You just brought back to mind my experiences when I lived, several places in and around the San Francisco Bay Area. I can remember that big beach area west of that grand park and the city. It was always sparsely populated, yet right amongst one of the largest most dense population centers in the country. All of the beaches were sparsely populated. I'm sure that windy weather plays a part. But, on the north end of that beach toward the Golden Gate bridge, where many nudes would congregate, there would be a bubble of people, some clothed, some not.
Down the coast, the very small beach and dangerous to climb down to "Devil's slide" would be packed with nudes. San Gregorio (I think that was the name) would have a population of male guys, most were obviously gay. Not very many people, but more than any place else. It was a tad remote. Even Stintson Beach, north, wasn't a particularly busy place. The obvious was that nudes, not swimsuits get much more use of the beaches all over that coast. On colder days, and not so cold, There were many people bundled up in clothes to keep warm. They may have been nudes staying warm for all I know.
This is was a different situation than southern California's crowded beaches. However, Black's beach gets much more use than the adjacent swimsuit beach. Real-estate dealers have a large impact on beach use. A nude beach might limit sales, impact value and property tax revenue...might not, I dunno.
Nudewalker wrote,"I think there is a real fear among the powers that be, religious leaders and zealots that nudity would ruin their power and control." An issue and concern is that politicians and organized religion leaders might use the nude population to get notoriety and increase of power. I think that these people that you mention do get power from an ill-conceived fantasy of a social norm, which they are supposed to be the protectors. The reality of existing and changing social trends make it look like instability, but this is actually just the stripping away of that fantasy. We are diverse, non-uniform when one looks past the superficial trappings, it ain't Disneyland, or Polly Anna's (Hailey Mills) Victorian town.
Jbee