As we stood on Long Beach’s now-infamous Peninsula, watching the waves crash over the boardwalk and down a side street, resident Genevieve Beals said she still has mild PTSD from the wildfires that chased her out of her condo in Corona. |
“I had to be evacuated twice,” she said Monday, and now, whenever she sees anything as innocent as windows sparkling in the sunlight on a distant hillside, “I get an anxious reaction. I just get triggered.” |
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A firefighter keeps the ground wet behind homes as the Serrano fire burns in a field near Tampico Circle in Corona on June 24, 2024. (Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) |
She fled to the beach hoping to find a little peace. |
What she has endured instead — waves crashing into the boardwalk a few feet in front of her rented apartment and shooting three stories into the air, the thump-thump-thump of TV news helicopters constantly circling overhead, seawater rushing past her front door with seemingly every high tide — hasn’t been quite the respite she had hoped for. |
“It’s just, like, here I am again,” she said with a resigned shrug. |
From one disaster to the next |
Beals is like a modern California Odysseus, reeling from one era-defining disaster to the next, trying to maintain her sense of perspective and her sense of humor through it all. |
“We’ve been getting warned about this for years,” she said as another wave slammed into the boardwalk, sending saltwater spray onto her neighbors’ balconies. |
Indeed, nobody in 2026 can claim they didn’t know sea level rise is a threat. |
In 2019, Long Beach city officials told residents of the Peninsula they could safely stay for another decade, or two, if they were willing to tolerate substantial flooding that would become more frequent over the years. But they shouldn’t expect an engineering miracle or government largess to bail them out. |
The only real solution was “an orderly exit from the coast,” said Jerry Schubel, then-president and chief executive of the Aquarium of the Pacific. |
Likewise, nobody living in California’s mountains can seriously claim they didn’t realize there’s an increased wildfire risk. |
Before buying the Corona condo with her dad, Beals said they knew it was in potential wildfire country and they “looked at everything” to try to make sure they were making a good decision. |
“Then, sure enough, the fire came and I had to be evacuated, twice,” she said. |
Beals relocated to the Peninsula 18 months ago, hoping she’d found a safe haven. |
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Crews shovel sand on the Long Beach Peninsula after the storm damaged parts of the boardwalk on Sept. 11. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) |
The king tides came knocking |
Then, in August, came the first big king tide that sent punishing waves slamming into houses along the boardwalk. |
Since then, the beatings have been relentless. |
A series of tropical storms and hurricanes, fueled by the unusually hot water in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean during this year’s El Niño, has sent round after round of powerful swells barreling toward the California coast. |
The south-facing shorelines of Long Beach and Newport Beach have been hit particularly hard. |
There’s not much hope of conditions improving in the near future: the El Niño is expected to last at least until February, and its effects could linger well into spring. |
Where to escape California’s disasters |
Beals showed me a notice the City of Long Beach sent residents warning of king tides expected to hit in late November, in December (on Christmas!) and again in late January. |
Her lease is up, so she can leave anytime she wants with a month’s notice, but where would she go? |
The mountains and coastlines — California’s most cherished landscapes — have both been a problem lately. |
Besides, she said, when the sun is out and the street is dry, she still loves the beach. |
Top stories |
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A lifeguard keeps watch along a closed boardwalk as a Pacific Ocean wave crashes over a seawall protecting homes in Long Beach. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) |
Hurricane activity in the Pacific Ocean is battering the California coast |
- The exceptionally active hurricane season in the Pacific is influenced by a long-term ocean heating trend caused by global warming, and higher nearshore ocean temperatures and a decrease in wind shear from El Niño, which can significantly weaken hurricane activity.
- Researchers at Colorado State University confirmed that storms this summer have generated the highest level of accumulated cyclone energy ever recorded, surpassing the previous seasonal record set in 2018.
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El Niño shifts exotic ocean life to the California Coast |
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Mel’s Drive-In faces demolition |
- For decades, the bold, mid-century building at Lincoln and Olympics boulevards in Santa Monica has been the end of the line — the last address on the 2,400-mile westward journey of Route 66.
- But now its future is in doubt. A property owner has filed preliminary plans to replace the diner with an eight-story apartment building.
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More news |
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Commentary and opinion |
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Editor’s pick |
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Eric Goode, the documentarian behind ‘Tiger King’ and ‘Chimp Crazy,’ also runs the Turtle Conservancy in Ojai. It’s been operating on overdrive as the illegal turtle trade out of LAX and the ports of Los Angeles, Long Beach has climbed. |
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More picks |
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Things to do |
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An anniversary exhibit for L.A. band System of a Down in honor of their seminal album, “Toxicity,” at Beyond the Streets gallery in Los Angeles. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) |
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Today’s recipe |
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(Mariah Tauger/Los Angeles Times) |
If the idea of another pumpkin loaf doesn’t make your eyes roll out of your head, give this recipe for roasted pumpkin loaves a shot. It’s a lightly sweet, kind of savory loaf, with butter slathered over the side with a drizzle of honey or with a thwack of ricotta and some chopped thyme. The best part? It’s the type of pumpkin spice treat where the spices accent the pumpkin flavor, not overwhelm it. |
Question for you |
What is your favorite Halloween candy? |
Michael L. says, “Nothing says a warm Halloween in California quite like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. It’s the very perfect compliment for the taste buds. As a kid, nothing made me happier than to see a Reese’s being given out when we knocked on a door. They are even better in the fridge!” |
Email us at essentialcalifornia@latimes.com, and your response might appear in the newsletter this week. |
Photo of the day |
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Work is underway to bring the Griffith Park merry-go-round back to its original splendor. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times) |
Games |
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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. |
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