California’s coastline is worth saving — and we can do it

Californians are still cleaning up after Hurricane Marie brought big waves, storm surges and flooding to coastal communities.

Marie didn’t even have to make landfall to have a huge impact. Just ask actor Nicolas Cage, whose Malibu home was nearly swallowed by a sinkhole.

We tend to think of coastlines as static, because that’s how we draw them on maps. In the last century, Americans built along coastlines — sometimes because it was easier, and sometimes because as our society grew wealthier, it began to place a premium on beauty and recreation.

We thought coastlines would stay the same, because we planned them to be so.

But coastlines are dynamic. That means they change over time. 

Today’s beach might be gone after tomorrow’s storm. Cliffs can tumble to the sea after floods, or earthquakes. 

That doesn’t mean we can’t build on the coast, or remove what has been built there already.

There are engineering solutions to the challenges of coastal living. Seawalls can protect homes and highways. Caissons can keep buildings above tides and sinkholes. Railways and roads can be elevated or moved inland. 

There are really two questions.

The first is money. Who will pay to make these changes? Will the funds be private, or public?

Many Californians might object to tax dollars being spent to protect seaside mansions that are owned by the state’s wealthiest residents. 

At the same time, the public depends on coastal trains and the Pacific Coast Highway. And the coastline’s attractions drive tourism in the Golden State.

The second question is about political will.

California needs to have an adult conversation about our coast — especially with the ruins of the Palisades Fire still haunting the scenic drive in Malibu.

We can’t abandon the coastline or stick to old regulations that just slow down rebuilding.

California’s coast is worth saving. And we can do it.

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