The Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors completed a competitive bidding process to award beach permits for summer recreational and fitness camps.
Twenty-one out of 28 beach camp bidders were granted permits, said Carol Baker, community and marketing services division chief for the department. As of Feb. 1, 22 locations still remain for those who apply on a first-come, first-serve basis.
“We were able to level the playing field,” Baker said. “It really was time to not do this based on seniority.” Camp operators were granted three-year permits – if they are in good standing with the county after three years, they can renew their permit for an additional two years, Baker said. After five years, they have to go through the bidding process again.
“That’s tough for a business owner that wants to have longevity,” said Kip Jerger, who operated Kanoa Surf Camps for 15 years, serving more than 20,000 kids. This year, he underwent the bidding process and received two permits, but has returned them to the county.
This summer, Kanoa Aquatics is changing direction and will serve as a consulting company to surf camp operators, Jerger said. “Each beach has its own personality in terms of currents, rip tides, inshore holes, crowd controls, and black ball ordinances,” he said. “I’m making sure their camp is run as well as mine was.”
In previous years, about 55 camps operated during the summer; the department does not yet know how many camps will run this summer, Baker said.
This year marks the first that the bidding process took place – the department changed the process last summer in an attempt to regulate activity on the beach, as well as put an end to a longstanding practice that has kept summer permit applicants on a long waiting list.
“For me, it was a good opportunity,” said Gilad Lewandovski. He worked with Kanoa for six years while he was on the waiting list to start his own camp, Freedom Surf Camp, he said.
