Los Angeles County secures grant to bolster beach resilience

Los Angeles County will receive $1 million from the California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) to advance coastal resilience efforts to protect the County’s iconic beaches from climate change-accelerated erosion threats, the Department of Beaches and Harbors (DBH) said.

The OPC governing board voted unanimously on Dec. 10 to provide the much-needed grant of state funds to preserve the County’s public beaches.

The money from the OPC’s Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program, which aims to equip California’s coastal communities with the tools needed to combat climate threats, will support the development of the County’s Regional Coastal Strategic Adaptation Plan (RCSAP). 

“This grant allows us to build on our existing Coastal Resilience Initiative and take a significant step toward ensuring that LA County’s beaches remain resilient, accessible and sustainable for future generations,” DBH Director Gary Jones said.

Building on the foundational work of DBH’s 2023 Coastal Resilience Study, the RCSAP will integrate cutting-edge solutions, including living shorelines, sediment reuse and enhanced shoreline management strategies.

The RCSAP is set to be implemented over two years, with an initial on stakeholder engagement and data collection.