• Commission wants more control

cate the city’s efforts,” Briggs said, but the commission could assist with things such as reporting illegal beach fires, for example.

“Fires are a chronic problem,” he said. “There seems to be relatively little enforcement of the rule not to have open fires on the beach.”

Sometimes the fires leave hot coals smoldering in the sand, which is a public safety hazard and a potential insurance liability, commissioners said. While the commissioners would not enforce the law themselves, they could refer incidents to city staffers or state park rangers for resolution.

Ground squirrels are another recurring problem. The rodents burrow into the bluffs and hasten erosion along Carlsbad Boulevard. The commission could help determine areas where pest control is needed.

One reason Carlsbad has been slow to show a stronger hand in the past is that most of its beach, more than 6 of the 7 miles, is owned and supervised by the California Department of Parks and Recreation. State park rangers patrol the beach and are responsible for enforcement.

“There are some things we have limited control over,” said Kyle Lancaster, the city’s parks and recreation director.

The city has an agreement with the state that allows the city to maintain some areas at or near the beach, such as the grassy triangle at the end of Pine Avenue, and the bluff slopes and bluff-top area from Pine south to Tamarack Avenue.

Also, the city issues “right of entry” permits for regular activities on the beach such as volleyball games and surfing classes.

The agreement with the state allows the city to care for facilities such as the seawall, stairs, picnic tables, landscaping and restrooms at a higher level than the state can provide. The state has a limited budget and many miles of coastline to cover, so Carlsbad, like other coastal cities, has reached a deal to allow additional improvements.

Carlsbad city staffers have been working for years to expand their agreement with the state, perhaps to get improvements or even a park along the coastal strip south to Encinitas, so far without success.

Several commissioners said the city should continue to work toward an expanded agreement.

“It’s a problem of overlapping jurisdictions,” said Commissioner Tim O’malley. “We as a commission have to keep an eye on what’s in our control.”

He encouraged commissioners to look at the “bigger picture” and continue working with city staffers to get a better agreement with the state.

“We want to make a difference in the long term,” O’malley said.

philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com