Huge waves slammed into the boardwalk on the Long Beach Peninsula over Labor Day weekend, spraying multimillion-dollar oceanfront homes with seawater. |
Ten-foot sand berms — which the city had spent weeks rebuilding and shoring up with bulldozers and other heavy machinery after August’s king tides washed them away — held up for only a few minutes once the much more destructive Labor Day weekend swells started rolling in, according to residents. |
This latest assault is driven by a rare combination of the Super El Nino, extreme high tides and south swells generated by the remnants of Hurricane Marie. The result brought out lookie-loos, amateur videographers and anxious residents to witness wave after punishing wave slam into the wooden boardwalk, breaking it apart in places and sending plumes of salt water three stories high. |
This previously little-known seaside neighborhood is turning into the poster child for California’s clumsy, costly battle against global warming. |
Even so, none of the residents I spoke to said they thought it was time to move to higher ground. |
A media circus |
 |
Massive waves crash along the Long Beach boardwalk as onlookers take video (Jack Dolan) |
Just before high tide at 7 p.m. on Monday night, dozens of curious onlookers streamed down the narrow peninsula, having ignored the road closure signs erected by the Long Beach Police Department earlier in the day. |
Everyone wanted to see for themselves the spectacle that had been all over their social media feeds. |
Many had done their research and seen the four-, five- and six-million-dollar asking prices for Peninsula homes on Redfin and Zillow, and they made only a token effort to mask their schadenfreude as the punishing waves rolled in. |
“I’m so glad that’s not my three-million-dollar house,” said one guy filming with his iPhone. |
“Three? Ha! Guess again,” replied another, also filming. |
The people who didn’t have their cameras pointed at the violent collision between land and sea seemed to have them pointed at themselves, giving live updates to God-knows-who, like so many wannabe Weather Channel correspondents. |
One guy in cargo shorts and a battered Ramones T-shirt kept casting dirty looks at the sky, clearly annoyed at the thumping of the TV news helicopters — there were at least three overhead at all times — drowning out his commentary. |
Not enough to scare the locals |
 |
Massive waves crash along the Long Beach boardwalk (Jack Dolan) |
In the middle of it all, Peninsula resident Jim Hickman stood between the sea and his hundred-year-old house, cradling a martini. |
Unlike the makeshift sand berms built by the city, his house is protected by a natural mound fortified with resilient pickleweed. As bulwarks go, it certainly isn’t much to look at, but it seemed to offer just enough elevation to spare his property from the brutal beating his neighbors’ homes were taking just a few dozen yards to the north. |
Hickman expects his house to be standing for at least another century, he said. His square jaw and Ernest Hemingway-like beard gave him a strange air of confidence and credibility. |
Then, as the setting sun cut through an astonishingly large and loud plume of ocean spray, lending the whole scene an apocalyptic orange tint, he added with a smile and a shrug, “If I’m wrong, I’m wrong.” |
A few blocks north, on the narrow side street where the waves were hitting hardest, Jenn Rinear stood in the middle of the road with her neighbors and other assembled onlookers. |
Every now and then, instead of hitting the wooden boardwalk and shooting several stories skyward, a swell would simply surge over the top of the wall, sending saltwater and debris down the street. |
Rinear’s house — which was notably downhill from the boardwalk — had been in her family since 1951, she said. |
Of course she knows how fraught it is to keep the house. As we spoke, we were both lifting our feet and shaking them to get the flood debris out of our flip-flops. But does she think it’s time to sell and get out? |
“No,” she insisted, rubbing the back of her neck and keeping a wary eye on the sea. “There’s nothing better than the ocean. It’s where I feel God, it’s where I feel grounded and it’s where I feel happy.” |
Top stories |
 |
A postcard promoting a train line to Southern California, the “Land of Sunshine,” featuring palm trees. (From Patt Morrison’s private collection) |
What happened to L.A.’s ‘perfect’ Mediterranean weather? |
|
|
Girl’s family sues singer D4vd over her death |
- Relatives of Celeste Rivas Hernández, the 14-year-old girl who prosecutors charge was killed by the singer D4vd, filed a lawsuit seeking damages over her death.
- The family has also called for David Anthony Burke, a.k.a. D4vd, to face the death penalty if he is convicted.
|
The dangerous allure of Sunset Cliffs |
- At least three people have suffered injuries and have needed to be rescued this summer at Ocean Beach’s Sunset Cliffs, leading police to ramp up enforcement as locals debate the merits of safety versus a need for youthful rites of passage.
- Participants, mostly males 14 to 20 years old, are drawn to the thrills of the jump amplified by social media and anchored by a feeling of invincibility.
|
|
|
More news |
|
|
Commentary and opinion |
|
|
|
|
Editor’s pick |
|
Los Angeles cat owners say they walk their floofs, around the neighborhood, on trails or in strollers, to enrich their pets’ lives. The strolls and hikes seem to enrich theirs too. |
|
 |
|
More picks |
|
|
Keep up with California |
Your support helps us deliver the news that matters most. Subscribe to the Los Angeles Times.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Things to do |
 |
The “Star Wars in Motion” exhibit at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art features Luke’s landspeeder from the 1977 original film. (Ariana Drehsler / For The Times) |
|
|
Today’s recipe |
 |
Citrusy spiced pumpkin loaf cakes are spiked with fresh orange and lemon juices and drizzled with maple syrup icing. (Katrina Frederick / For The Times) |
The first day of fall is two weeks away, so it’s the perfect time to start thinking about fall recipes. This autumn loaf cake is a good place to start as it combines pumpkin-spice warmth with a citrus brightness, thanks to a tart syrup that soaks into the loaves once they come out of the oven. |
Question for you |
Have you given up your gas vehicle and joined the growing number of EV drivers in California? Tell us why or why not at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
Bonnie P. says, “I have a fully electric BMW. Fabulous car! Handles like a BMW plus I haven’t been inconvenienced by going to a gas station in almost three years. I plug in for a few hours at home and I’m ready to go. Easy. Brilliant.” |
Seth O. says, “I have had my Blazer EV for a year and a half and would never go back to an internal combustion engine again. I probably pay 1/3 to 1/4 per mile of the cost of gasoline. I charge at home after 9 p.m. when my electric rates are low. I have never worried about range limits at all. I don’t miss the gas stations. The ones where I live are dirty, don’t print receipts, have their displays vandalized, never have cleaning materials for the windshields, and the tire fillers never work. When I do travel, a variety of apps on my phone and car always lead me to a charging station. There’s no looking back.” |
Photo of the day |
 |
An elephant seal is released at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro as volunteers from the Marine Mammal Care Center look on. El Niño could bring waves of starving sea lion pups to California beaches. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) |
Games |
 |
Here’s today’s mini crossword, plus our other free, daily crossword puzzle, sudoku, word search and jigsaw games. |
Have a great day, from the Essential California team |
Jack Dolan, investigative reporter
Hugo Martín, assistant editor, fast break desk
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Andrew Campa, weekend writer
Karim Doumar, head of newsletters |
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com. Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com. |
No comments:
Post a Comment