Delicate Surface Of Laguna Beach Sea Cave Tagged With Graffiti

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — Environmentalists and residents don't just want to know who is responsible for cleaning up graffiti tagged across a sea cave at Thousand Steps beach. They want the graffiti gone.

Last weekend, the sea cave's delicate surface was tagged with yellow and white graffiti, which could prove devastating for cleanup.

Laguna Beach City Councilmember Peter Blake reached out to city staff regarding the section of Laguna Beach. Though it was thought to be protected by OC Parks, that has turned out not to be the case. Blake, an art gallery owner, says there was "nothing artistic" about graffiti in this sensitive location.

Laguna Beach Police took a report about the tagging incident. According to the beach patrol head Jim Beres, the county was notified about the tagging to remove the graffiti. Still, a county spokesperson, as reported by the OC Register, says that the sea cave is "not their responsibility."

So, the question remains? Who is responsible for the sea cave? As it turns out, the cave is on private property, as reported by the Laguna Beach Independent.

Laguna Beach Community Development Director Marc Wiener told the Independent that they are working with the property ownersto clean it up. "We expect to have the situation resolved soon," he wrote.

In a local Facebook group, residents decried the graffiti on this corner of local paradise as "blasphemous."

Recommendations of adding cameras, late-night checkups, and more beach patrols were suggested.

It is not known if the police are tracking such tagging.

Marine Safety Chief Kevin Snow told the Independent that, due to the surface of the sandstone cliffs, "special precautions need to be taken to remove the graffiti to prevent any degradation of the material it's on."

Laguna Beach Police Department spokesman Lt. James Cota says that code enforcement will oversee the graffiti removal.

All graffiti should be reported on the Laguna Beach Police non-emergency line: 949-497-0701.