ENCINITAS, Calif. (KGTV) — With a panoramic view of the ocean above Swami's Beach, visitors are drawn to sit down for a while.
"The sun reflection off the ocean, some days it's just gorgeous," said Larry Day from Encinitas. However, with benches along the beach being removed, Day said that residents can no longer relax as they once did.
"They just deliberately came here one night, and took all the benches," Day said. "Everyone started talking, where'd the benches go?"
The City of Encinitas removed thirteen concrete memorial benches just before Thanksgiving, sparking discontent among locals.
"It was done overnight and it was done in a way that could've been more thoughtful," said John Afshari, another Encinitas resident.
The city, however, said they informed families with memorial plaques on the benches before removing them for maintenance and repairs. Seven benches were returned on Thursday, with an additional feature that residents argue is more than just an armrest.
"A lot of the homeless would sleep on the benches and basically camp out there," Day said. "I think that'll prevent the guys from laying on them and sleeping."
"The benches aren't the problem," Afshari said. "There wasn't the true person-centered holistic approach to it which is helping the person who is unhoused."
In response to residents' concerns, the city provided a statement to 10News saying "the arm rests were installed to match current preferred standards of city benches," similar to those along the Coastal Rail Trail and Leucadia Streetscape.
When asked about complaints of people sleeping on the benches, the city did not directly address the question but said they are collaborating with local agencies to provide resources to the unhoused population.
