February 20, 2007
Officials call for sand replenishment project to save eroding beaches
Several San Diego County beaches are losing sand. The natural replenishing processes have been blocked by development. Local officials want state and federal help to fix the problem. KPBS Environmental Reporter Ed Joyce tells us the sand is vital for tourism and the survival of the beaches.

February 18, 2007
Infusion of sand worries surfers
Local surfers are fighting Imperial Beach's sand replenishment project, saying the replacement sand may contain contaminants and affect a legendary surf spot known as the Tijuana Sloughs.

February 9, 2007
Stalemate on sand
A fight over the best way to protect the marine environment has pitted beach and bluff protection in Solana Beach and Encinitas against the survival of offshore nursery grounds for marine life. The argument is over how much sand can be dumped on beaches to widen them to reduce bluff erosion without smothering offshore marine habitats.

February 4, 2007
Beach grooming stirs ecological controversy
Last week, about 40 beach managers and coastal scientists from throughout Southern California met at Pepperdine University in Malibu to discuss a touchy subject: Can beach maintenance be done in a way that accommodates people and wildlife?

February 2, 2007
SANDAG explores options to boost funding
BORREGO SPRINGS ---- A new poll suggests that a small increase in the sales tax, new car taxes and fees on retail development represent the best bets to boost funding for San Diego County's overtaxed transportation system and popular but underfunded environmental programs.

January 27, 2007
Mystery of vanishing sand may be solved
Officials think they have halted erosion of Ocean Beach.

January 25, 2007
Ocean bluffs fail as Army Corps fiddles
SOLANA BEACH – A recent bluff collapse has prompted frustrated city officials to tell the Army Corps of Engineers to get its act together and finish a bluff-and beach-protection study that was due four years ago.

Swell of nostalgia due at surfboard auction
Allan Seymour is a different breed of treasure hunter. Instead of going after buried gold, he ferrets out caches of surfing memorabilia. Think: Big Kahuna does the “Antiques Roadshow.”

Lagoon yields treasure
CARSLBAD – About every two years, the owners of the Encina Power Station dredge Agua Hedionda Lagoon of sand and pump it onto the beach near Tamarack Avenue. The program, which has permits from the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the city and other authorities, keeps the lagoon open and helps to replenish the sand on the beach.

January 23, 2007
Restoration of $2 million in state beach funds sought
Coastal protection advocates and Ventura city leaders are trying to rally political support to restore more than $2 million in state funding for replenishing sandy beaches and studying shoreline erosion.

January 11, 2007
City intends to enforce ordinance on beachfront barriers
DEL MAR – Sooner or later, the illegal riprap will have to go, or else beachfront homeowners will need the city's blessing to leave the stuff in place.

November 28, 2006
Carlsbad moves forward with sand project
CARLSBAD -- By early spring, Carlsbad could have all the state and federal permits needed to take unwanted sand produced by area construction projects and put it on the city's beachfront.

November 17, 2006
Coastal Commission approves bike path plan
The California Coastal Commission has unanimously supported a project to relocate a crumbling bike path from Ventura's coastline and rebuild the shore with cobble and sand.

November 16, 2006
Hotel proposals are submitted for prime beach spot
IMPERIAL BEACH – The city is reviewing four proposals for a boutique or condo hotel on the beach that would replace a rundown apartment complex on Seacoast Drive.

Surfrider to challenge Beacon's Beach study
ENCINITAS -- An environmental impact report examining the planned Beacon's Beach Access Project is vague and incomplete in its assessment of possible harm to the beach, an attorney representing the San Diego chapter of the Surfrider Foundation said Wednesday.

November 10, 2006
Smoking ban moves ahead in Oceanside
OCEANSIDE – A proposed ban on smoking in public parks, on the beaches and the municipal fishing pier has the blessing of the city Parks and Recreation Commission.

October 6, 2006
Regional panel: Time to shore up beaches again
SAN DIEGO ---- Five years have come and gone since a regional planning agency sponsored a $17 million makeover of San Diego County's scrawny shoreline ---- and so has much of the ripply beach body that officials artificially created.

October 4, 2006
South Cardiff State Beach renovation begins; $2.1M job scheduled for completion in February
ENCINITAS -- A $2.1 million repair of the rusted and wave-beaten facilities at South Cardiff State Beach is under way and scheduled for completion by Valentine's Day, a state parks official said Tuesday.

September 27, 2006
Delay of Surfers Point work criticized
Lack of action by Fair Board angers proponents of beach's trail repairs.

September 23, 2006
2 approaches eyed to shore up Fletcher Cove
SOLANA BEACH – What nature takes away, humans can always try to snatch back with high-tech devices. That appears to be the scenario at Fletcher Cove, where the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying how to keep sand on the beach by beating back marauding waves.

September 16, 2006
Offramp ahead for paradise?
Trestles, the longtime surfers' haven, has seen its share of skirmishes. But the battle over a toll road route is bringing out the big kahunas.

September 10, 2006
Shoring up Fletcher Cove
The Army Corps of Engineers is examining high-tech ways to fight beach erosion, including building an artificial reef.

September 3, 2006
Trashing the beach a growing problem
Visitors to California's coastline are leaving behind more than temporary footprints in the sand. They're dumping a record amount of garbage and other debris.

August 20, 2006
Carlsbad beaches on state's watch
The two public beaches hemming Carlsbad are state beaches. The California state parks department provides lifeguards for the shores under its management, including Carlsbad State Beach and South Carlsbad State Beach. That's a sweet deal for Carlsbad, one of North County's wealthiest cities and the only one that pays nothing for the guards along its shores.

July 16, 2006
Report: North County beaches are shrinking
ENCINITAS ---- A report presented to a regional shoreline panel earlier this month has concluded that area beaches are shrinking and nearly as narrow as they were before a $17.5 million project widened them in 2001.

July 12, 2006
O.C. employers, unions back toll road extension through park
A coalition of Orange County's major employers, businesses and labor groups took legal action Tuesday to support the extension of a toll road through San Onofre State Beach.

July 2, 2006
Carlsbad beaches generate $26 million in summer business
CARLSBAD ---- The typical visitor at Carlsbad's beaches spends $66 whiling away a day in the sand and surf, according to a new study commissioned by city officials.

May 23, 2006
More bad tidings; polluted sand
Polluted water isn't the only health threat for Southern California beachgoers: The sand at some of the region's most popular beaches can be laced with bacteria even when the water is clean.

May 18, 2006
Carlsbad to seek more beach sand
CARLSBAD ---- It will require more than a dozen permits and months of work, but Carlsbad has decided to pursue a program to add extra sand to the beach.

May 13, 2006
Solana Beach voters to decide proposed room tax hike
SOLANA BEACH ---- The present 10 percent tax provides revenue for the city's general fund, which pays for such expenses as law enforcement, fire protection and street maintenance. The additional 3 percent would be earmarked for sand replenishment and other coastal-related projects in the city, according to the city attorney's written analysis.

May 11, 2006
Coastal panel approves hotel-condo at lagoon
Excavated sand will help on beach
COSTA MESA – The state Coastal Commission gave a green light yesterday for construction of a combination hotel-condominium project in Encinitas that would overlook the Pacific Ocean at the mouth of Batiquitos Lagoon.

February 27, 2006
A farewell wave to beach life
Tenants at El Morro Village trailer park, north of Laguna Beach, are leaving so the public can finally gain access.

February 19, 2006
Encinitas considers improving beach counts
ENCINITAS ---- A San Francisco economist is recommending that the city upgrade its "people counters," the hidden devices that track visits to Encinitas beaches.

February 13, 2006
Bluff collapses in Encinitas
ENCINITAS ---- An 80-feet high sand bluff collapsed Sunday morning south of Swamis Beach, but no was injured, authorities said.

January 31, 2006
Homeowners will repair dunes
Five Newport Beach homeowners have agreed to pay to restore sand dunes flattened in front of their oceanfront homes last spring, plus a total of $225,000 in fines.

January 22, 2006
Public Beach? Not so fast
Money is the key to unlocking gates for all Californians, cities and counties say. State agency vows to find the funding.

January 10, 2006
Ruling halts granting of sea wall permits
SOLANA BEACH ---- A Superior Court judge has ruled that the city may not issue permits for sea walls until it revises a section of its municipal code.

January 8, 2006
Bluff policies bombarded in 2005
A soggy start to 2005 caused some sandstone cliffs in Encinitas and Solana Beach to collapse onto the beaches below. Most of the bluffs held their ground through year's end, however, especially those lined with concrete sea walls.

January 4, 2006
North Country beaches shrinking beneath big surf
NORTH COUNTY ---- Powerful waves have stripped the precious sand from many local beaches, but some coastal experts said Tuesday that most of it should return in the spring and summer. 

December 31, 2005
Wild surf eating up sand
IMPERIAL BEACH – The city's perennially sand-starved shores have lost even more sand because damaging waves have pounded San Diego County beaches in recent days. 

December 14, 2005
Coastal panel sued by Solana Beach condo association
SOLANA BEACH ---- The state Coastal Commission has no authority to charge a $248,000 "loss of recreational benefits fee" as a condition of approving a sea wall, members of Las Brisas Condominium Association and their consultants said Tuesday. 

October 18, 2005
COMMENTARY
Government delay imperils lives on coast
Last week, the Coastal Commission grudgingly approved the sea wall, but not before requiring the residents to pay $22,000 to the Commission for sand it claimed would have washed off the cliffs and onto the beach without the wall.
This is a bit like billing the residents of New Orleans for extra water. 

October 16, 2005
Study: Bluffs contribute most of the sand on local beaches
A new study unveiled last week that concluded that most of the sand on North County beaches comes from eroding sea cliffs is being assessed by environmentalists as a new weapon, and by bluff-top homeowners as nonsense. 

October 13, 2005
Erosion might create most sand
The gradual erosion of Southern California's majestic coastal bluffs contribute a far greater amount of beach sand than previously thought, according to a university study that may arm environmentalists with a weapon in fighting oceanfront development. 

Sifting county's shifting sands
UCSD scientists have completed two studies showing that cliff erosion produces far more sand for local beaches than previously estimated. 

Coastal Commission OKs sea wall but requires compensation
SAN DIEGO ---- The state's Coastal Commission ruled Wednesday that Solana Beach bluff-top homeowners must compensate the public for "lost recreational value" before they build a new sea wall on the public beach below.

October 4, 2005
Deconstructing a dam
LOS ANGELES - A recent vote to provide $2 million in state funds to develop final plans for tearing down the Matilija Dam moved this long-awaited ecological restoration program one step closer to reality. But the cost of recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita could cause even further delays in a decade-long fight to demolish a dam that has wreaked its own havoc on Ventura County's beaches and steelhead populations. 

OPINION-NORTH COUNTY TIMES
A line in the sand
Our view: North County must resist concrete solutions for its eroding shoreline.

September 30, 2005
Beach residents unhappy with debris
Some frustrated residents in Ventura's beach area are pressing city and state officials to remove what they consider a large and dangerous amount of debris littering the coastline. 

September 25, 2005
Blufftop homeowners like Army Corps's beach plan
The long-awaited U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report on the condition of the Encinitas beaches arrived seven years after the study was approved in Congress. It provides the blueprint for wide, sandy beaches in Encinitas. 

September 21, 2005
Surfers concerned over Corps of Engineers plan
ENCINITAS ---- Some surfers Tuesday demanded that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers study how a proposed bluff-protection program could alter beaches and spoil the formation of waves. 

August 27, 2005
Compromise reached on sea walls in Solana Beach
SOLANA BEACH – A decade of feuding over sea walls and the resulting beach erosion has come to an end – at least for now. 

August 20, 2005
North County beaches escape impact of saving bird habitat
CARLSBAD ---- North County beaches will escape most of the economic impact of protecting a tiny bird called the western snowy plover, according to a study released Friday by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

August 14, 2005
Drawing lines in the sand in battle over Broad Beach
An uneasy truce has descended on embattled Broad Beach in light of a decision Friday by the California Coastal Commission to order an end to the posting of no-trespassing signs and the use of security guards on all-terrain vehicles to chase visitors off dry sand. 

August 4, 2005
North County cities make progress in fight against coastal erosion
SAN DIEGO ---- Federal money could help pay the cost of protecting nearly three miles of fragile bluffs in Encinitas and Solana Beach, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. 

July 19, 2005
Clean Beaches Council's designation causing waves
Beyond the sand and surf, most of Broward's coastline also shares the distinction of being designated "Blue Wave" beaches. But critics dismiss the Blue Wave designation as a marketing gimmick because beaches have to pay to get it.

July 7, 2005
Beach berm lawsuit is filed
State coastal and land agencies are seeking fines from homeowners in a Malibu community for moving tons of sand onto private property.

June 23, 2005
State says leveling dunes is flat illegal
NEWPORT BEACH - Jack Crabbs was on his oceanfront porch smoking a cigarette when he looked over the sand dune in front of his home and saw something odd stirring up the beach. It was midnight, far too late for city workers to be on the job. He watched as tractors flattened the sand about three houses over from his.

June 11, 2005
Coastal Commission approves Fletcher Cove changes
SOLANA BEACH ---- California Coastal Commission members have approved a city plan to replace 60 of the 93 paved parking spaces at Fletcher Cove beach with an open park of grass and sand, officials said Friday. The commission's approval came despite a recommendation by its staff planners to deny the Solana Beach request because it will mean less permanent parking near the beach.


June 9, 2005
Battle over Broad Beach takes new turn, with earthmoving equipment
The turf battles over Malibu's oceanfront tend to be as predictable as the spring tides as property owners and beachgoers contest for control of the sand. This year, the tussle over what is public and what is private has taken a surprising turn with property owners bringing in heavy equipment to scoop up tons of public beach and pile it onto their property.

Retreat or Retrench?
Heavy rains and hurricanes may grab the headlines, but a more relentless force chews away at coastlines every day. Wherever beachfront real estate lies, from California to Delaware, communities are torn by competing forces: the relentless loss of shoreline and the relentless desire of some people to live on the scenic edge.


May 27, 2005
And now the coast is here
Coastal-access advocates set foot on the sand at Tinseltown titan David Geffen's sprawling beachfront estate, some for the first time, celebrating the opening of a
9-foot-wide public pathway to the ocean.


May 10, 2005
Carlsbad to consider beach study
CARLSBAD — It may not be possible to put a dollar value on an ocean wave or a sandy beach, but this summer Carlsbad may try to do just that.


May 5, 2005
Long Beach Council joins wave, voting to ban smoking on beaches
Long Beach has joined the growing number of Southern California communities determined to stem the tide of cigarette butts on the beach.


April 30, 2005
Local beaches may be shrinking, geologist says
Tourists and locals alike flock to Santa Cruz County to sun on the spacious beaches along the northern edge of the Monterey Bay.


April 27, 2005
Advisory panels may see changes
A panel that helped oversee the 2001 replenishment of sand on beaches from San Diego to Oceanside may be folded into a larger local government committee, a move opposed by one member who said he worries it could weaken its influence.


April 15, 2005
Mogul yields beach access to public
Ending a long-running dispute over coastal access, music producer David Geffen gave up the key to locked wooden gates next to his Malibu home, allowing the public to enter an exclusive stretch of beach walled off by multimillion-dollar homes.


March 5, 2005
North County's beaches are holding tight after recent storms
Billions of tiny grains of sand have stuck to the region's beaches this winter, despite wave after wave of incoming rainstorms.


March 4, 2005
Court denies Surfrider's Central Coast sea-wall lawsuit
A recent Superior Court ruling will allow a Central Coast sea wall – similar to walls protecting bluffs in Solana Beach – to stand despite objections from environmentalists.


March 1, 2005
Saving Laguna's bluff-top park
Efforts to preserve Laguna Beach's picturesque Heisler Park from coastal erosion remain on track, with city officials relieved that recent rains have not further imperiled the bluff top.


February 26, 2005
Carlsbad trying to get a handle on the economics of its shoreline
CARLSBAD — In an attempt to put a dollar value on the city's beaches, Carlsbad officials say they may send clipboard-carrying survey takers to their sandy shorelines this summer.


February 25, 2005
Coastal areas fight budget cuts
WASHINGTON — From the California coast to North Carolina's Outer Banks, the nation's beach communities are marshaling their forces to oppose President Bush's push to slash federal funding for sand replenishment projects.


January 28, 2005
Surfrider sues Solana Beach over seawall OK
SOLANA BEACH – The Surfrider Foundation is suing the city of Solana Beach for skirting the state's requirements for studying the environmental impacts of sea walls and other shoreline projects, a lawyer for the nonprofit group said Thursday.


January 10, 2005
Coast's fragile bluffs weakened by rainfall
NORTH COUNTY - Record-setting rainfall has weakened bluffs along North County's coast, but other than in Encinitas, where three failures have been reported since last Wednesday, they are holding up well, authorities said Monday.


January 4, 2005
State's campground plan may run afoul of a rare bird
A group of residents that winters at the El Morro Village mobile home park emerged Monday as the latest obstacle to the state's plan to turn the south Orange County park into a campground.


January 3, 2005
Project near Mussel Shoals will serve as test for theory
To combat beach erosion along northern Ventura County's coastline, local and federal agencies are proposing to build an underwater artificial reef offshore between Mussel Shoals and Seacliff.


December 22, 2004
Line drawn in Goleta Beach sand
GOLETA – Two sides in the fight against Goleta Beach erosion have drawn a line in the sand. On one side are those who favor artificial barriers to stave off the gnawing sea. The other side supports "managed retreat," in which structures, underground utilities and grass are moved or removed so the shoreline can recede as nature dictates.


December 11, 2004
City seeks money to block coastal erosion
DALY CITY — Daly City officials are grappling with how to raise money to stabilize coastal bluffs that are vulnerable to landslides and erosion from waves, rain and winds.


December 7, 2004
Seawall plan irks owners
Condominium owners at Ocean Harbor House face a showdown Thursday over a $5.3 million fee the state Coastal Commission is proposing to charge for construction of a seawall to protect the surfside complex in Monterey.


December 2, 2004
Coastal panel discusses how to pay for sand
SAN DIEGO — Members of a regional coastal panel agreed Thursday to lobby for a measure to pay for sand replenishment. The San Diego Association of Governments Shoreline Preservation Committee took no action, but asked staffer Rob Rundle to prepare a committee vote in February.

Public access sought for beach at nuclear plant
The California Coastal Commission wants three miles of coastline north of the Diablo Canyon nuclear plant opened to beachgoers.


November 30, 2004
Officials expect good news in coastal report
ENCINITAS — A report headed to a regional coastal panel later this week shows that man-made beaches benefit shore birds and some sea creatures, the city's coastal zone specialist said Monday.


November 23, 2004
Congress retains beach funding, rejecting Bush admin budget policy
With its passage of the massive fiscal year 2005 spending bill, Congress retained federal funding for hundreds of beach restoration projects that the Bush administration had proposed cutting because they were deemed too expensive and provided inadequate environmental or economic benefit.


November 20, 2004
Beaches bound to shrink in winter storms
NORTH COUNTY — Everybody worries about the weather, goes the old saw, but few people worry about it as much as the bluff-top residents of coastal North County.


November 16, 2004
Proponents mull next step after seawall plan fails
CAPITOLA — A group of 18 property owners is trying to decide its next step after a proposed 1,200-foot long, 25-foot tall seawall below Depot Hill was rejected by the City Council last week.


November 14, 2004
The shifting sands of Newport Beach to be piped to sea
Sometimes it pays to complain to City Hall. Just ask residents along Newport Beach's oceanfront.


November 12, 2004
Bush cuts studies of beaches
WASHINGTON — A long-awaited study investigating the cause of erosion along beaches in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties may have to be delayed because the Bush administration wants to eliminate federal funding used to replenish sandy beaches.


November 7, 2004
Planners reject Capitola seawall proposal
CAPITOLA — No seawall for Depot Hill. That was decision rendered by the city Planning Commission Thursday night after hearing more than 1½ -hours of public testimony and discussion. The decision is expected to be appealed.


November 2, 2004
Capitola seawall up for more discussion
CAPITOLA — About 110 miles of California’s 1,100-mile coast is covered by seawalls or riprap to keep homes, public paths and other cliffside structures from slipping into the ocean. Next week, the Capitola City Council is scheduled to discuss whether to expand that coverage. The Depot Hill Geological Hazard Abatement District wants to build a quarter-mile of 25-foot tall seawall along the base of a cliff below Grand Avenue, between Central and Livermore avenues. The wall’s cost is estimated at $2 million.


October 12, 2004
Advocates for seals to file suit over decision to dredge beach
SAN DIEGO — The activists, land-use planners and politicians have had their chance to settle the dilemma of seals versus humans at the Children's Pool in La Jolla. And now, the courts will have their turn.


October 4, 2004
Getting there is none of the fun
Is it possible to find a secret beach in a county that's home to 3 million people? In Orange County, a handful of people may be able to answer in the affirmative.


September 29, 2004
Dredging won't add to sand on beach
WEST NEWPORT — Sand to be dredged from the Santa Ana River won't be spread on the beach here as many residents feared, officials said Tuesday.


September 16, 2004
Officials take beach case to Congress
WASHINGTON – Officials from beach communities in five coastal states came to Capitol Hill on Thursday to plead for changes to administration beach policies that call for an end to funding periodic renourishment projects Oct. 1.


September 7, 2004
Ad deal rescues lifeguards' finances
Nissan's advertising team would probably have a hard time dreaming up a better visual image than its four-wheel-drive pickups cruising Surf City, driven by bronzed lifeguards.


September 6, 2004
Editorial: Drawing a line in the sand
Labor Day may signal the end of the summer beach season, but in Malibu the sand fight waged by wealthy residents for years against state officials and anyone who wants to wade into the crystalline water will continue for at least another few months. Still, for the first time in years, there's talk of a settlement that would offer real access to the public.


August 30, 2004
Sun, sand and sizzling O.C. land dispute
Resort designer Stephen Sutherland has a vision for 8 acres of waterfront land on the Balboa Peninsula: a 110-room luxury hotel where the well-heeled can stay for $400 a night on the edge of Newport Harbor. Many longtime Balboa residents see a different picture. They note that the land, on the harbor side of the peninsula, is the last significant piece of harbor property the city owns and was always supposed to become a public park, as stated in the city general plan.


August 28, 2004
Statewide ban on beach smoking just a matter of time
California's efforts to ban smoking from its state beaches went up in smoke this week. Not a calamity. Because there's something comfortably familiar about the way this fight is going, leaving little doubt who's going to win in the end.

Sorry, beachfront smokers. Your days are numbered.


August 27, 2004
Sand and the fury
NEWPORT BEACH — Surfer William Preston worries the surf break will be ruined by a plan to dump about 20,000 truckloads of sand between jetties. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plans to deposit the sand between 32nd and 56th Streets starting Sept. 8 to reduce the threat of flooding from the Santa Ana River and to impede erosion on the beach. The project has stirred a firestorm in a city where people are so passionate about surf they've been known to applaud awesome waves.


August 26, 2004:  Council members support disposal of sand offshore
NEWPORT BEACH — City leaders took a firm stand on sand Tuesday, approving several measures to show their staunch support for sand replenishment in West Newport through deposits offshore, not on the beach.


August 26, 2004:  Where there's smoke on beach in Newport, there may be fine
Newport Beach has taken its first step toward a wide ban on outdoor smoking, approving an ordinance that would prohibit people from lighting up on all city beaches, piers, beach walkways, wharves and inspiration points.


August 23, 2004:  Foes kick sand on beach buildup
The Army Corps of Engineers had planned to move 400,000 cubic yards of sediment dredged from the Santa Ana River onto the beach in western Newport Beach. But the scheme met with so much public outcry that city officials are now asking the corps to dump the sand offshore.


August 20, 2004:  Crowds swell at Oceanside beaches
OCEANSIDE – Surf's up. Way up in Oceanside. Nearly a half-million more people visited the city's beaches in June and July, compared with the same two months in 2003, according to figures from the city's Department of Harbor and Beaches.


August 6, 2004:  Closures due to water pollution increase in L.A. and Ventura counties, decline in O.C., according to an environmental group
Beach closures and health advisories because of water pollution increased 60% last year in Los Angeles County and 73% in Ventura County, but dropped 20% in Orange County, an environmental group said Thursday.


July 31, 2004:  Life's a beach, if you can pay
It's very curious why no California beach is listed among the best beaches in America, at least in the opinion of the folks at the Clean Beaches Council.


July 27, 2004:  Carpinteria initiates smoking ban at beaches and parks
CARPINTERIA (AP) – The City Council voted 3-2 to give preliminary approval Monday night to an ordinance banning smoking at city beaches and parks. Carpinteria is the first beach town in Santa Barbara County to impose a beach smoking ban.


July 25, 2004:  A group's annual list of clean coastlines favors the East over the West, maybe because cities in our region won't pay to be ranked
Many California beach cities and environmental groups are furious with a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization that has derided the quality of West Coast beaches while touting those on the East Coast that pay to be on the group's own list.


July 23, 2004:  Tobacco prevention group giving up on Encinitas
ENCINITAS – Disillusionment with Encinitas city leaders has caused members of the Youth Tobacco Prevention Corps to reallocate its manpower and resources to Solana Beach and Del Mar, program director Candice Porter said Friday.


July 19, 2004:  Impact of beach, lagoon plans topic of meeting
ENCINITAS – Plans to build jetties and a new lagoon inlet in Cardiff are possible scenarios for reinvigorating San Elijo Lagoon and protecting the wave-battered shoreline.


July 18, 2004:  City leaders to decide if paragliders lose Ormond Beach access
The sport of paragliding can give fliers ultimate freedom in the sky. But that freedom could soon be restricted in Oxnard, which is weighing an ordinance banning people from flying the inflatable-winged aircraft over Ormond Beach.


July 16, 2004:  Our beaches ought to be butt-free, too
Just when summer got warm enough to go to the beach, Santa Cruz is thinking about banning cigarettes there.


July 14, 2004:  Hearst: No curbs on coastal access
LOS ANGELES – With critics saying the Hearst Ranch conservation plan would reduce the public's access to its beaches, the Hearst Corp. promised Tuesday to keep its current policy of allowing an unlimited number of visitors to its coastal property.


July 14, 2004:  Santa Cruz nearing ban on beach smoking
SANTA CRUZ – Saying it wanted to stop its beaches from turning into giant ashtrays, the Santa Cruz City Council on Tuesday gave new life to a California movement aimed at banning smoking on the sands.


July 10, 2004:  The sand and the fury in Malibu
MALIBU – Launching a summer campaign on behalf of public sunbathing, the California Coastal Commission has targeted one of Malibu's most exclusive strands — Broad Beach — ordering an end to no-trespassing signs and security guards on all-terrain vehicles who shoo visitors off the dry sand.


July 6, 2004:  Marlowe & Co.: ‘We know beaches’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sand has proved to be solid ground for Howard Marlowe’s lobbying shop. Marlowe built his firm around one thing: restoring beaches.


July 6, 2004:  City to move Surfers Point bicycle path
VENTURA – Battered by the surf and assaulted by winter storms, the path has disintegrated, leaving behind an unsightly hazard on an otherwise intact, widely used trail along Ventura's waterfront.


July 6, 2004:  6-hour cleanup by city, volunteers gathers 100 tons of trash
SAN DIEGO – The fifth of July took on new meaning yesterday for volunteers and city workers who cleaned 100 tons of empty beer bottles, barbecues, beach chairs and other trash from more than a half-million Independence Day beachgoers.


July 2, 2004:  Beach towns ban foam plastic from city property
In the wake of a growing ban on smoking on California beaches, Orange County cities are prohibiting the use of foam plastic cups and containers at municipal facilities and events to reduce litter, improve water quality and protect wildlife.


July 2, 2004:  Beach-front resident asks judge to delay opening access
OCEANSIDE – A beach-front homeowner has asked the court to delay the city's plans to open a beach access next to his house.


July 1, 2004:  Encinitas counting on its beaches
SAN DIEGO – Laser beams and mathematics are accomplishing what was left to lifeguards just a few years ago ---- counting the number of people who use Encinitas beaches each day.


June 30, 2004:  Legislation aims to extinguish smoking on state beaches
SACRAMENTO – Smoking on state beaches soon may be hazardous to your financial health.


June 29, 2004:  Berms built to contain high tide
NEWPORT BEACH — In anticipation of unusually high tide this week, Newport Beach has installed flood barricades along its beachfront roads.


June 27, 2004:  Surfers' water-quality tests catch safety wave
HALF MOON BAY – It was only after surfer Ed Larenas and his friends emerged from the water at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica one recent winter that they saw the sign: "Warning, These Waters Are Contaminated."


June 27, 2004:  Emotions swell in the battle of swimmers vs. pro-Seal activists
SAN DIEGO — It's been called a fight between man and seal. But the battle over a beach in La Jolla has mostly been a case of man versus man — or, more specifically, pro-seal activists versus pro-swimming demonstrators.


June 24, 2004:  Oceanside to open beach access on Pacific Street
OCEANSIDE – After 10 months of delay, city officials said Thursday that they will take control of a controversial public pathway July 6 that will soon offer people another route to the beach from Pacific Street in South Oceanside.


June 24, 2004:  Visitors center opens in Del Mar
DEL MAR – More than 2 million visitors come to Del Mar's beaches every year, and with those visits come questions.


June 23, 2004:  County bans smoking at 2 beaches
Los Angeles – Following the lead of Santa Monica, Malibu and other coastal cities, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to ban smoking at two county beaches this summer.


June 22, 2004:  Surfers open Coastside water testing lab
PACIFICA – It was only after surfer Ed Larenas and his friends emerged from the water at Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica one recent winter that they saw the sign: ``Warning, These Waters Are Contaminated.''


June 22, 2004:  Supervisors raise fees at county beaches, parks
Visitors to Orange County beaches, parks and harbors will soon have to shell out more money for parking and admission. The rate increases, which vary from $1 to $10 depending on location, take effect July 1.


June 16, 2004:  Pismo Beach Council snuffs out beach smoking ban
PISMO BEACH – Residents and visitors can continue smoking on the Pismo pier and beach, the city's council decided Tuesday to the chagrin of tobacco-free advocates.


June 16, 2004:  Los Angeles County bans smoking at two unincorporated beaches
LOS ANGELES – The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to temporarily ban smoking on two unincorporated beaches, making them among eight beaches along the Los Angeles County coast where smokers can no longer light up.


June 15, 2004:  As We See It: Smoking ban on the beach a good idea
Santa Cruz officials pride themselves for being environmentally sensitive, but the state of California has beaten them to the punch when it comes to a coastal environmental issue.


June 12, 2004:  State approves $1.7M fix for South Cardiff State Beach
ENCINITAS – State officials last week approved a $1.7 million fix for the park at South Cardiff State Beach that flooded and fell apart even before workers finished building it a decade ago.


June 6, 2004:  Runoff creates trouble in paradise: urban pollution sends toxic brew to state beaches
As people flock to California beaches this summer, they have been advised to take precautions at a handful of trouble spots where urban runoff carries bacteria and viruses into the surf and creates a potential health risk.


June 5, 2004:  California sends fresh air to beaches across the world
Since Solana Beach north of San Diego became the first to go smoke-free last fall, this bold new anti-smoking movement has rapidly spread - wafting, like cigarette smoke, across the state and around the globe.


June 2, 2004:  New seawall in La Jolla designed to look natural
SAN DIEGO – A newly completed seawall at La Jolla Cove is made from a natural-looking material that replicates existing bluffs.


June 1, 2004: Bacteria mystery
SANTA ROSA – Pretty little Campbell Cove, nestled in a crook of Bodega Bay, has long puzzled scientists and baffled beachgoers with its penchant for sudden, high bursts of potentially disease-carrying bacteria.


May 30, 2004: State beaches cleaner, still polluted
SANTA MONICA — Water quality at the state's beaches improved slightly last year, but 18 still received failing grades this month from a nonprofit organization that annually rates the waters.


May 30, 2004: New land acquisitions leave State Parks areas closed, unmanaged
DAVENPORT — Concern about managing Coast Dairies is part of a larger issue of how State Parks, already gripped by reduced budgets and more visitors, will maintain a glut of new land - much of the land the result of voter-approved bonds that delivered money for acquisitions, but none for operations.


May 30, 2004: Smoking on state's beaches could end
Rousted from restaurants and bounced from bars, smokers could see California's more than 60 state beaches added to their do-not-puff list.


May 30, 2004: Kicking sand on beachgoers' plans
Some come to Southern California's golden sands in search of a party. Others seek freedom from the stress of traffic, work and other trials of daily life. But as people begin flocking to the beaches this Memorial Day weekend, they will find a little less freedom in their summer fun. Six communities this year have slapped a variety of new regulations on beachgoers, creating a patchwork of rules as diverse as the coastline itself. And at least three others, as well as the state beach system, are considering new rules.


May 29, 2004: Carlsbad committee explores beach ownership issues
CARLSBAD – For nearly a century, Oceanside has owned many of its beaches. Encinitas started managing two of its five state beach parks more than a dozen years ago.

But between those two coastal communities is Carlsbad, which doesn't own or control any of its sandy shores. This means the city of Carlsbad can't improve trash pickup. It can do nothing when people complain about loud parties, dogs running loose on the beach or the lack of lifeguards on some beach lands. It also can't prevent changes to the beaches, including the much-lamented removal of beachside fire rings near the Encina power station.

Some residents in Carlsbad would like to change all this.


May 28, 2004: Bill would protect inland beachgoers
ALAMEDA — Assemblymember Wilma Chan, D-Oakland, is sponsoring AB 1876, a bill that would apply state water monitoring and posting requirements to San Francisco Bay beaches, including Robert W. Crown Memorial State Beach. The Alameda beach