Rapid erosion reveals decades-old infrastructure at California beach – SF Gate

Big waves at the Wedge, Newport Beach, CA on Saturday, July 25, 2009 (by Mark Roland CC BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr).

Massive swells created by Hurricane Genevieve earlier this month have caused huge changes to the California coastline. An entire beach near San Diego nearly disappeared, and access to one of Malibu’s most scenic beaches remains closed indefinitely due to severe erosion. And at the Wedge in Newport Beach, a celebrated surf spot on the Balboa Peninsula, not only has the sandy area shrunk dramatically..

A Carlsbad beach lost most of its sand in less than 2 weeks – SF Gate

California Beaches, Carlsbad, April 3, 2021 (by John William Hammond CC BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr).

At the center of the uncertainty for upcoming beach nourishment projects is the Federal Emergency Management Agency — better known as FEMA — where policy changes, funding delays, and broader federal debates about disaster response are creating unknowns for coastal communities nationwide, including those on the Outer Banks…

The overwhelming plastic waste Hawaii visitors leave behind – SFGATE

"Liquid Avalanche" Sandy Beach in Oahu, Hawaii (by Floyd Manzano CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

Plastics like in-room toiletries provided by resorts, plus to-go containers and cutlery provided by restaurants, are used and discarded by guests day after day. A single hotel chain can use hundreds of millions of little bottles of shampoo and conditioner every year.

When visitors leave, a lot of these items end up in the trash, yet Hawaii doesn’t have the infrastructure to recycle the immense amount of plastic left behind…

Luxury California resort accused of restricting public beach access – SFGATE

San Diego - Paradise Point Resort, Mission Bay (by K M CC BY 2.0 via Flickr).

A California Coastal Commission report reviewed by SFGATE accuses Paradise Point Resort of numerous violations that “impede public use of the area and reinforce the impression that the entire area was private…” Alleged violations included the failure to put up a single “public access” sign, blocking public pathways to the beach, and the installation of a kiosk and security guard at the primary parking entrance. Another allegation states that the resort built or placed uncovered dumpsters and an event tent on public pathways and parking spots.