Making the Coast Accessible for Black and Latino Californians

Legislators and activists around California are trying new tactics to get people to the beach who seldom get the opportunity to go or would, in the past, have been unwelcome there. "Their efforts range from encouraging inexpensive and culturally sensitive coastal lodging, to forcing the state to consider the impacts of coastal development on poorer, often minority residents,"Jill Replogle reports for High Country News.

When surveyed, many black and Latino Californians who chose not to go to the beach cited an inability to swim. This is an issue that organizations like Azul and the Surf Bus Foundation have worked to address. Another difficulty has to do with infrastructure. "Limited public transportation is also a problem, though Los Angeles recently expanded metro service to within a few blocks of the popular Santa Monica shoreline," Replogle writes.