SeeCalifornia.com

California has a reputation for throwing beach parties!  There’s no doubt that some of us are getting old when we’d rather stay home than subject ourselves to the Wet Electric Rave (wet-electric.com) being hosted on Huntington State Beach  in a few weeks. Having survived the recent riot in Huntington Beach and hours of citizens telling their stories about misbehavior and vandalism, a common thread among the complaints was that the City of Huntington Beach never should have approved something so wild and out of control as the US Open of Surfing & Beach Games. The wildness happens each summer as too many people come to the beach for free entertainment in beach parties that get bigger and more outrageous with each passing year. This season those who complained after the party ended in a riot said that teen & pre-teen girls came to the beach wearing the skimpiest bikinis possible and had paint on their bodies with inappropriate messages painted on them. One city council member who’s a teacher said she’s seen it all and wasn’t surprised, but did feel uncomfortable taking her own 6-year-old daughter through the beach crowds at the recent beach party.

“HB” city planners have invited large events believing that it helped brand Huntington Beach as a surfing destination and fun place to visit. However, when State of California Parks & Recreation approved a Wet Electric Rave on September 14, 2013 on Huntington State Beach (which connects to the city beach where two wild parties have  already gone down this summer –4th of July and US Open of Surfing,) City council members were alarmed. Most said they are powerless to stop the wild beach party from happening. They told the public to contact the California State Parks & Recreation Department (parks.ca.gov)  to voice concerns about this party expected to draw 10,000 or more people– a mere drop in the bucket compared to the beach parties Huntington has hosted to date. What’s different about this rave is that the public beach is being roped off for private use, and liquor is being sold on premise. The event planners advertise $1 cocktails during certain hours.

Are municipalities and California State Parks selling out to the highest bidder to make a buck? Are some of us getting old when we wish the beach parties were over and people would go home?