Background Info

Some things we know:

• Sand wall construction is done by the LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors.
• According to Ken Foreman from Beaches and Harbors, the sand walls are ONLY done to protect parking lots and NOT to protect homes.
• The parking lots are owned by the City, not the County. The County operates the parking lots and collects the fees.
• In order to build the sand walls, the County must obtain a "Coastal Development Permit" from the California Coastal Commission.
• Sand wall construction has taken place since at least the 1980's, when a storm caused damage to parking lots.
• The sand walls here are normally built 15 feet high.
• Sand wall construction normally takes place in November or December and the permit required them to be removed by Memorial Day, though they're scheduled to be taken down in February 2013.
• During construction, an environmental monitor is on site to watch for one specific species of bird. This year, the monitor came from Ventura County.