand.  This area behind the Venice Breakwater is thick with #beachtrash from the tractors and rakes releasing their loads of #beachtrash here, as I reported earlier this week in a previous blog post here.

Apparently, LACDBH does not have even ONE PERSON on its beach crew that can walk near the water's edge and be trusted to hand pick up #beachtrash!  That is basically what LACDBH is effectively saying.    Either that or LACDBH just doesn't give a hoot about any #beachtrash near the water's edge.

Obviously, LACDBH did not bother to have even ONE PERSON walk near the water's edge today to hand pick up #beachtrash near the water's edge... on a SATURDAY!

On behalf of all beach patrons, many thanks to LACDBH for its continued lack of integrity and continued negligence in failing to dispose of #beachtrash near the water's edge on a daily basis.

Respectfully submitted,

William Maguire,
Attorney at law, and
Concerned citizen

(All photos by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)

***   ***   ***

Thursday, August 24, 2017: Venice Beach Trash Report

Dateline: Thursday morning, August 24, 2017 at and after 10 a.m., along Venice Beach between Ave 23 and Brooks Ave and back to Ave 23.....

Below, two empty discarded plastic bottles lay near the water's edge UNCOLLECTED by LACDBH because all it has bothered to do this morning is use its tractors and rakes but LACDBH does not so much as even inspect the water's edge for #beachtrash that is beyond the reach of their tractors...
Why?!... because LACDBH does not care whether or not they leave #beachtrash uncollected daily near the water's edge.

Nevertheless, the beach was again fairly clean today as it was this past Tuesday as addressed in our previous blog post.  LACDBH still does NOT daily have anyone inspect the beach near the water's edge and hand pick up #beachtrash not picked up by the tractors...  Again, LACDBH lacks the commitment and integrity to do so because it is inconvenient to its staff to walk the shoreline and get sand in their shoes.....  (in my opinion).  I could be wrong, maybe it's just because they do not care if there is #beachtrash remaining on the beach near the water's edge.  Basically what is happening is that LACDBH is only removing #beachtrash in the path of its tractors towing the rakes. If it is #beachtrash beyond the operation of the tractors, that is #beachtrash that is simply ignored day in day out by LACDBH.

Brooks Ave. rainbow themed lifeguard tower below... The beach here both above and below the gide line is pretty darn clean up here again today as it was this past Tuesday.  The weekend is another matter altogether, however...

The Venice Breakwater, below...

There is a huge pile of collected #beachtrash which LACDBH has dumped right at the high tide line behind the Venice Breakwater with their tractors.  This is very problematical because: (1) the general public walks along the shoreline and is now more likely to be injured by a wide area of sand full of #beachtrash, e.g., broken bottles, plastic, hypodermic needles, etc.;  (2) this huge pile of #beachtrash left carelessly and negligently by LACDBH is right in front of lifeguard operations and increases the likelihood of injury to ocean lifeguards; (3) this huge dump of #beachtrash is near the high tide line and can be caught up in the next high tide and dragged out to sea; and (4) wildlife are already busy going through this pile of #beachtrash and are more likely than not going to ingest plastic and other foreign matter.

Why can't this raked up #beachtrash be dragged to the back of the beach instead of dumping it near the water's edge where it will definitely come into contact with the general public, first responders, wildlife, and be susceptible to being dragged into the ocean.

*** Video Alert ! ***

 LACDBH Trash Dump At The Venice Breakwater: The Video

     https://youtu.be/twoSt_TSkro


Additional #beachtrash near the water's edge between the Breakwater and Ave 21 below...

... and back at Ave 23, the same two plastic bottles remain below the high tide line UNCOLLECTED by LACDBH.....

Frankly, the beach operations of LACDBH are not improving their collection and disposal of #beachtrash near the water's edge.  LACDBH continues to concentrate on using their tractors to remove #beachtrash but this is only done away from the water's edge and above the high tide line.  The continuing failure to daily remove #beachtrash near the water's edge needs to be addressed directly by the L.A. County Board of Supervisors because LACDBH is incapable of resolving this ongoing public health and safety danger posed by LACDBH's unwillingness to daily remove #beachtrash near the water's edge.

Respectfully submitted,

William Maguire,
Attorney at law, and
Concerned citizen

(All photos and video by & Copyright William Maguire 2017.)

***   ***   ***