People set up on Main Beach in Laguna Beach, CA on Thursday, July 4, 2024. Southern California beaches are a big part of the state’s economic drivers, fueling tourism, revenue and jobs. There’s no arguing Southern California’s beaches are the state’s prize amenity – a place millions of vacationers and residents visit year-round, fueling tourism and generating tax revenue, a place where an ocean economy thrives with jobs that depend on a healthy coastal environment.
New sand sits south of the San Clemente Pier following the first half of a sand replenishment project finishing late April 2024. When complete, it will cost more than $20 million, paid for by the federal, state, county and city. Beaches accounted for $30.1 billion in visitor spending in 2023, Wilson said. In Orange County alone, tourism spending in 2023 was about $15.8 billion. Though Anaheim and its Disneyland Resort area were also big contributors, it was largely the coastal areas that drove the tourism, he said.
“Shoring up coastal resiliency ensures increased tourism, greater access to natural resources and continued state and county revenue,” she said. Sanders gave the group a quick history lesson: A New Year’s flood in 1933, following wildfires that scorched the region, killed hundreds of people.
The grain size and quality makes for perfect beach sand. The problem is, it’s expensive to transport. “Who wants it? We have lots of people in this room who want that sediment and we want to get rid of it,” Haney said at the meeting. “I think we’re a perfect partnership for each other.”