In today's newscast:
Some cities object to beach canopies
In Santa Cruz, beachgoers can’t interfere with lifeguard visibility or operations, nor block emergency access, with their umbrellas or canopies. In Southern California, some coastal cities are creating stricter rules. Officials call it a safety issue.
Laguna Beach only allows umbrellas on the beach, except in designated canopy zones. Newport Beach has banned canopies larger than 10 feet by 10 feet. Cities say they want to make sure large canopies and ones strung together don’t keep lifeguards from monitoring the water.
Devean Lopez had put up three canopies and two tents with several friends and their kids at Seal Beach. He disagrees with the limits.
"I would just recommend maybe putting the lifeguard tower further up towards the shore of the beach," he said, "or just making it maybe a little taller."
If in doubt when you go to the beach, ask the lifeguards—they’re enforcing the bans.
That reporting from our partner, LAist.
Inclusive bocce ball courts
California has joined the list of communities officially recognizing July as Disability Pride Month. And in the Monterey Bay region, Hope Services in Gilroy will celebrate disability pride with the unveiling of two inclusive bocce ball courts on Friday.
"We really wanted to have something that wasn't present all over Gilroy," said Sara Grignon, district director with Hope Services in San Jose. "We wanted to bring in a sport onto our site that would invite the community onto our site."
The nonprofit offers support programs for individuals and families navigating intellectual and developmental disabilities. She says bocce ball is a great activity for anybody of any ability.
The Gilroy site supports about 70 people through day programs and more than 4,000 people each year. The $60,000 project was made possible with grant funding from Kaiser Permanente and pro bono landscape work from Gachina Landscape Management.
