It was a chance to soak in the sights of San Onofre State Beach, to toast to the stretch of coast and its future, to mark a major milestone in the area’s storied history.
Officials, dignitaries and people pivotal to the 25-year land lease renewal between the state and federal governments came together on Monday, April 21, to celebrate the partnership that is allowing the land and coast wedged between San Clemente and San Diego to remain a public amenity for years to come.
“These are the places that connect us,” Director of State Parks Armando Quintero said during a press conference held on a bluff overlooking the pristine coastline and Pacific Ocean. “Places like this are just invaluable in society.”
The land lease deal completed in late August took years of negotiation between the Department of Defense, the Department of Navy, and the state. But now that the ink is dry, Monday was a chance to celebrate – especially with the news last week that the LA28 Olympics will hold its surfing competition at San Onofre State Beach’s Lower Trestles.
San Onofre State Beach is home to some of the country’s best surf breaks, world-class mountain biking, camping, miles of hiking trails and a natural landscape that is a quick getaway from the urban sprawl.
California’s Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot called San Onofre State Beach “truly a special place.”
“We are here today to celebrate, of course, this incredible beach and this park. But most importantly, we always need to remember the role that our federal military and our military leaders play in protecting our country and protecting our communities,” Crowfoot said. “And so first and foremost, I wanted to express our eternal appreciation for that.”
There are 280 State Parks across California, and the estimated 2.5 million visitors to San Onofre State Beach each year make it one of the most popular in the system, Crowfoot noted. It is also an important environmental habitat that exists almost nowhere else, he said.
Officials talked about the historic deal back in 1971 that created the park. It was spearheaded by President Richard Nixon, who set the first lease at a whopping $1 for 50 years.
A lot changed in the following decades, including federal law that required the military get fair market value, Crowfoot said.
After years of back and forth, the ultimate value was agreed to be about $3.2 million a year, or about $90 million over the life of the new lease. The state will supply in-kind credits to the military, including the use of land as training facilities, and state energy credits.
“We get to celebrate this milestone that guarantees us 25 more years of this remarkable partnership that brings millions of Californians to this beach — people from around the world to enjoy this incredible environment, including in the Olympics in 2028 — and enables State Parks to support our federal military mission,” Crowfoot said. “I stand here today proud, humble, excited and thankful to everyone who made the next 25 years possible.”
Congressman Mike Levin talked about a three-year extension in 2021 that was necessary when the original lease expired, and the anxious days leading up to the last deadline, just as the World Surf League was preparing for its world championships at Lower Trestles.
“The years became months. What I didn’t want was the Register or anybody else to have to write that story about how the beach and the park was going to be shut down,” he said. “I would have been a dead duck. I think we all would have been in big trouble. We would have had surfers protesting. And I know none of us wanted to see that.”
Brigadier Gen. Nick Brown, commander of the nearby Camp Pendleton, said it took many patriots and professionals to see the lease deal through.
“It was really humbling to watch this process play out over the course of several years,” he said, calling the beach and park an “absolutely breathtaking stretch of our coast.”
“For surfers, families, vacationers of all corners of the world, to wildlife advocates and cultural stewards and certainly those of us that live and work here on Camp Pendleton, San Onofre State Beach is a crown jewel,” he said.
The partnership is rooted in a mutual trust, Brown said, with a shared purpose to protect the great landscape and preserve its lasting legacy.
“It’s a legacy that balances conservation, access for stewardship, the environmental needs of today with tomorrow’s responsibilities,” he said. “It is part of our duty and part of our mission. The recent extension of lease between the Department of the Navy and California State Parks reflects that commitment. It reaffirms our shared responsibility to safeguard this wonderful coastline.”
As the world turns its attention to Lower Trestles for the LA28 Olympic games, it’s a proud story to tell, Brown said.
“Together, we’ll continue to protect San O for everyone who’s out there,” he said.” “Now, on this beach today, those who will come here tomorrow and generations to come.”