Lease for San Onofre Beach Is About to Expire, And the Rent Is Going Way Up

The lease on the iconic San Onofre State Park is about to expire, and its owners could be raising the rent by millions of dollars. 

San Onofre is part of Camp Pendleton, which is a military base owned by the U.S. Marine Corps, a component of the U.S. Navy. For the past 53 years the military has leased part of San Onofre to the California Department of Parks and Recreation for $1. 

That’s 6.5 miles of coast, plus some inland areas for campgrounds and trails, for just $1. 

The unprecedented agreement has allowed public access to the San Onofre State Park for the past five decades, but it’s set to expire this summer.  

Now, the state parks department, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy are in the middle of negotiations to renew the lease. 

If the parties reach an agreement by the lease’s expiration date on Aug. 31, the rent is expected to go up by millions of dollars per year. And if a new agreement fails, San Onofre will be operated and maintained by Camp Pendleton.  

None of the parties involved in the negotiations would disclose what price the military is asking for, but Steve Long, founder of the San Onofre Parks Foundation, an organization familiar with the negotiations, said the asking price is upwards of $5 million per year. 

The San Onofre Parks Foundation is a nonprofit that educates the public about the park and advocates for the park’s preservation.  

The organization has been acting as a sort of liaison between the different parties. Its leaders started a lease renewal taskforce almost eight years ago and have been gently lobbying all the parties on behalf of the community, encouraging them to reach an agreement that will ensure continued public access to the park. 

Though the deadline is quickly approaching, there haven’t been any significant updates on how those negotiations are coming along.  

Long said surfers in the community and frequent visitors of the park are eager for an update, wondering if access to their beloved beaches could change or be taken away.  

First Lt. Taylor M. Dorsey, a communications representative for Camp Pendleton, told Voice of San Diego via email that Camp Pendleton will keep the park open to the public whether they reach an agreement or not. 

“If a succeeding agreement cannot be established before Aug. 31, the maintenance and operation of the San Onofre Beach State Park will fall under the authority of Camp Pendleton,” Dorsey said. “Camp Pendleton is dedicated to minimizing any impact to the public and will ensure that patrons retain uninterrupted access to the park regardless of lease renewal agreements.” 

San Onofre State Park is most known for its world-renowned surf spot called San Onofre Surf Beach, as well as the famous Trestles Beach, two campgrounds and a network of trails. Every year, more than two million people visit the park and its beaches. 

So, how did the state parks department pull off a $1 lease agreement for such a coveted piece of land? And why can’t that happen again? 

Let’s rewind: The land that Camp Pendleton sits on dates back about 12,000 years and originally belonged to the native Acjachemen tribe. 

In the 1940s, the U.S. Marine Corps bought the land from private landowners for $4.7 million, and much of it became Camp Pendleton. The entire property is over 160 square miles and includes 16 miles of coastline. 

Word had already spread among surfers about the area’s optimal surfing conditions, so the Marine Corps allowed community members to start an exclusive members-only surf club. But it didn’t deter other surfers from flocking to the beach to experience it for themselves. 

In the late 1960s, President Richard Nixon visited the area while he was in San Clemente setting up his “Western White House,” a sprawling beachfront estate that he acquired in 1969 as a retreat from the White House. 

He decided that a portion of Camp Pendleton should be open and accessible to the public. It led to the creation of Nixon’s Legacy of Parks program, which turned federal land over to the states for historical, cultural and recreational purposes. San Onofre was the first park created through the program. 

It was Nixon that guided the lease agreement in 1971 between the California parks department and the military. For only $1, the state parks department would lease and operate the San Onofre State Park for the next 50 years. 

The lease was originally set to expire in 2021, but the three parties couldn’t reach a new agreement and jointly decided to extend the original agreement for three more years. 

That extension is up on Aug. 31, and a $1 lease is no longer an option. 

That’s because of a federal law that dates back to the 1970s requiring military land to be leased for an amount that is not less than the property’s fair market value. Only the Secretary of the Navy has the authority to deviate from that fair market price, the law states. A Navy policy enacted in 2013 also has similar requirements.  

Dorsey, Camp Pendleton’s communications representative, wouldn’t comment on the price being discussed in negotiations.  

The California Department of Parks and Recreation did not respond to a request for comment.