Los Angeles County Denies 'Overblown' Frisbee Ban
After announcing updated beach ordinances, Los Angeles County officials have denied banning frisbees and said the news was "overblown."
Furious Southern Californians mocked the county officials Thursday as news broke that a $1,000 fine had been imposed on the use of frisbees and footballs on beaches in the area.
The beach-goers misunderstood the restrictions though, and spokesperson for L.A. County, Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, said the fine is only $100 and has been in place for 40 years.
"There has been a lot of misinformation and a lot of concern and anger on the part of the public," Joel Bellman, a press deputy for Yarslavsky, told Reuters. "It was a good faith effort to create new opportunities for people to play on the beach that they didn't have under the old ordinance."
The Board of Supervisors agreed on Tuesday to pass a 37-page ordinance limiting the activities of beach-goers, and the news made international headlines.
The rule, dating back to 1970, prohibits "any person to cast, toss, throw, kick or roll" any object aside from a beach ball or volleyball "upon or over any beach" in L.A. county. In an attempt to lighten the restrictions, county officials have revised the ordinance. Now, the restrictions only apply from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
A first infraction carries a fine of $100, and rises to a maximum of $550 for three or more violations in a single year.
Bellman clarified that the reports of $1,000 fines were erroneous. As a part of highlighting the responsibilities of law enforcement and other public agencies, the rules also reveal activities that could potentially disrupt or even injure the public.
"We're not about making the beach an unpleasant experience for people coming on like some totalitarian police force. They are going to be mellow about it," said Bellman.
"The rules are in place so that during a busy, crowded summer beach day, no one is put at risk by a spontaneous football game," said L.A. County spokeswoman Carol Baker to The Los Angeles Times Thursday.
Baker also noted that the updated ordinances had not been reviewed in over 20 years, and that the changes allow authorities to better enforce rules.
During the off-season when the beach is not as busy, the rules will be relaxed.
When the reports of $1,000 fines were introduced, Calif. beach-goers took to Twitter expressing their reactions.
"What is the country doing to itself?" wrote Twitter user Ryan on his account. "Large fines for playing frisbee on the beach? Worried about lawsuits…"
"Angelenos, this is kind of ridiculous," wrote Tameka of the new rules.
Jennifer wrote, "I'm still frankly stunned that LA County wants to fine me $1000 for throwing a frisbee on a beach. What's next? $5K fines for riding my bike."
"This is stupid," wrote Stephen on the social media site, while Josh wrote, "Outrageous!"
