Coastal Restoration

Officials in the city near San Francisco have declared an emergency and condemned apartments that might fall into the sea.

A 6.9-foot high tide is forecast for Friday and Saturday nights.

A San Mateo County Superior Court judge heard closing arguments Wednesday in the latest battle over access through private land to a beloved beach — one that could lead to the U.S. Supreme Court.

For the third time in his 17-year career as a Los Angeles County lifeguard, Dusty Wiggins recently found himself making his way through rough surf along the Malibu coastline to rescue a panicked deer.

The billionaire landowner who bought a popular beach in San Mateo County and then locked out the public was evasive and uncooperative when questioned Monday about his decision, stating repeatedly he "did not recollect" conversations, letters or legal documents. Vinod Khosla testified during the civil trial in San Mateo County Superior Court that he did not remember why he set up two limited liability companies to buy Martins Beach, what amount he paid for the property, when he bought it or why the decision was made to keep the public out. The Silicon Valley venture capitalist remained calm but gave no ground during the intense questioning - sometimes tinged with disbelief and sarcasm - by the lead attorney for the Surfrider Foundation, which sued Khosla for blocking the only access road to the beach. The lawsuit, filed in March 2013, accused the then-unidentified owner of the limited liability company of painting over a billboard welcoming people to the beach, putting up a locked gate in front of Martins Beach Road and hiring armed guards to keep people out - actions that Cotchett said constitute development and require permits from the California Coastal Commission. The public is still allowed to use Martins Beach, but, because of the closed gate, the only way people can get there is from the ocean, which the surfing group claims is a violation of public access provisions in the coastal act. Surfrider claims these uses established a pattern of public access that the new owner did away with when he closed the gate and put up a sign reading, "Beach closed, keep out."

A sand-pumping project in Cape Canaveral that's has been on hold for more than two weeks is expected to resume Sunday or Monday.

This history of San Diego is written in the sand and the surf.

Frustrated beachgoers this summer will finally have a remedy against anyone who blocks public access to California's shoreline.

California's drought has at least one upside: Record-low rainfall has resulted in cleaner water up and down the coast, a new report says.

Lawyers for a billionaire landowner who closed a popular surfing beach told a San Mateo County judge on Thursday that the Silicon Valley titan did not violate public access laws and in fact had every right to block beachgoers from trespassing on his property. The Surfrider Foundation has accused venture capitalist Vinod Khosla of flouting the California Coastal Act when he blocked the only road into Martins Beach, a sandy, 53-acre haven along the coastal cliffs about 6 miles south of Half Moon Bay. The lawsuit, filed in March 2013, accused the then-unidentified owner of the limited liability company of painting over a billboard welcoming people to the beach, putting up a locked gate in front of Martins Beach Road and hiring armed guards to keep people out - all technically property development that changed coastal usage and required permits from the California Coastal Commission. The public is still technically allowed to use Martins Beach, but the closed gate means the only way people can get there is from the ocean, which the surfing group claims is a violation of public access provisions in the coastal act. Locals were outraged, and officials, including Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Palo Alto, ordered the gate reopened on grounds that the owner had not obtained a permit to block access. Seeking explanation"We want to ask Mr. Khosla what his intentions were when he bought the beach - why he conducted himself in a way that he felt he could close down the beach," said Joe Cotchett, the lead attorney for the surfing group, who also said he had no desire to embarrass the defendant.

Within a few weeks, a concrete seawall dating back more than four decades will start coming down along a nearly a half-mile stretch of Burien shoreline — part of a regional endeavor to return the beaches of Seahurst Park to nature.