Los Angeles Graphica 05: “Locals Only” Surfer Graf, Topanga Beach Bench

There’s not much graf or street art in the beach hoods of SoCal. But this combo of surfer messages on a concrete bench at Topanga Canyon Beach, near Malibu, caught our eye. The “locals only” scratched into the bench is a warning from local surfers that outsiders are not welcome at this surf spot. Then there’s the “818” illustrated scrawl, written in what looks like blue Sharpie. The number 818 is the area code of The Valley, the nearby suburban sprawl of LA, from where every summer weekend millions of people descend on the beaches of Malibu, Zuma and Topanga, (as opposed to the beaches of South Bay, where most city-dwelling Angelenos go). If you’re a surfer from 818, local surfers hate you. Food fight, anyone?

Tyhoon Photo