After nearly two hours of discussion during a special meeting Tuesday evening, the OVSD board said it will vote on whether to close, consolidate or repurpose the schools during its regularly scheduled Nov. 14 meeting. The pending decision will culminate a year of surveys and studies conducted by a task force made up of OVSD parents, teachers and other stakeholders amid concerns about dwindling enrollment.

“In retrospect, we should have started these conversations years ago, but we didn’t,” Board President Patricia Singer said Tuesday evening. “We are here now. We have been talking about it and have been open and transparent.”

The board will decide on each of the four schools separately, said Singer, meaning each could have different outcomes.

OVSD — which serves parts of Huntington Beach, Westminster, Fountain Valley and Midway City — is home to more than 6,800 students across 15 schools. The district has had a drop of about 2,600 students since 2013, and it closed Sun View Elementary in Huntington Beach in 2018 because of declining enrollment.

The decision to move forward with a vote next week came after the board was presented with the task force’s 19 recommendations to address dropping enrollment in the district. Those recommendations had been split into four categories — innovative, instructional, financial and property management — and included ideas like leasing out unused property, combining certain elementary schools or opening up Golden View’s petting zoo as a field trip destination for other sites.

On Tuesday, the board considered the financial impact of closing, consolidating or repurposing the schools as well as suggestions to receive additional funds.

Smaller class sizes for the four targeted schools was one such idea to help cut back on costs while also increasing academic achievement.

“Students can speak more and teachers get to have deeper relationships” with smaller classrooms, said Julianne Hoefer, an assistant superintendent at OVSD. And that could ultimately attract more students to the district, she said.

But Trustee Morgan Westmoreland disagreed.

“Although I like the idea of having smaller schools, when you drill down what that means, especially at a middle school level, I think we are doing a disservice to our students,” said Westmoreland. “We put ourselves in the position to start operating small schools, and then a few years down the road, we see the same issues come up that we see now, and we could possibly see the state take over. I don’t want that.”

During an October meeting of the task force, Superintendent Michael Conroy said the district is overstaffed by at least 22 teachers because of the lower student enrollment, costing the district an estimated $2.3-3.5 million.

Trustee Gina Clayton-Tarvin said OVSD should “encourage older teachers in the district to retire.”

“I saw that on the (task force’s) report that it said in regards to enticing teachers to retire that the (financial) impact is minimal. I beg to differ. I think if we entice teachers to retire with substantial incentives, we could be successful,” she said.

Trustees Norm Westwell and Westmoreland predicted schools would consolidate.

“I think the writing is on the wall,” said Westmoreland. “I don’t want to be the leader of a district where decisions are made years down the line where it puts our district in financial distress. The information I have in front of me does not constitute us continuing to operate 10 elementary schools and four middle schools with our current population.”

Westwell said: “I don’t think we have done enough to cut the excessive spending that we have done in our district. But it looks like a decision has already been made: We are going to consolidate schools.”

A coalition of Village View Elementary parents is urging the district to opt against consolidating or closing their students’ campus. They have spearheaded a petition that has been signed by more than 1,500 people as of Wednesday afternoon, urging the board not to consider closure.

Village View parent Ryan Joly said he and other parents plan to meet with Westmoreland and Clayton-Tarvin next week to discuss the future of the schools.

Parents of students at the other schools have been outspoken on social media as well. Other petitions have circulated in previous months in attempts to keep the schools open.

“We will keep you updated as we navigate the next steps. We want to thank the HB community, especially the HB Fire Department, who worked quickly and diligently to save as much of our restaurant as they could,” the owners of Avila’s El Ranchito wrote in message posted to the restaurant’s Instagram page. “We will keep you updated as we navigate the next steps.”

In addition to the Huntington Beach Fire Department, the owners credit “Ryan, the owner of Shake Shack who called 911 when he saw the fire” for helping control the blaze before it caused any further damage.

No injuries were reported.

Avila’s El Ranchito, which has 12 other locations throughout Orange County, including Newport Beach and Costa Mesa, was founded by Salvador and Margarita Avila, who opened their first eponymous restaurant in 1966 in Huntington Park. The two passed away in 2022 and 2019, respectively.

The salt-water sea doesn’t care if they are missing limbs or have impaired eyesight, a degenerative disease or paralysis that has stopped their bodies from moving. The ocean is their competitive arena, a place they can showcase their stellar surfing skills.   

“Being on land is like walking on mud, but being in the water is weightless,” said Mark Hagger, a 49-year-old surfer from England who is losing the use of his legs due to a degenerative multiple sclerosis. “So you feel more unshackled when you are out there.”

The International Surfing Association’s World Para Surfing Championship, an Olympic-style event being held for the first time in Huntington Beach, has brought about 200 surfers from 30 countries to compete this week – and give a glimpse at how surfing could be added if it were to be accepted into the Los Angeles 2028 Para Olympic Games.

All week, surfers have been hanging out proudly near their country flags on the sand, surrounded by supporters and volunteers on hand to assist the athletes. The championship event kicked off with a parade down Main Street on Sunday, Nov. 5, and runs through Saturday, Nov. 11, with closing ceremonies to be held on the sand.

Life Rolls On founder Jesse Billauer is one of the more well-known Southern California surfers competing in the championships. A pro surfer who was paralyzed during a surf accident on his 17th birthday, Billauer was inducted over the summer into the Surfing Walk of Fame across from the pier in front of Jack’s Surfboards.

“It’s rad to have it in Huntington Beach, in Southern California, instead of driving far or flying somewhere,” said Billauer, from Pacific Palisades. “We’re lucky to have it here.”

He knows it was no easy task for those who came from overseas for the competition – from places as far as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Germany, Brazil, Spain and beyond.

“It just shows the dedication of all the athletes who travel so far to enter a contest where you don’t even win any money,” said Billauer, a longtime member of Team USA. “It’s amazing that they are dedicated to the sport.

“It’s cool to be able to see all the inspiration, all the disabilities that are able to surf, showing they are capable.”

Surfers have been competing in the qualifying rounds since Monday to make it into the final heats. The divisions are broken up into categories –  some in a stand or kneel division, others in the prone or sit division. There is also a division for visually impaired.

A surfer’s highest two scoring waves out of their first two heats will register in a leaderboard. From there, the top competitors in each division will progress to the next round. Waves all week have been in the 2- to 4-foot range.

Brazilian and two-time ISA Para Surfing world champion Davi Teixeira, 18, is looking to defend his title.

Teixeira was born with a congenital birth defect called Amniotic Band Syndrome. He was 9 when someone on the beach offered to take him surfing and it was love at first ride, the person seeing his joy and giving him the surfboard.

“The ISA world adaptive surfing is an important event, not just for my career but for every surfer here,” he said. “When I’m in the sea, I feel so comfortable.”

Huntington Beach local Rocky McKinnon, who runs an adaptive surfing program year-round in Huntington Beach, was one of the volunteers helping athletes – hoisting those needing to transfer from wheelchairs to surfboards, catching riders in the water and helping if the surfers turned over on their board and went underwater.

The event is what Hawaiian surf legend Duke Kahanamoku meant about sharing surfing with the world, he said.

“These are people who have special needs, yet they have the desire to get into the ocean. And we have the opportunity in Huntington Beach and Surf City to showcase their talent, even though they may have issues with getting out in the water or riding waves,” he said.

The event is “absolutely inspiring,” he said. “I get choked up. It’s such an amazing thing to see, the draw of the ocean for everybody.”

With all the surfers from around the world who have come to compete, McKinnon called on fellow surfers or anyone who could help on the sand to come out to volunteer, with more support needed through Saturday.

There’s shifts open in the morning and afternoons, even just for a hours would help, he said. Some people have motor-skill issues that, without assistance, can’t swim.

“Everybody should be down here helping out and lending our expertise and showing them the true meaning of aloha here in Huntington Beach,” McKinnon said. “Lend your support, lend your help and your expertise – we need it. We need people here to add that extra layer of safety. I would really love to see more of my surfing brothers and sisters out down here helping out.”

Team USA surfer Jacob Pacheco, from Long Beach, is competing in his first ISA world championships. It has always been his dream to be an elite athlete, never knowing that taking up surfing 10 years ago would lead him to the world championships.

Born with cerebral palsy, getting to the beach to surf is no easy task. Every step he takes feels like he’s walking in wet sand, he said.

“At the end of the day, I’ve conquered a lot more than this in my life,” he said of the contest. “This is playing. This is surfing.”

It’s the volunteers and friends who help make it possible, he said, the ones who show up, help bring boards down the sand and help the athletes in and out of the water, ensuring they are safe.

“It is the heart of the volunteer that makes what we do possible,” Pacheco said. “To me, this is a validation for the hard work and commitment to make something you want happen.”

Hagger, who started surfing in England as an “able-bodied” teen, said many people don’t realize the challenges people with disabilities go through on a daily basis. They were little things he never thought of – walking up a set of steps, where to park, what’s going to be accessible for his wheelchair.

He was impressed by the temporary mats set out by sponsor Access Trax, a set up that allows athletes to get close to the water without having to trek through sand.

“You just want to get down, smell the salt down on the edge of the ocean. When that’s taken away from you or you’ve never had to worry about that, it’s quite hard to comprehend those little things,” he said. “I was able bodied, so I never thought about it … it’s exhausting to think about all the extra stuff you never had to. But those are your cards, you get on with it. That’s life.”

Being on the sand at the event, with people from around the world from all different backgrounds and abilities, was a breath of fresh, salty air.

“I think you look at everybody, whether you are in a chair, whether you have limbs missing, whether you are blind – that’s your package and no one looks at you differently. We are one the same,” he said. “That’s what I love about it, the uniqueness of everybody just being themselves, and no one is staring or looking at each other.”

Having the Access Trax portable walkways was an important logistical component to get down to the water, something he hopes to see at more beaches around the world.

Kelly Twichel, co-founder of the event sponsor Access Trax, said the product is currently in 17 countries and many in National Parks, to allow all people to access nature.

Access Trax is different from the permanent walkways already in Huntington Beach, with the ability for any user to store and transport the pathways wherever they go.

Twitchel, from San Diego, created the product as a school project and took it to market a few years ago.

“I was inspired by the stories of adaptive surfers, we wanted to try and solve this problem to help surfers who use wheelchairs or have other mobility, to cross the sand with independence and dignity,” she said.  “It’s about helping these athletes feel like they are getting the tools they need to know they are being the best they can be in the sport.”

The City Council on Tuesday night in closed session unanimously approved making Huntington Beach Police Chief Eric Parra the interim city manager. Zelinka, in a news release, said he was retiring from public service to have more time to care for his elderly mother.

“My decision to retire is based upon considerations culminating with a significant and challenging personal issue: caregiving of my elderly mother,” Zelinka said in a statement. “This is requiring more time, attention and work schedule flexibility than possible while concurrently rendering professional services to the city of Huntington Beach.”

Parra will remain the police chief as he takes on his new duties as city manager. The city manager oversees more than 1,500 employees and a $500 million budget.

Mayor Tony Strickland thanked Zelinka in a statement. Strickland also said he was thrilled Parra is willing to become the interim city manager.

“I trust he will do a great job for this city that he also calls home,” Strickland said. “The residents of Huntington Beach will greatly benefit from his direction and contributions in this new role.”

Parra has been the police chief for the last two years and has worked in law enforcement for more than three decades. He has a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Cal State Long Beach and a law degree from Western State University College of Law.

Zelinka was not in attendance at Tuesday’s council meeting. His last day on the job will be Wednesday, Nov. 8.

Several city department heads have left their jobs this year, including the public works director and community and library services director.

Zelinka took the top job in June 2022 after previously serving as Riverside’s city manager and earned $320,000 a year. Zelinka had a background in urban planning. He previously worked in Fullerton as its community development director and before that worked for a consulting firm.

Huntington Beach’s previous city manager, Oliver Chi, left in 2021 to take the same position in Irvine.

Flyers have been posted in the area and community messages sent out by the California Department Fish and Wildlife via social media to spread the word.

“Recently, we have reason to believe that potentially there are people feeding coyotes in the nearby neighborhood or even on the wetlands edge,” said Melissa Borde, environmental scientist and reserve manager for CDFW. “What we’re looking for is the community support to educate others about not feeding wildlife.”

Officials believe the animals are being fed because they are “habituating” to humans and starting to approach without fear.

“Naturally, coyotes are fearful of humans,” Borde said. “The wildlife conflict incidents are increasing, we noticed, from the urban environment.”

The 1,300-acre coastal estuary is an important open space and coastal wetland with an estimated 800 species living there, including coyotes – they play an important role in helping keep the rodent population under control.

Coyotes are “opportunistic feeders,” feeding on anything from rodents to fruit, garbage and pet food.

“Historically, we had found meats out in the areas and we immediately did outreach,” Borde said. In an area off Graham and Bolsa Chica streets, there was evidence of someone who had put leftover meat in the lot. In a neighborhood near the wetlands, someone left behind steak.

“The one thing that I want to highlight is that the coyotes can be unpredictable and in some cases cause human injury,” she said.

Many attacks are directly related to food sourcing or human feeding.

“We don’t want that, we want visitors to feel safe when they’re here. We also want to protect the wildlife. So prevention is key. Even though humans sometimes think they’re doing good for wildlife, they are actually causing more harm,” Borde said about trying to provide food for the animals. “They become habituated and it can be more dangerous for pets and humans.”

She also warns people to not leave pet food or water outside at home.

“If they’re able to access these things, or if we’re feeding them, it changes their natural behavior,” she said, adding that a “problematic coyote that has become habituated to humans cannot be trapped and released somewhere else because you’re not fixing the problem. You’re just moving it to another neighborhood.”

In some cases, a coyote may have to be killed if it becomes a safety risk to humans.

It is illegal to feed the wildlife, and is considered harassment of animals, Borde said.

“You’re basically altering or disrupting their natural behavior. Naturally, they should be out hunting, foraging – they are part of our ecosystem they need to be eating natural rodents, whatever it be, not human food, not pet food,” she said. “And then it can also cause them to eventually be a human safety risk.”

Last week, there was a human interaction where the coyote wasn’t aggressive, but it wasn’t fearful, either, Borde said.

“That is a sign that they are being fed and it’s near the urban area. It’s right near the neighborhood at the edge of the property where we’re seeing them on the east side of the ecological reserve,” she said.

A month ago, there were seven reports in three days about coyotes approaching humans.

The coyotes recently encountering humans are standing nearby, within 5-to-10 feet, just staring at the people, likely waiting for food, according to reports.

“Hazing is absolutely critical in that situation,” Borde said. “You want to make yourself big, make sounds, clap your hands. Whatever you need to do for human safety that makes that coyote very uncomfortable.”

It’s also important, Borde added, to report encounters so officials can track interactions or acts of aggression.

The small whale – identified by staff at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center as a male pygmy sperm whale – was discovered near Tower 22 around 3:45 p.m. Sunday after beachgoers alerted Huntington Beach City Lifeguards about the whale, which was still alive and struggling to swim.

“Lifeguards confirmed the whale was in the surf and that it had bite marks on it,” said Jennifer Carey, spokesperson for the city. “Afterwards, they asked people on the beach if they saw anything, and they said they saw a shark and thrashing, and then the whale washed ashore.”

Carey said there were no injuries to people.

The shoreline and ocean on either side of Tower 22 will remain closed for one mile in each direction, per city policy, Carey said. The closure, which began on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. will remain in place until Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Carey said the whale was picked up from the beach by a rescue team from the Pacific Marine Mammal Center around 7 p.m. 

The center’s veterinarian, Dr. Alissa Deming, said the whale was euthanized because it was too sick and wouldn’t have survived transport.

When the rescue team showed up, a large group of people had formed a circle around the whale, but Huntington Beach City Lifeguards were good at keeping people safe and from pushing the animal back into the water, Deming said. Struggling whales and dolphins have less chance of survival if they are pushed into the water when they already have difficulty breathing.

“It did have a shark bite, which is very common,” Deming said. “Scrapes and scratches are essentially a dinner bell for a shark.”

The rescue team first sedated the whale, which Deming said was clearly struggling and ill.

“We always go to the beach with the intention of rescuing the animal,” she said, adding that, in this case, the whale was going in and out of cardiac arrest during the evaluation process. “It was suffering and never going to survive a transport. This was an unfortunate outcome, but the best possible one for this animal.”

Deming said this whale species is known to be elusive and is not often seen in near-shore waters or even by boaters. They are also known to be among the deepest-diving cetaceans in North America.

On Monday, Deming and her team began work on a necropsy to see why the whale was so sick. Initial findings suggest it suffered from sepsis — an infection of the blood. Samples will be sent to a lab for further studies, which is a focus of the Laguna Beach rescue center.

“It’s very exciting to sample this animal,” Deming said, setting aside her veterinarian role and putting on her researcher’s cap. “It’s like sampling the depths of the ocean. It gives us an opportunity to learn about something we wouldn’t normally know about.”

PMMC has been called to Orange County beaches to rescue a pygmy sperm whale three times since Deming has headed up the rescue and research work. In 2019, one was also found beached in Surfside; in 2021, one was found on the sand in San Clemente, and earlier this year, another one was found on Bolsa Chica State Beach.

In 2019, another pygmy sperm whale washed up on Zuma Beach. It was also euthanized after it was determined it was too weak to survive in the ocean.

Justin Viezbicke, stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said seeing this species near shore is “very uncommon.”

“They do inhabit areas offshore and are rarely seen,” he said, “except when they occasionally strand.”

Just as PMMC was wrapping up work on the whale, Deming was called out for a report of a struggling common dolphin off Newport Beach. As she headed out, she was optimistic, calling the dolphin species, the “pitbull of dolphins.”

Nearly 200 adaptive surfers from 30 countries joined the Parade of Nations down Main Street on Sunday, Nov. 5, for the International Surfing Association’s World Para Surfing Championship, an Olympic-style event being held for the first time in Surf City.

The competition runs through Nov. 11, with the surf action starting at 7 a.m. Monday, Nov. 6, on the south side of the pier.

“If you look at these athletes, some of them blind or who have lost several limbs, competing at a world-class level in a world-class competition, it’s something to behold in person here in Huntington Beach,” said Kelly Miller, CEO of Visit Huntington Beach.

The event is not only a historic moment for the city’s rich surf history, but also marks a record number of participants, Miller said.

The 2023 World Para Surfing Championship is the eighth major ISA event held in Surf City, with the city hosting four ISA World Surfing Games –1984, 1996, 2006 and 2022 – as well as the ISA World Juniors in 2005, 2018 and 2019.

The Parade of Nations drew spectators and supporters who cheered on the athletes, and there was a sand ceremony at Pier Plaza where athletes poured sand they brought from their home countries into one large clear jar, signifying unity through surfing.

Team USA boasts several Southern California surfers, including Jacob Pacheco, who lives in Long Beach but calls Huntington Beach his home break.

Life Rolls On founder Jesse Billauer, from Pacific Palisades, will be going for another world championship. Billauer, a pro surfer who was paralyzed during a surf accident as a teenager, was inducted into the Surfing Walk of Fame last summer just across from the pier in front of Jack’s Surfboards. 

San Diego has several adaptive athletes in the event, including past world champions Liv Stone, Jose Martinez and Sarah Bettencourt.

Huntington Beach has expressed interest in hosting the surfing portion of the LA2028 Olympic Games when it comes to the region, and competitions like this showcase how the beach town can hold large-scale events with plenty of nearby hotels, sand space for a festival-like arena and accessibility, Miller said.

Surfing has yet to be added to the Paralympics, but athletes and the ISA hope the sport will be added for the games in LA, though it still needs approval by the International Paralympic Committee. And if it does get the green light, Miller said Huntington is hoping to host that surfing event as well.

Huntington Beach in recent years has made an increased effort to add Mobi-Mats, strips of blue mesh material that lay across the sand as beach paths, near the pier so people in wheelchairs or who need a more solid surface can get closer to the water’s edge.

A temporary mat by sponsor Access Trax, based in San Diego, will be set out for this event, but there’s plans to make it a permanent fixture, Miller said.

“We’ve been really focused on accessibility,” Miller said. “We are doing everything we can to inspire residents and visitors who may have physical challenges to come to our beaches, which are becoming more and more accessible for all populations. That’s a big deal for us.”

For more info about the World Para Surfing Championship, go to: isasurf.org/learning/para-surfing.

A state Superior Court judge ruled Friday, Nov. 3, that the lawsuit file by the state Attorney General’s Office and California Department of Housing and Community Development must wait. The ruling is a win for city officials who hope to fight off state housing mandates to keep the “suburban character of the city.”

The state earlier this year sued Huntington Beach for refusing to adopt a housing element in compliance with state law. The city fired back by filing a lawsuit in federal court that argued because it is a charter city it’s not subject to state housing laws.

City Attorney Michael Gates called the judge’s decision “a huge loss” for the state and said the decision can’t be appealed.

“The state is stuck and can’t take any further action against the city for failure to adopt a housing element,” Gates said.

A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s Office said, “We are disappointed by the court’s ruling and considering all options to obtain the swift relief that state law requires.”

For decades, on a regular cycle, the state has required local communities plan for allocated amounts of housing at a variety of price points, including some amount of affordable, to meet needs of the future. More recently the legislature has given the process more teeth.

The state wants Huntington Beach to adopt zoning that would allow developers to build 13,368 new housing units over the next eight years. Huntington Beach officials have argued the city’s allocation is a disproportionate burden compared to other jurisdictions, such as Marin County.

The state filed a motion on June 22 to dismiss the city’s federal lawsuit, but a judge hasn’t ruled on it yet.

“I don’t see how the court is summarily going to be able to dismiss it,” Gates said. “We await the ruling, but I think the motion to dismiss is not going to be granted, at least not in whole.”

The state filed a motion on Oct. 30 asking the court to make a decision on whether the lawsuit would be dismissed or not. The state argued the court had 120 days to rule on the motion to dismiss.

Huntington Beach refused to join in on the request with the state for the judge to make a decision. State officials and attorneys for Huntington Beach differed in opinion on when the 120-day clock started for the judge to make a decision.

Deputy Attorney General Matthew Struhar said both sides needed to make the joint request, and state officials ended up filing without getting signatures from Huntington Beach attorneys.

The state also took issue with the city’s request to depose Gov. Gavin Newsom and other top state officials at City Hall.

The new group, Protect Huntington Beach, was surrounded at a news conference outside of City Hall Wednesday afternoon by about 100 residents chanting “Vote no” as its members presented a laundry list of issues they have with the proposed charter amendments.

The amendments were placed on the March primary ballot this month by the City Council majority.

“This is an expensive, wasteful solution in search of a problem, and needs to be voted down,” said former Mayor Connie Boardman.

There are three charter amendments voters will consider in March – one concerning election laws, another requiring a unanimous City Council vote for the city to display commemorative flags on government property, and a third with administrative updates including moving Huntington Beach to a two-year budget cycle and changing how the council cancels its meetings.

Boardman said there isn’t a problem with voter fraud in Huntington Beach and argued the flag charter amendment was rooted in intolerance for the LGBTQ+ community.

“This is about flying the Pride Flag at City Hall in June and making it as hard as possible for any future council to do that,” Boardman said. A large pride flag was draped outside of City Hall during the press conference.

Mayor Tony Strickland, who is pushing for the amendments, said Wednesday that he is confident voters will approve the measures in March. He said they are on the March ballot so they can get the attention they deserve, and not be buried with statewide initiatives on a general election ballot.

Strickland said the election changes would give people more faith in elections. “People have to have trust and faith in our election system, otherwise our democracy doesn’t work.”

As for flags, Strickland said any flag the city flies “needs to represent 100% of the population,” adding that the flags that would be allowed including military flags and American and the state flag.

Boardman also took issue with the potential for a mayor gaining the power to cancel meetings. She said the current mechanism for canceling meetings is working.

Other former mayors in attendance included Barbara Delgleize, Jill Hardy, Linda Moulton-Patterson, Shirley Dettloff and Victor Leipzig. The former mayors criticized the cost of placing the charter amendments on the ballot.

An October staff report said the election will cost around $400,000. Boardman said it speaks to the popularity of the measures to be placed on the March primary ballot, instead of the November 2024 general election, where voter turnout is likely to be lower.

Pat Goodman, a member of the group, said they started getting together around January to analyze the City Council’s agenda. The political group, Goodman said, has no desire right now to continue organizing beyond the March election, “but as being spontaneous residents dedicated to good governance, who knows?”

Or so it seems. Often, the reserved spots end up empty, with no-shows leaving the coveted sites unused. But starting next year, a slew of changes by State Parks could make nabbing a campsite easier.

Changes recently signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom will add heftier penalties for people who book campsites in advance, but don’t bother to cancel them, as well as penalties for people who don’t cancel well in advance to allow others to stay and play.

“There’s a bunch of dynamic changes, making it easier and more accessible,” said State Parks Superintendent Kevin Pearsall.

Since the pandemic, getting outdoors and camping have become even more popular pastimes throughout the state. A campsite and park in Humboldt County that was typically getting 100,000 visitors a year, for example, now gets 600,000 people visiting, he said.

With 279 state parks, the department offers an estimated 15,000 camping sites and lodgings available across the state.

The biggest frustration is when people book a spot and don’t bother to cancel if they can’t make it.

“You have people who make double and triple reservations to invite friends, then they don’t come and they don’t cancel and we’re stuck,” Pearsall said. “A lot of parks, that’s affecting their overall gross sales receipts.”

Although the bill goes into effect on Jan. 1, the changes will be implemented when a new reservation system contract goes into place at the end of summer.

A reservation holder who cancels a reservation within two to six days before the reservation start date will have to forfeit the cost of the reservation for the first night, plus any reservation fees.

Currently, campers can cancel their reservation up to 5 p.m. the night before their reservation and only incur a processing fee penalty of $7.99. Under the new rules, a reservation holder can cancel seven days or more and only incur the cost of the processing fee.

Within 24 hours of the first night or for no shows, the entire cost of a reservation and fees will be forfeited. Currently for no-shows, State Parks holds the campsite for one night and then allows it to be reserved and available for a walk-up. A no-show loses the first night fee only, plus reservation and cancellation fees.

The parks department may restrict a person from reserving a site for more than seven consecutive nights during peak season if the person has occupied the same campsite proposed for reservation for more than 30 days in a calendar year, or if they fail to show up for at least three reservations made online in one calendar year.

The new rules also require the department to, by Jan. 1, 2025, create a reservation drawing for canceled spots at five of the most popular locations in the state park system, with a report on how it goes by 2028.

The state is also looking to crack down on third-party vendors that use software to gobble up campsites and resell them at a higher price.

“We’re keeping on top of it, but part of the new reservation system is to key in on that quicker,” Pearsall said.

California’s reservation system, ReserveCalifornia, underwent an overhaul in 2018 — a change that was meant to make reservations easier, but has prompted an increase in campers complaining it’s actually harder to nab a spot.

Instead of an entire month of reservation spots opening up on the first of each month six months in advance, it’s now a rolling system for each date. For example, a spot for June 20 would have to be reserved on Jan. 20. If you want a reservation for Christmas Day, you have to jump online on June 25 for a chance to get it. This part of the reservation system isn’t expected to change next year.

At Doheny State Beach in Dana Point on a recent day, campers expressed frustration about the reservation system.

Mike and Bev Helders were on a road trip from Canada, first stopping at Carlsbad in San Diego further south. When they arrived, a sign said the campsite was full.

“When we got there, it was half empty,” Mike Helders said. “It’s weird.”

They had to go online to see if any last-minute cancellations popped up, and luckily grabbed a spot for the night.

“We came back and got a site, but our whole section was empty,” Bev Helders said.

Katie Harper, from Las Vegas, has an elaborate tactic to get a spot at the beachfront campgrounds, considered one of the most popular in the state. She hops on six months in advance, enlisting family members to do the same, to get one of the sites right on the sand.

For 10 years, she and family have made the trek during “Nevada Day,” a state holiday where kids get off school, a perfect time because it’s not too hot, she said.

“We have friends trying to get in this week,” she said. “They couldn’t get a spot, but then it’s empty.”