Pacifica Riptide

Lenore Navarra Lafayette: Shelter Cove History

(the author emailed replies to questions from Chris Mejia)

Your e-mail asks some questions that I can readily answer. First of all, my family leased the house on the Shelter Cove land. We came and went as we wanted. About the Forties, Mr. Lewis (owner at that time) started charging 50 cents per car. People still came at will. Weekends were the busiest times for visitors. To my knowledge, people just came down there to the beach when they wanted to - no invitations. You should see the pictures in my book, Shelter Cove the Early Years. You will see people sitting on the beach.  Mr. Lewis did not "invite" them to come. They just showed up (like you would go to Ocean Beach in S.F.)

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In answer to your question about a period when there was no charge to the general public, it would have to be in the Thirties. The fifty cent charge did not come into effect until the late thirties. I don't believe that anyone paid to get down to the Cove before that time. I think that a person could park elsewhere (maybe by the old depot) and walk down to the beach - just a few blocks away. {the book is available at Florey's bookstore on Palmetto}

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In 1927, my Dad was a realtor in San Francisco in the office of Charlie Burns. Charlie had a client who wanted to sell a small cottage that he owned at Shelter Cove. Dad, my Grandfather and two other relatives bought the house at the Cove for a mere $300 for summer get-aways. It was the land that was leased by the owner at the time, George Lewis. In my book, I have pictures that show a smaller house that my family remodeled, adding a garage, another bedroom and a large porch with windows that faced the ocean. We also added a wash room and sink with running water.

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Another story that I remember is that the neighbors talked about the train that used to run above the houses. Every time it passed, gravel rolled down the hill on top of the roofs below. Amazing what people will put up with when they want to live in a certain location! Our family did not have the house down there at that time. The train stories were so interesting. I was fascinated by the tales I was reading in the old newspapers that I found at Redwood City Library. There is a wealth of information available if you are willing to search for it. I spent a lot of hours in the library digging up the facts, and it was well worth it.

Lenore Navarra Lafayette

A Modest Proposal: Group Hike to Liberate Shelter Cove

Rick Steves, reporting from England, says they have public hiking trails all over the countryside. He says that once a year, on a specified day, hikers all over the country simply hike the trails to assert their easement rights. This sounds like something you could do with a group of interested hikers, going onto the beach that is supposed to be public. Just thought I’d pass this along as a possible peaceful and inexpensive (not legal action) solution.

LEGAL EAGLE

Update on Coastal Commission Investigation of Shelter Cove

Since I wrote my original letter to the California Coastal Commission about public access at Shelter Cove Beach in Pacifica and it was posted here on Pacifica Riptide, I have received several emails and letters of support from eyewitnesses to the public's use of Shelter Cove over the years (and we need more!). I am collecting all of these letters in a file for the Coastal Commission as they prepare to open their own investigation. 

At the moment, Linda Locklin and her staff at the California Coastal Commission are preparing the official pre-investigation questionnaire. When it is released, this detailed questionnaire will ask residents and visitors several important questions about their experiences at Shelter Cove, past and present. The Commission uses information gathered from these questionnaires to evaluate their opening of an official, full-fledged investigation, and as such it is absolutely imperative that we collect as many questionnaires as possible and that each is as detailed as possible. If you know people who used Shelter Cove in the past, please get the word out and have them contact me. As soon as the questionnaire is released, I will forward it to all.

In the meantime, I am continuing to research and investigate on my own. I am very interested in collecting primary evidence showing historic use of Shelter Cove as a public place: old family photos, newspaper clippings, copies of journal entries, and the like (please send me copies of what you have). I am also sifting through a ton of old San Mateo County records and reports. This week, I found two San Mateo reports that look to support our case for prescriptive rights: In 1978, San Mateo County issued the “Local Coastal Program Background Report for Mid-Coast Shoreline Access.” In this report, Shelter Cove was one of the beaches evaluated for prescriptive rights (i.e., open public access over private property).

In 1998, the Planning and Building Division of the County of San Mateo issued its publication, “Local Coastal Program Policies Update.”  In evaluating Shelter Cove for possible prescriptive rights, this report concluded that there was indeed historical evidence of a public access road/ trail to Shelter Cove Beach spanning several decades (1956 to 1970s).

Of notable interest, I recently received a detailed letter of support from Lenore Lafayette of Cherry Orchard Books. In 1997, while living near Pacifica, Lenore wrote a book about Shelter Cove in the 1930s, "Shelter Cove, the Early Years" (available at Florey’s bookstore in Pacifica). In her letter, she recounts her firsthand experiences at Shelter Cove Beach: “I remember it as a lively place on weekends, a little more subdued during the week.” Disappointed at what it has become today, she fondly remembers Shelter Cove as it was, “a place that I remember as open and welcoming.” I encourage all to buy and read her book, especially those, like me, too young to remember what a precious pearl of a spot Shelter Cove was for our community before it was closed.

In closing, I want to remind folks who are following the investigation that these sorts of matters can take time and require undying support from locals to be successful. A volunteer activist, I will do what I can to keep you all informed. But I also encourage each of you to take your own action.  Contact the Coastal Commission yourself, ask questions, write letters to the City of Pacifica, do your own investigation. The California Coast is a precious resource to us ALL. a gem that’s not worth losing to any one person.

Thank You and Kind Regards,

Chris Mejia
chris@bigsalad.com

Where the Heck Is Shelter Cove?

GOOGLE MAP OF SHELTER COVE

Click the link above and type in Shelter Cove Pacifica, then click hybrid map in the top right corner. Voila, Viola! And you are there!

(thanks to Chris Mejia for the tip)

Shelter Cove Complainant Connects with Coastal Commission

Thank you so much for looking into the history of beach access at Shelter Cove in Pacifica. There is definitely sincere interest, by me and others in the community, in reopening an investigation as soon as possible. As such, we would appreciate and welcome your effort in creating the questionnaire. I will personally take it to local neighbors in an effort to document historical public access to the beach. [Eyewitnesses and other interested parties should contact Chris Mejia at chris@bigsalad.com.]

My original letter to you was posted on Pacifica's community website, Pacifica Riptide (the link to the letter and subsequent public comments is PACIFICA RIPTIDE: SHELTER COVE CONFRONTATION. I believe it will also appear in the Pacifica Tribune. The posting has already stirred much interest by the local community, including one eyewitness account:

"I grew up in Pacifica and was a frequent visitor to Shelter Cove throughout my childhood, spanning the mid-'50s through mid-'70s. It was indeed open to the public, and it was a greatdisappointment to me when it was closed. I would be delighted to have Shelter Cove reopened for public use." (Posted by Ann Edminster | October 08, 2007 at 04:19 PM)

In anticipation of your investigation, I have already asked those following the case to write me if they or someone they know was an eyewitness to public access at Shelter Cove Beach. I'm not sure if you read the excerpt and viewed the photos from the book "Pacifica," but this account and photos alone support the investigation. I urge you to purchase the book (available on Google Books) and add it to the evidence.

I'm not sure why your initial investigation in 1990 led to dead ends. I can only speculate that the recent and very publicized wins for public beach access rights in areas like Malibu will give the people the sense of empowerment they need to exercise their rights here. Add to that a more modern Internet that will aid in our efforts and I think we are light-years away from where we were in 1990.

In closing, I'm quite confident that we will receive, via your questionnaire, the documentation necessary for you to open an official investigation. Again, many thanks for your help thus far. I look forward to working with you going forward.

Best Regards,

Chris Mejia

Confrontation at Shelter Cove: Citizen Claims Right to Public Access to Beach

To: Linda Locklin
Coastal Access Program
California Coastal Commission
725 Front Street, Suite 300
Santa Cruz, California, 95060
831-427-4875

From: Christopher Mejia
Concerned Citizen & Resident of
The State of California

Cc:  Jerry Brown, Attorney General, State of California

Re: Shelter Cove Beach Access, Pacifica, California - Designation for Prescriptive Rights Investigation

Dear Ms. Locklin,

I am writing you today with great concern about the public's access rights to "Shelter Cove Beach" in Pacifica, California. Upon visiting Shelter Cove beach today, my girlfriend and I were violently accosted by a man claiming private ownership of the beach (the man was later identified by a neighbor as Arno Rohloff, who appears to be the property owner of the only access path to this secluded beach). In a threatening manner (yelling, posturing, waiving arms, etc.), Mr. Rohloff told us to leave the beach at once. Standing right there in the sand (below the high-tide line), he told us that we were "trespassing" on his private property. We felt physically threatened in a way that made us fear for our safety. When I informed Mr. Rohloff that we were well within our rights to enjoy the public beach, he became enraged. We left, fearing physical consequence.

Returning home from our visit to Shelter Cove, it was impossible not to feel that our rights under the Constitution and laws of this State were trampled by this man. This led me to further investigate his claim to "private ownership" of Shelter Cove Beach and access to the beach, which in turn brought me to your website regarding "prescriptive rights." 

My brief research of the subject property's past and present disposition has led me to the obvious conclusion that there is a long standing and enforceable “implied dedication” or “public prescriptive easement” for this property as clearly established by previous public use and enjoyment of the beach and access to said beach until 1975, when the property was sold to James Telegam. Prior to Mr. Telegam’s ownership of Shelter Cove, the beach and access to the beach had been open to the public for decades, with full knowledge and consent of the previous owners.  One clear testament of evidence that Shelter Cove had been open to use and access by the public is documented and photographed in the book entitled “Pacifica” by Chris Hunter, Bill Drake, and The Pacifica Historical Society (Arcadia Publishing, 2002). This book dedicates a section to Shelter Cove (pages 32-33), displaying several historic photographs, two of which clearly evidence the public’s use. You can read excerpts from the book about Shelter Cove and see the photos by searching for "Pacifica" on  GOOGLE BOOKS.

As is plainly evidenced in this book, a public prescriptive easement, as described by California Law, was clearly established during previous ownership(s) of Shelter Cove. Upon subsequently purchasing this property, Mr. Rohloff, like it or not, also purchased the public prescriptive easement allowing access to the beach—an easement willfully allowed, even promoted, by those previous owners well before Mr. Rohloff. In fact, it is interesting to note that during the early 1900s, Shelter Cove had been enjoyed, at will, by the public as a very popular picnic site for families from San Francisco (see photos in book showing hundreds or beach goers including sun worshipers, bathers and fisherman at Shelter Cove). This public use continued for some 75-years until then owner, James Telegam unlawfully closed access to Shelter Cove. There is also clear evidence of retail use open to the public. The “Clipper Ship” bar and restaurant stood at Shelter Cove for many years, with free and open access to the public (such access was even encouraged via signage and marketing by previous owners).

I understand that “The Coastal Public Access Program includes a prescriptive rights element whereby the Coastal Commission researches and inventories the historic public use of areas with the potential for significant public access benefits and where research indicates that the public use is substantial enough to create potential prescriptive rights, the Attorney General's Office has the authority to proceed with the legal action necessary to protect those areas.”  Given Shelter Cove’s 75-year history (prior to 1975) of  copious public use and enjoyment, and the current unlawful restriction of access to this precious public resource, I urge you to launch an investigation for the purpose of establishing an “official” and State documented public easement for access to and enjoyment of Shelter Cove Beach.

An outdoor enthusiast, native son of California and graduate of UC Berkeley, I take great personal offense to any person or entity attempting to limit the rights and liberties of the citizens of this great State. As your Commission so eloquently states, “The loss of historical access and recreational sites funnels a growing population into fewer and fewer areas and can reduce the range of uses as well. Prescriptive trails or sites may provide access to bluff tops, wide sandy beaches, remote coastal areas, rocky fishing sites, scuba entry points, intimate pocket beaches and more providing for a wide variety of coastal experiences.”  Shelter Cove is just such a location, offering all of the attributes and experiences noted above. As such, I urge you and The California Coastal Commission to investigate and protect the public’s rights and interests with regard to Shelter Cove Beach.

Sincerely,

Chris Mejia
Concerned Citizen

© Copyright 2007, Chris Mejia – All rights reserved. Right to reprint any part of this letter shall be obtained by express written permission only.

Shelter Cove: Why No Public Access?

Hello all, does anyone know why the public is denied access to Shelter Cove in Pacifica? I thought that the public cannot be denied access to a beach in California under the Coastal Act. Thank you for any information you can provide.

JIM CURRIE

Reply in care of chris@bigsalad.com