Social Media Feud Erupts Over New California Beach Fence: 'They’re Rude'

A feud erupted on social media regarding a beach fence that was recently built along the northern shore of Lake Tahoe. According to SF Gate, the steel fence featuring a sign that reads, "Residents Only," stands 3 feet tall and requires a code to get in. The new addition completely blocks public access to Kings Beach State Recreation Area through Whitecaps Pizza and other nearby restaurants.

Locals took to social media after the fence was built to express their distaste for the project. One resident mentioned that they have lived in the area for 25 years and have never seen anything like it.

“I’ve been coming here for 25 years and this is a first. No way restricting beach access in the Bay Area would fly due to public pressure. Honestly, I’m astonished the county allowed this.”

Bryant LaFerriere, lifetime Lake Tahoe resident and owner of Whitecaps Pizza (the property where the fence was built), favors the fence. He told SF Gate that beachgoers have been making his life "miserable" for years by continued "rude" use of his facilities.

“They try to sneak into my lot and go down to the beach for the whole day, leaving no parking for the businesses. One day I had people lined up eight deep in my bathroom in the restaurant, and not one of them was a customer. They’re in there with no shoes, no shirts. They’re rude to my staff. They change their clothes in my bathroom, they wash the sand down my drains.”

Until the fence was built, only 5% of people walking through LaFerriere's restaurant were actually there to dine. The restaurant owner mentioned that beachgoers can pay to park in the public lot located just a few feet down the road from the restaurant. There, they can find public access to the beach without entering through Whitecaps Pizza or other local retailers' lots.