NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Surfers, bodyboarders, skimboarders and bodysurfers lined up for a chance to weigh in on the controversial rule that dictates when they can and can't ride Orange County's waves.
The Orange County Register says about 150 people gathered in Newport Beach Monday to discuss blackball, the rule that forces boards out of the water at certain stretches of the beach during peak hours.
The most talked-about area was Newport Beach's Wedge, where wave-riders flock when a summer south swell comes in. Current law requires all boards to leave the water from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. starting May 1 through Oct. 31.
Boarders want more access, but swimmers and bodysurfers say that would create chaos.
A Blackball Working Group committee will make recommendations to the Parks, Beaches and Recreation Commission.
