August 31, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

City Of Santa Monica Beach Project Named One Of America’s Best Restored Beaches For 2015:

The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) announced last week that the City of Santa Monica is a winner of its 2015 Best Restored Beach Award.

“ASBPA created the Best Restored Beach award as a way of highlighting the value of America’s restored beaches,” said Harry Simmons, mayor of Caswell Beach, N.C., and ASBPA president. “As Americans flock to our coastline during the upcoming beach season, most don’t even realize they may be enjoying a restored beach.”

Santa Monica State Beach

For nearly 130 years, Santa Monica State Beach in Santa Monica, California, has been a dynamic link between the natural and man-made worlds, providing equal access to all who wish to congregate near this part of the coast.

The existing wide beach in Santa Monica owes its existence primarily to the offshore breakwater.

North Beach is characterized by an abundance of sand and sweeping views of Santa Monica Bay. South Beach is alive with popular “people places” such as Chess Park and the original Muscle Beach.

It is here that the modern Southern California “beach culture” – surfing, beach volleyball, rollerblading, skateboarding, and spectacular sunsets – got its start.

The historic Santa Monica Pier connects the more contemplative North Beach with lively South Beach. Up to 50,000 people enjoy the beach on a typical summer day – with 5 million visits annually – making it one of the region’s most treasured public assets.

Offering spectacular views, opportunities for recreation and social interaction, and a touch of history and culture, Santa Monica State Beach is one of 10 APA Great Public Spaces in America for 2008.

The designation stems from the beach’s commitment to accessibility, environmental stewardship and historic preservation, and maintaining its distinctive character.

The beach stretches 3.5 miles along the California coast, from the beaches of Malibu to the coastline of Venice.

Featuring 245 acres of sand, the beach is framed by a series of linear parks, some with playgrounds, a restored historic pergola and gazebo, native landscaping, and the iconic palm tree.

“We chose this as a Best Restored Beach because it is an iconic American beach that has not only hosted millions of visitors each year, but is used in movies and television programs to exemplify the beach life,” said Lee Weishar, ASBPA Best Restored Beach Committee Chair.

For more than 50 years, beach restoration has been the preferred method of shore protection in coastal communities on the east, west, Gulf and Great Lakes coasts. Beach restoration is the process of placing beach-quality sand on dwindling beaches to reverse or offset the effects of erosion.

The three main reasons for restoration are:

— Storm protection – A wide sandy beach helps separate storm waves from upland structures and infrastructure.

— Habitat restoration – Numerous species rely on wide, healthy beaches as a place to live, feed and nest.

— Recreation – America’s beaches have twice as many visitors annually as all of America’s federal and state parks combined. Every year, there are more than 2 billion visitors to America’s beaches.

Coastal communities have restored more than 370 beaches in the United States, including such iconic beaches as Jones Beach in New York, Ocean City in Maryland, Virginia Beach, Miami Beach, South Padre Island in Texas, Venice Beach in California and Waikiki Beach in Hawaii.

During times of economic hardship, the beach can be an even more desirable vacation destination than other domestic and foreign alternatives, offering families and visitors an accessible and affordable getaway. It is also an employment and tax generator:

— Beaches contribute an estimated $225 billion annually to the America’s economy.

— Each year, governments take in $570 in taxes from beach tourists for every dollar it spends on beach restoration.

— Well over half of the nation’s gross domestic product ($7.9 trillion) is generated in 673 counties along the oceans and Great Lakes, according to NOAA’s National Ocean Economics Program.

To enter the Best Restored Beach competition, coastal communities nominated their projects for consideration, and an independent panel of coastal managers and scientists selected the winners.

Judging was based on three criteria: the economic and ecological benefits the beach brings to its community; the short- and long-term success of the restoration project; and the challenges each community overcame during the course of the project.

A complete list of award-winning beaches, and more information about beach restoration and ASBPA, is available online at www.asbpa.org.

in News
<>Related Posts

SMMUSD Board of Education Changes Start Time for September 4 Meeting

August 30, 2025

August 30, 2025

Residents Can Tune In via Livestream or Make Public Comments Remotely The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District announced a revised...

Pacific Park Ferris Wheel to Glow with 90-Foot American Flag for Labor Day

August 30, 2025

August 30, 2025

The tribute will feature the Ferris wheel’s 174,000 LED lights in a custom computer-generated show of red, white, and blue...

State Launches Task Force to Tackle Homeless Encampments

August 30, 2025

August 30, 2025

The task force, comprising multiple state agencies, will target encampments along state rights-of-way in California’s 10 largest cities Gov. Gavin...

Santa Monica Flea-Borne Typhus Cluster Under Investigation as L.A. Cases Rise

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

County Confirms 106 Cases So Far in 2025 After a Record 187 Last Year Health officials are warning Los Angeles...

CHP Launches Annual Statewide Labor Day Crackdown on Impaired Driving

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

All Available Officers Will Patrol California Roads August 29–September 1 The California Highway Patrol will deploy every available officer this...

Santa Monica Historic District Tour Showcases Early 20th Century Bungalows

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

The Third Street Walk, led by Conservancy board president Mario Fonda-Bonardi, will highlight the architectural and historical significance of the...

Newsom Signs Order to Protect Clean Energy Projects Amid Federal Rollbacks

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

The order aims to secure federal tax credits for clean energy projects before they expire due to HR 1, dubbed...

Muscle Beach Championship Returns to Venice on Labor Day

August 29, 2025

August 29, 2025

The event will feature competitions across categories including bodybuilding, bikini, men’s physique, classic physique, angel bikini, and couples The iconic...

Film Review: Relay

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

FILM REVIEWRELAYRated R112 MinutesReleased August 22nd This movie plays like a chess game, mentally and physically – on foot and...

Santa Monica’s E-Bike Voucher Program Marks One-Year Milestone

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

A city blog post highlighted personal impacts, with one family avoiding a second car purchase for a commute to Burbank,...

Westside Classics Car Show Set to Roll into Venice Beach

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

The show will feature a curated lineup of vintage sedans, low-slung cruisers, and unique custom builds The Westside Classics Car...

Westside Chefs Shine at the Manhattan Beach Food & Wine Festival in September

August 28, 2025

August 28, 2025

South Bay’s Culinary Festival Returns With Two Nights of Food, Wine, and Music Santa Monica, Westchester, Los Angeles, and West...

(Video) Public Transit Returns to Pacific Palisades

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

The Return is Part of a Broader Summer Overhaul, Aiming to Boost Connectivity Across the Westside Public Transit Returns to...

Raising Cane’s Plans New Location on 3rd Street Promenade

August 27, 2025

August 27, 2025

The move marks the chain’s latest expansion in California Louisiana-based fast-food chain Raising Cane’s confirmed to the Santa Monica Mirror...