Beach Season Dos and Don'ts

By Ann K. Williams
Lookout Staff

July 6, 2011 – It's party time at the beach, and as crowds converge on Santa Monica, there's some good news to go along with a number of challenges.

First, the good news.

The Twilight Dance Series (TDS) kicks off Thursday with SaMo Mambo, and this summer, three of the most danceable acts will feature a 30 by 36-foot temporary floor on the pier deck.

Dancers will be able to strut their stuff with abandon, without worrying about breaking a stiletto heel in the rough beams of the pier.

It's not the first time the floor's been tried, Stephen Gibson, interim director of the Pier Restoration Corp. told The Lookout Tuesday.

When dancers tried it out in 2009, “it was very well received. People loved being on the dance floor,” Gibson said.

It'll be rolled out before three shows: This Thursday's SaMo Mambo concert, La Monica Ballroom on August 11, and Tango on the Timbers on August 25.

Revelers may want to get to the mambo and tango concerts early. That's because free dance lessons at 6 p.m. will open the shows.

The TDS is just one of people's favorite summer draws in Santa Monica, and all that popularity comes with a price.

A million Angelinos swarmed to southland beaches each day this holiday weekend, according to local news reports.

Congestion got so bad that lifeguards put out a sig alert on the beach bike path, reports said. Traffic on the path slowed to two miles an hour as cyclists jammed up, well, not bumper to bumper exactly, but you get the picture.

Traffic for autos wasn't much better. Cars on the 10 Freeway moved at a snail's pace as they inched through the McClure Tunnel over Fourth of July weekend.

The scene's likely to be repeated every weekend this summer, with the possible exception of “Carmageddon,” or July 15-18, when the 405 Freeway will be closed through the Sepulveda Pass.

So in weeks to come you might want to leave your wheels in the driveway and take the bus to beach. For routes and times, go to www.bigbluebus.com

If you do drive, Sergeant Richard Lewis of the Santa Monica Police Department urges you to park legally and lock your car, making sure to conceal any valuables you leave behind.

Theft from automobiles “is one of the biggest problems in this city,” Lewis told The Lookout Tuesday. “Don't leave anything they can see, they will break in and take it.”

Thankfully, there were no major problems over the holiday weekend, he added. Calls were up for loud parties, drunkenness and fireworks, but that's to be expected on the Fourth of July, said Lewis.

But fireworks remain a problem for local law enforcement even after the holiday's over, he said.

The fireworks season, such as it is, extends from late June until the end of July, said Lewis. All fireworks – even those dubbed “safe and sane” like sparklers – are illegal in Santa Monica.

Police would rather educate than punish those who break fireworks laws, Lewis said.

But they are empowered to cite scofflaws, and even kids can be arrested and taken to the station where their parents will be called.

Residents who hear fireworks are urged to call the police at the SMPD Dispatch line at (310) 458-8491.

The bottom line is, be safe, be legal, lock your car if you do drive it to the beach, or better yet, take the bus.

And don't forget to dance!