Surfer gang Bay Boys may disappear in Lunada Bay

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Is this the last cowabunga for a surf gang in Lunada Bay?

It’s understandable if the phrase “surfer gang” immediately makes you think of Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze in “Point break.”

Because that’s exactly what happened to me when I first saw it this story about the infamous Bay Boys by my colleague Clara Harter.

The controversial gang has been trying to control the waves of Lunada Bay for 60 years by intimidating outsiders to keep them away. They have slashed the tires of non-locals, thrown rocks at people coming down the cliff path and physically harassed surfers catching waves, Clara reports.

The level of intimidation by the Bay Boys was captured in an undercover video in 2015, when journalists from The Guardian visited Lunada Bay and were not given a warm welcome. as you can see for yourself.

But enough people eventually got fed up with the Bay Boys’ antics, and local officials agreed last month to settle a landmark lawsuit with a promise to protect public access to the bay.

The story of the Bay Boys may sound like a novelty in this day and age. A bunch of guys forming a gang of surfers and laying claim to a bay? OK.

But beneath the surface lurk bigger issues surrounding who gets to access one of California’s greatest assets: the coast.

Here are some key points from Clara’s reporting that help put the Bay Boys’ stunts into context, while questions arise about whether the settlement will actually solve anything.

Non-local surfer Jordan, recording any problems with a GoPro in his mouth, rides the subway in Lunada Bay on February 5, 2016.

(Los Angeles Times)

Behind the Bay Boys’ territorial streak

The bay is located near the upscale community of Palos Verdes Estates, which has a deep-rooted culture of localism: the belief that local surfers own the break.

“Localism was a widespread problem along the California coast from the 1970s to the early 2000s,” Clara reports. “But as the coastal population and the popularity of surfing soared, it became virtually impossible for locals to assert their ownership during any given break. Lunada Bay remains the most notorious exception to this rule.”

Proponents of localism argue that local residents help preserve the bay’s natural beauty for the community, so why not close off access to outsiders who could destroy the site?

But that argument has long been riddled with classism and racism, reports my colleague Clara.

Chris Taloa, a native Hawaiian surfer, told The Times that when he organized a paddle-out at Lunada Bay for Martin Luther King Jr. in 2014. Day, a local resident came to him in blackface and told him, “You don’t pay enough taxes to be here.”

Sofly Matturi, a surfer from Long Beach, told Clara that he feels racially charged aggression as he paddles toward Lunada.

“It’s like half localism, half racism,” said Matturi, who is black. “Anyway, they don’t like me.”

A surfer heads down the path to Lunada Bay in February 2016.

(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)

An atmosphere check at Lunada Bay

Some surfers told Clara they are not holding their breath that the settlement will put an end to bullying at the bay.

While the settlement includes posting signs making it clear that the bay is open to the public, it makes no mention of new strategies for responding to incidents of harassment, bullying or localism.

That’s a big deal considering that correspondence records show that Palos Verdes Estates officials dismissed the local harassment of the Bay Boys in 2016 as an “urban legend” and discussed ways to avoid public and media attention.

Back when journalists were still in favor The Guardian visited the bay in 2015, they later stopped at a police station and were told by officers that police would only respond if a law was broken.

But John MacHarg, a Palos Verdes native who opposed the Bay Boys’ bullying, told Clara that the settlement offers an opportunity to turn things around in Lunada Bay.

“The moral of the story is: go out and surf, break it open,” he said. “The door has been opened, but if no one goes through the door, it won’t make any difference.”

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For your weekend

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(Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Stay indoors

(Times staff and wire photos)

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Have a great weekend from the Essential California team

Hunter Clauss, multiplatform editor

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