Results tagged “beach”

       

On Saturday, over 5,000 groups from around the world gathered for the International Day of Climate Action in an effort to bring attention to the Copenhagen Climate Talks ,scheduled for December when the Kyoto Treaty will be replaced (big question, will the U.S. sign it?).

Unfortunately, sewage spills in the Long Beach area are all too often. The latest began this weekend when a sewage line began to leak on Saturday night. The waste entered the storm drain system and headed towards Shoreline Village at the mouth of the L.A. River.

As we have been saying, if you're not heading up to Mammoth to ski, you'll be down here for the expected hot temps this weekend. The moderate rainstorm of the past couple days is creeping away and the heat is coming back. Expect temperatures from the 70s to even maybe the low 90s, depending on where you live (beachside, valleyside?). And as nice as the weather will be, is it a good idea to go swimming in the ocean? Some say not after the rain.

Whenever it rains in Los Angeles, it exemplifies how we are all connected, whether living in the Valley or at the beach. "The county’s 2,800-mile storm drain system is designed to channel rainwater to the ocean to prevent local flooding," explains officials from the nonprofit Heal the Bay. "But it also has the unintended function of moving pollution directly into the Santa Monica and San Pedro bays following rainstorms."

    

Public health officials today extended the closure to a portion of Will Rogers State Beach after tests confirmed that sewage was being discharged from a storm drain into the ocean. How much sewage? Approximately 9.600 gallons, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health. That's a big yuck.

Public Health officials are warning the public that a one-mile stretch of Will Rogers State Beach in the Pacific Palisades area might be tainted by sewage from a nearby storm drain. Late Tuesday night, a citizen alerted authorities of a "foul smell" emanating from the storm drain, prompting LA County Public Health officials to take samples of ocean water in order to determine if sewage has been discharged. The precautionary measure--swim at your own risk!--will remain in effect until noon, Friday, pending test results. The beach currently has an A+ on Heal the Bay's Beach Report Card.

As many Americans are preparing to bid adieu to the season with Labor Day weekend, those of us lucky enough to live in this part of the country have several more weeks of warm weather to frolic in. Even so, there are some of you who have thought, “I should go to the beach this summer” and it’s still not too late. With the holiday weekend around the corner, we at LAist figured that you same-sex loving guys out there would appreciate info on where gaze upon gym-toned bods without fear (Lady-loving ladies, we’re open to a similar post just for you).

Now that officials have been forced to raise fees at state parks in order to save some of them, a thrifty blogger at the Orange County Register's OC Deals blog makes a good observation. Looking into beachfront family campsites with hookups at Bolsa Chica State Beach, Doheny and San Clemente is running $60 to $65. "I recently bought a new tent and cot to go back to nature, and save money on vacations by camping, instead of staying in hotels. But the world’s gone topsy-turvy, folks. You can rent a room this week in the fancy Wyndham hotel in New Orleans for $58 a night, but you can’t camp in a state campground on the beach for that! Incredible." Still, we rather camp.

As the summer winds down, it’s important to remember that there’s still a lot of good reasons -and even better causes - to get outside. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be able to kick back and just enjoy a beer either, does it? Well, if you’d like to give back, get out, and grab a drink while you’re at it, then consider Tuesday’s Bike MS at the Library Ale House on Main Street in Santa Monica.

Blame pollution: 2008 was another banner year for troubled waters at our nation's beaches, according to the results of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) annual study. Although last year was a dry one, "aging and poorly designed sewage and stormwater systems hold much of the blame for beachwater pollution [and] stormwater runoff contributed to two-thirds of the closing/advisory days in which a contamination source was reported."

A sewage spill last night prompted the closure of three beaches in Long Beach today. Failed circuit breakers in a private pump station caused approximately 1,000 gallons to discharge last night around 10:30 p.m. into the storm drain system near the Bixby Terrace Area leading to the Los Cerritos Channel where Mother's Beach, Marine Stadium and Colorado Lagoon are located. The beaches will remain closed until the city's Health Department and Officer deem the water bacteria levels within state standards. All water contact activity will be prohibited in the area.

      

It's a storm in the tropics that is reverberating on our SoCal shores in the form of massive--and deadly--surf these days. LAist's Lifestyle Editor Julie Wolfson sent over these shots captured this morning on the shores of Salt Creek Beach in Laguna Niguel, and some of the brave (foolish?) surfers who couldn't turn down an opportunity to hang ten in the huge waves.

It looks like the Port of Los Angeles, which brings in billions for the city, is behind on cleaning up the popular but chronically polluted Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. It looks likely that the city will miss a federal compliance deadline next Spring and people will be enjoying their summer swims in some yucky water. "Starting April 1, Cabrillo Beach must meet fecal bacteria water quality standards 100% of the time from April1 -Oct. 31. The liability to the City of Los Angeles to comply with the water quality requirements could be substantial, yet the pace to complete the Cabrillo projects in time to comply with the deadlines continues to be far too slow," explains Mark Gold of Heal the Bay. He says a contract management “short cut” is the culprit in slowing this project down. "As a result of poor time-management by the Port, the city will likely be out of compliance with the beach water quality standards when the April 1 deadline arrives. The end result? The public will continue to swim in polluted waters and the city will face tens of thousands of dollars in potential liability."

Lifeguards are cautioning surfers and swimmers alike that a high surf is due to hit the shores of the OC with some pretty serious strength starting tomorrow, according to the OC Register. "The waves are going to be so big from this south swell - the biggest our coast has seen for years - jet-ski assists have been added to this year's Hurley U.S. Open of Surfing so the surfers don't paddle against a raging river all day."

       

Recently, we've been sharing some sea caves with you over at Santa Cruz Island in Channel Islands National Park. Now we head southward to Orange County for a more terrestrial minded experience. 1,000 Steps Beach in Laguna Beach is a small and quiet and sometimes extremely private experience. There's no parking lot--park on PCH--and you do have to climb long stair case that's not quite 1,000 steps, but it can certainly feel like that many.

       

Was it hot enough for you this weekend? Summer is in full effect here in sunny SoCal, which means the mantra for many over the weekend was "Must. Counteract. Heat." The answer for many was simple: Hit the beach!

An undersea earthquake rattled a few nerves in San Diego Saturday morning, and the 4.0 shaker was felt in the OC, but it wasn't the aftershocks that had area residents talking later that day. Several giant squid washed ashore on Saturday, surprising beach-goers, most of whom had never seen anything like it before. Even after they were tossed back in the water they'd re-appear on the sand, causing many to wonder if it was because of the earthquake. Check out the video for the story.

Okay, random. LAist reader Jon Zack was walking on the beach yesterday when he saw this 5 foot plaster-made snowman between the walking path and the water. "He looked happy, but a little melty," he joked.

                     

Yesterday, the Annenberg Community Beach House opened to the public for the first time. Run by the City of Santa Monica, the public club-like beach and recreational facility sits on property once purchased for movie star Marion Davies by newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Although only the guest cottages and pool remain from the original structures (sadly the 110-room Julia Morgan-designed manse was demolished decades ago), a ten-year restoration and re-purposing plan is finally done, and now everyone can enjoy use of the beach, the tennis and volleyball courts, the rec rooms, and the marble-tiled pool all on a beachfront property that was once the playground of the stars.

Once upon a time it was the beachfront estate of silent movie starlet Marion Davies, built for her by her lover, the infamous newspaperman William Randolph Hearst. It was definitely a "party house" where a who's who of Hollywood's golden era would frolic in the pool and on the shore. On the 5-acre site was a mansion designed by renowned architect Julia Morgan, boasting 110 rooms.

Update: The beach was found safe and was opened as of 3:30 p.m. 3 million gallons of tertiary wastewater were accidently released into the ocean yesterday prompting officials to close the water at Inner and Outer Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. Tertiary wastewater has already undergone treatment to remove harmful waste products, but may be still dangerous. “We are asking people to avoid entering or swimming in the ocean in the area immediately surrounding Inner and Outer Cabrillo Beach,” said Jonathan E. Fielding, MD, MPH, Director of Public Health and Health Officer. “Our first priority is to protect the health and safety of the people who visit the beach and water areas. Once we determine bacteria levels in the water do not pose a threat to the public’s health, we will remove the beach closure.” The water is being tested this morning and if found to be okay, the beach will reopen around noon. Want to see what happens when you do swim in nasty water? This guy now has a pacemaker:

As of noon, the National Weather Service is reporting numbers that basically say "get thee to a beach!" Here's the breakdown:

       

The weekend weather gave us a hint of what's around the corner: summer. Now while a lot of people went eastward for Coachella, LAist covered all the bases this weekend, and also headed west. About as far west as you can get -- to Manhattan Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Here's our little tip for the summer: Be patient because a day at the beach is always worth the wait.

                            

Dear Gothamist and Chicagoist,

After we learn that music booked by The Fold at Tangier is going on hiatus as possible new owners buy the well-known Los Feliz bar/restaurant, we are also hearing that The Malibu Inn has new owners, which is apparently affecting the music venue. Butch Walker posts this bulletin (not linkable) on MySpace:

A deteriorated metal clamp at a Laguna Beach pump station caused thousands of gallons of sewage to spill out onto city streets and into the beach for eight hours today, beginning around 2:00 a.m. this morning. The mess has caused four miles of coast to be closed meaning beaches are to be closed for an estimated two days. The OC Register lists past beach spills in previous years, but Long Beach holds the title for most sewage spills with 31 of them as of August.

Designers & Agents, an indie fashion marketing company, is currently showing their spring line exclusively at the New Mart and Cooper Design Space downtown. This show is based on sustainable design and will feature several of the leading fashion designers in this field. The company brings together over 1,000 different collections to the forefront of the industry. They hope to be completely fashion-forward in a very community-based way.

The only legal spot along the South Bay coastline to smoke a cigarette has been put out. Redondo Beach City Council last night voted to ban smoking at the beach and in public parks. One councilman voted no saying police don't have the resources to enforce the law. But with that thinking, most everything shouldn't be a law. The next headline will be "Redondo Beach to ban stop signs."