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KTLA: “San Clemente’s problems with erosion and disappearing beaches have been well documented. But now some of those beaches will be getting a little relief!”
Buena Vista Audubon Society: “We applaud Rep. Levin for re-introducing the Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act, a key bill to help protect our priceless coastal estuaries”
OC Register: “The project that’s adding about 251,000 cubic yards of sand isn’t just a one-time deal, but a 50-year commitment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeat the replenishment every five years”
San Clemente Mayor Victor Cabral: “We’re helping Mother Nature”
While House Republicans continue to waste time pursuing a deeply unpopular impeachment inquiry, Mike Levin continues doing what he does best — securing funding for community projects in his district.
With environmental protection initiatives that combat beach erosion, enshrine coastal wildlife habitats, and maintain the essential LOSSAN rail corridor, Levin’s work is having a real, tangible local impact that’s a refreshing break from the GOP’s partisan games.
Take a look at some of the recent news chronicling Levin’s work for the community:
From KTLA:
WATCH THE CLIP:
- Anchor: All right now to San Clemente where crews are busy reinforcing the diminishing shoreline. There’s this massive sand replenishment project that’s underway right now. KTLA 5’s Orange County Bureau Chief Chip Yost is joining us live. He’s got that part of the story for us. Hey, Chip!
- KTLA’s Chip Yost: Hey there, Sandra and Glen. You know, San Clemente’s problems with erosion and disappearing beaches have been well documented. But now some of those beaches will be getting a little relief.
- This is how. Take a look at this video, see this pipeline right here. It’s sitting right next to the beach next to the pier. That pipeline will bring in sand from offshore, the sand will actually be coming from Oceanside. They’ll dredge some of the sand up off the coast of Oceanside, then by ship, bring that sand up here to San Clemente, put it in one of those pipes and drop it on the beach. It’s expect to help things out here. It’s not going to solve all the problems — that’s a much bigger issue. But it is expected to help things. Congressman Mike Levin was here a little earlier and talked about what things should look like after all that sand is put down.
- Rep. Mike Levin: What we will see is…50 feet of additional sandy beach, and about 251,000 cubic yards of sand. That will go 3400 feet from Linda Lane to T Street.
- Chip Yost: Now this particular project he’s talking about will last about four weeks — but it’s just the beginning really. This is really a long-term 50 year project, they want to try to do this every six years over the next 50 years, keep bringing in sand like this. As for this particular part of the project, that will last over the next four weeks. It costs about $15 million, with the federal government Army Corps of Engineers picking up about 65% of that for now.
From KFMB:
WATCH THE FULL CLIP:
- Anchor: A major project now underway in San Clemente to shore up the shoreline. The city announced they will be bringing in tons of sand to widen a section of the beach right there and reduce the threat of any future bluff collapses. They’ve had this issue in San Clemente a lot lately. Congressman Mike Levin hopes this will help prevent rail closures.
- Rep. Mike Levin: If you think about all the jobs up and down our coast in Orange and San Diego County alone, it’s about 140,000 jobs and a multibillion dollar impact to our regional economy. But also think of the rail corridor that connects San Diego to the rest of Southern California, the LOSSAN corridor. So when the rail corridor shuts down for a month or for six weeks or two months, we’re talking about an impact of hundreds of millions of dollars.
From The Times of San Diego:
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“Rep. Levin Joins Bipartisan Colleagues in Legislation to Protect Coastal Ecosystems”
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Rep. Mike Levin has joined colleagues in Florida, Oregon and Virginia in a bipartisan effort to increase federal protections for coastal and estuary habitats like the San Elijo Lagoon in North County.
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The Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act introduced Monday would revitalize the existing Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program and require the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to designate five new National Estuarine Research Reserves over the next five years.
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The bill would fund the conservation efforts at $60 million annually and expand the program to support work by nongovernmental organizations. Earlier funding ran out several years ago and was not reauthorized.
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“Our cherished lagoons and estuaries are vitally important to the stability of our environment and economy. It’s crucial that we help our coastal communities preserve these natural resources and better prepare for the impacts of climate change,” said Levin, a former environmental lawyer who represents north coastal San Diego and south Orange counties.
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“I’m proud to introduce the bipartisan Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act to reauthorize a successful program that will allow us to better meet today’s environmental needs and safeguard coastal environments for future generations,” he said.
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The legislation is endorsed by the Coastal States Organization, National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, Oceana, National Audubon Society, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, National Wildlife Federation, Ducks Unlimited, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers, American Sportfishing Association, Bonefish & Tarpon Trust, and Restore America’s Estuaries.
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“We applaud Rep. Levin for re-introducing the Resilient Coasts and Estuaries Act, a key bill to help protect our priceless coastal estuaries,” said Natalie Shapiro, executive director of the Buena Vista Audubon Society in Oceanside. “As climate change and development continues to degrade the functioning of these coastal treasures, it is even more imminent to engage in their protection and restoration.”
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“In addition, as a non-profit actively restoring coastal wetlands in North County San Diego, we experience first-hand the need for funding this critical work and are thrilled that the act includes expanding the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program to include providing grants to non-profit organizations,” she said.
From The Orange County Register:
- “San Clemente’s $14 million beach-building project kicks off”
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San Clemente’s beach building is officially underway.
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Officials gathered on Monday, Dec. 18, to mark the start of the long-awaited San Clemente Shoreline Sand Replenishment Project, with heavy equipment in the backdrop shifting sand to make way for the dredged sediment pulled from the ocean floor in Oceanside.
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Beachgoers will notice a large barge off the coast through January, with heavy machinery, large piping and orange safety netting on the sand for the project.
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A dredger was having a piece fixed before it was expected to haul its first load of sand ashore later in the day Monday, the start of the $14-million project that will eventually add a 50-foot-wide beach between T-Street and Linda Lane on the north and south sides of the town’s iconic pier.
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Congressman Mike Levin, among the many dignitaries at the groundbreaking ceremony, said the project that’s adding about 251,000 cubic yards of sand isn’t just a one-time deal, but a 50-year commitment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to repeat the replenishment every five years.
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San Clemente Mayor Victor Cabral noted the project has been 20 years in the making, saying it was only possible because of the collaboration between federal, state, county and local partners.
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“Today it’s important to recognize all community leaders who had the vision and the courage to start this project 20 years ago,” he said. “The project will protect critical shoreline infrastructure, including rail line and businesses, as well as preserve access to our beaches.”
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The sand piped in restores the natural nourishment missing because of human impacts such as development, he said, and is a way to prepare for future impacts of climate change.
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“We’re helping Mother Nature,” he said.
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Councilmember Chris Duncan, who helped push to get the sand project underway in his last year as the town’s mayor, said the project is a “dream come true,” a chance to preserve San Clemente’s coast for future generations.
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“It takes so long and there’s so much hard work, you’re not even sure it’s eventually going to happen,” he said. “It shows that when you work collaboratively on something that the entire community can get behind, you can make anything happen.”
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UC Irvine civil and environmental engineering professor Brett Sanders said the project is the start of a commitment to help a coastline that has suffered in recent years.
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“We have such a heightened state of awareness today with sea level rise and coastal impacts that these coastal issues are going to be the priority,” he said.
From KCAL News Los Angeles:
- “Crews start crucial project aimed at saving San Clemente beach”
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Crews started the crucial project to save a half-mile stretch of San Clemente beach and the train tracks that run alongside it.
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The critical infrastructure linking San Diego to the rest of California has closed several times recently after landslides and storms threatened the safety of the railway.
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“If you think about all the jobs up and down our coast in Orange and San Diego County alone it’s about 140,000 jobs and a multi-billion dollar impact to our regional economy,” Congressman Mike Levin said.
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The incoming sand from the Camp Pendelton area will help protect not only the rails but also the coastal bluffs, businesses, and homes while also widening the shore by 50 feet. With the help of the Army Corps of Engineers, crews will pump in a mix of sand and water through an offshore pipeline three times a day to push the sand up to the coastline.
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The project will take about a month to complete and will need to be repeated in about six years. The city must raise about $9 million, about half of the cost, to continue the future projects.
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