Expert: Steve Summers - 11/8/2004

Question
Hello...can someone park an RV near or at a beach, permanently (boondock-free camping)in Southern CA? I heard that people do this in Venice Beach. I am looking for a place where retire seniors do this..thanks..(I am not a retired senior) but I need this info...thanks..Angie

Answer
Hi Angie,

In a word, no. At least not in Venice Beach, CA. First of all, the streets near Venice beach are barely more than alleyways. You couldn't fit an RV in there if you wanted to. Secondly, there are posted no parking signs that go from the beach for about 3-5 blocks. Only residents can park there, with a sticker. Thirdly, the "Parking Gestapo" patrols those streets with a vengeance. Bottom line, there just isn't any RV camping in Venice Beach.

I can say that I've never seen retired seniors on the beach, camping there permanently for free. I have seen, however, some rather "trailer trash" types that are there on a semi-permanent basis. These are basically bums who park their pickup/camper in a pay lot all day, begging for money to pay for their parking and a couple of beers. However, they are not supposed to camp overnight. Occasionally they get away with it, but I've seen more than a few of these vehicles towed. (I used to spend a lot of time at the beach).

You can boondock at Walmart for free (as long as there isn't a local ordinance), but the nearest Walmart to Venice is in Inglewood.

Sorry, the "retired seniors" just aren't boondocking it at Venice. However, you will see plenty of the homeless set camped out under the stars around Venice and Santa Monica Beaches. Local cops aren't very aggressive in rousting the many homeless from their little hidey-holes and from the parks.

Going back to the first question: There really aren't any free boondocking spots near the beach in SoCal. The real estate is basically a solid block of private homes and public beaches from Malibu to San Clemente. Public beaches charge for day use, and kick everyone out in the evening. There are a couple of campgrounds in there, but once again, you pay, and you are limited to 7 days in summer and 30 days the rest of the year.

Hope this helps,

Steve