San Onofre SB Lease
Update: Aug. 30, 2024
California State Parks, California’s Department of General Services, the U.S. Department of the Navy and the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton have announced a new 25-year lease agreement for San Onofre State Beach and San Mateo Campground. The popular beach in San Diego County is renowned for its world-class surf breaks and diverse outdoor recreation opportunities, attracting nearly 2.5 million visitors each year. Today’s agreement, which marks the culmination of years of complex negotiations between California and its federal partners, ensures visitors will continue to enjoy uninterrupted access to the beach while preserving its natural resources and recreational opportunities for current and future generations.
California State Parks has operated San Onofre State Beach since 1971, under an agreement with the Department of the Navy for use of a portion of United States Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. That agreement was set to expire Aug. 31, 2024.
This timely resolution aligns with California’s Outdoors for All initiative, championed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2021. Outdoors for All is a movement that is creating new parks, protecting existing parks, and expanding access to the outdoors for all Californians, especially for underserved communities. Spending time outdoors directly benefits mental, physical, and social health. Outdoor spaces are foundational to civic life, acting as living classrooms and community hubs. Parks and outdoors spaces also help communities adapt to climate change.
“We are proud of our 50-plus-year history of preserving and protecting this iconic beach, and this new agreement will allow us to continue enhancing its beauty and accessibility for decades to come,” said California State Parks Director Armando Quintero. “I am profoundly grateful to our federal partners for their invaluable support and collaboration so millions of visitors can continue to enjoy San Onofre State Beach and all it has to offer.”
For more information, view the press release.
