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September 18
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital


Carpinteria State Beach

Southern California may lose two-thirds of its beaches to rising sea levels by the end of this century, according to a report released Monday by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The agency used a newly developed computer model and factored for limited human intervention into and a continued output of CO2 emissions in concluding that 67 percent of the beaches in the southern portion of the Golden State could completely disappear by the year 2100.

“Beaches are perhaps the most iconic feature of California, and the potential for losing this identity is real,” said the study’s lead author Sean Vitousek, a former postdoctoral fellow at the USGS who currently works as a civil engineer in Chicago.

The implications of such a widespread loss of beaches in California would not only have a dire impact on the region’s economy, but figures to have huge implications for ecology and wildlife as well.

“Beaches are natural resources, and it is likely that human management efforts must increase in order to preserve them,” Vitousek said.

The study’s co-author, USGS geologist Patrick Barnard, said Southern Californians will soon face a choice between performing “massive and costly interventions” to provide a bulwark against rising seas “or risk losing many of the economic and protective benefits beaches provide.”

And foreshadowing of such interventions and the battles they elicit are already underway.

Ventura County is enmeshed in a legal battle with cities over a plan to transport 400,000 truckloads of sand from an inland canyon to Broad Beach in the city of Malibu.

The California Coastal Commission has frequently heard from beachfront property owners and the associations and community groups that represent them about the immediate need to construct revetment walls in an effort to stop or slow the onslaught of the ocean.

On the other hand, many nonprofits like the Surfrider Foundation assert the revetment walls are not only a costly waste of funds but they actually compound the coastal subsidence problems they are intended to alleviate.

Coastal Commission Executive Director Jack Ainsworth issued a statement Monday in reaction to the study, saying more needed to be done by coastal jurisdictions to plan for and manage sea-level rise.

“The prospect of losing so many of our beaches in Southern California to sea-level rise is frankly unacceptable,” he said. “The beaches are our public parks and economic heart and soul of our coastal communities.”

The coastal commission has spent time and money on the prospect of sea-level rise, developing the Sea Level Rise Policy in 2015 – a document aimed at helping local jurisdictions to incorporate current and potential impacts of a rising ocean on their land-use policies.

The Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank focusing on water resources, estimated in a landmark 2009 study that a sea-level rise of 4.6 feet would endanger $100 billion worth of property. This property includes seven wastewater-treatment plants, commercial fisheries, marine terminals, 14 power plants, homes and other important development and infrastructure, including the state’s iconic Pacific Coast Highway.

Exposed bedrock at the Isla Vista, California, beach during very low tide in February 2017. (Photo by Alex Snyder, U.S. Geological Survey)
In its literature, Coastal Commission planners estimate seas could rise by as much as 6 feet by the end of the century.

The USGS study predicts a loss of 31 percent of beaches if seas rise by 3 feet, with the 67 percent figure derived from a rise of about 6 feet.

Vitousek and Barnard used a model called Coastal Storm Modeling System-Coastal One-line Assimilated Simulation Tool (CoSMoS–COAST), which uses formulas to predict coastal erosion based on two factors: a rising sea and the increased storm pattern predicted to be a result of climate change.

Part of the reason the researchers are so confident in the results is they used the same model with historical data from 1995 and found it accurately predicted erosion and accretion trends from then until 2010.

California’s beaches are a mixture of the classic crescent-shaped sandy beaches, vegetation-covered dunes, bluffs, cliffs, estuaries, river mouths and other ecological variations, but the model was able to take this into account by focusing more on shoreline positions relative to waves and storm cycles.

Ainsworth said the publication of the study and others like it prove Californians must take climate change and sea level rise seriously and act preventatively.

“We must do everything we can to ensure that as much of the iconic California coast is preserved for future generations,” he said.

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LOS ANGELES COUNTY HEADLINES
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
The Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino today announced the opening of multiple joint Local Assistance Centers to assist residents impacted by the Bridge and Line Fires.
Wednesday, Sep 18, 2024
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
Tuesday, Sep 17, 2024
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Monday, Sep 16, 2024
The California Highway Patrol is dedicating Sept. 15-21 to promoting child passenger safety across California, focusing on the protection of the state’s youngest road users.
Friday, Sep 13, 2024
The 30th Annual Hart of the West Pow Wow will be held at William S. Hart Regional Park on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 5-6.

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Latest Additions to SCVNews.com
The Counties of Los Angeles and San Bernardino today announced the opening of multiple joint Local Assistance Centers to assist residents impacted by the Bridge and Line Fires.
L.A., San Bernardino Counties to Open Joint Local Assistance Centers for Residents Impacted by Bridge and Line Fires
Valencia Gynecology Associates, owned by longtime Santa Clarita Valley OB-GYN physician Don Nishiguchi, MD, has joined the Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital network. 
Valencia Gynecology Assoc. Joins Henry Mayo Network
JCI Santa Clarita is proud to announce the upcoming Veteran’s Resource Fair, scheduled to take place on Sept. 21 at William S. Hart Park. 
Sept. 21: JCI Invites All Veterans to Upcoming Resource Fair
A "friendies" field tournament  is being  hosted by the Saugus Instrumental Music program, with support from Valencia High, later this month. 
Sept. 21: All Valley Showcase Comes to Valencia High
Public, member-supported 88.5 FM The SoCal Sound, Southern California’s leading Triple-A (adult album alternative) format radio station has announced the lineup for its inaugural “Year-End Bash” taking place on Saturday, Dec. 7.
Dec. 7: CSUN Owned 88.5-FM The SoCal Sound Announces “Year End Bash” Lineup featuring Ben Gibbard
The Master's University cross-country teams continued their successful 2024 campaigns with strong finishes at the BIOLA Invitational on Friday, Sept. 13 at Craig Regional Park in Fullerton, Calif.
TMU Women Win, Men Place Second at XC Invitational
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
Sheriff’s Department Announces New Law Enforcement Gang Policy
The biology department at California State University, Northridge has stayed committed to promoting STEM research carried out by K-12 students and teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
CSUN Student Research Journal Celebrates 28 Years of Inspiring Scientific Imagination
Did you know the SCVEDC has an interactive, online tool that provides themed virtual tours of the amazing features the community has to offer? 
Take a Virtual Tour of the Santa Clarita Valley
California Institute of the Arts alum and visionary filmmaker Tim Burton (Film/Video 1979) was honored with the 2,788th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
CalArts Alum Tim Burton Receives Star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
1962 - Articles of incorporation filed for Golden State Memorial Hospital on Lyons Avenue [story]
Golden State Hospital
The Santa Clarita Valley Senior Center welcomes back Jim Curry for an evening concert celebrating the music of John Denver on Saturday, Oct. 5 at 5 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at Bella Vida.
Oct. 5: SCV Senior Center Welcomes Jim Curry ‘Take Me Home’
As part of the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency's ongoing commitment to ensuring local groundwater quality and reliability, the SCV Water recently began construction on a new treatment facility to remove perchlorate and volatile organic compounds at Well 205 in Valencia.
SCV Water Begins New Water Treatment Project in Valencia
Get ready to set sail at the Pirates SENSES Block Party, presented by the city of Santa Clarita, Thursday, Sept 19 from 7-10 p.m. on main street in Old Town Newhall.
Sept. 19: SENSES Pirate Block Party
No. 21 College of the Canyons football team knocked off No. 5 Fullerton College 29-13 on Saturday night behind a stifling defensive effort and five field goals from Luis Rodriguez.
No. 21 Canyons Knocks Off No. 5 Fullerton 29-13
Six of the seven Foothill League Varsity football teams begin league play Friday night, Sept. 20.
Foothill League Football Begins for SCV Teams
The California Institute of the Arts will present the "NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball", Friday, Oct. 4, 7-11 p.m. at 24700 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355.
Oct. 4: NAACP Santa Clarita Masquerade Ball at Cal Arts
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health is investigating two human cases of a rare parasitic infection, Baylisascaris procyonis, also known as raccoon roundworm.
Public Health Investigating Disease Spread from Animals to Humans
1879 - First official Newhall School building erected near Walnut & Ninth streets [story]
First Newhall School
The city of Santa Clarita is hosting Make A Difference Day on Saturday, Oct. 26 and is looking for enthusiastic residents to volunteer for various projects that benefit local nonprofits, as well as the city.
Oct. 26: Volunteers Needed for Make a Difference Day
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital and PathPoint announced the graduation of Aiden Land and Andrew Mendence from the Project SEARCH internship program.
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, PathPoint Celebrate Grad Interns
The William S. Hart Union High School District has announced upcoming community information meetings about Learning Post Academy Independent Study School, Thursday, Sept. 18 and Friday, Sept. 19.
Sept. 18-19: Learning Post Academy Online Information Meetings
The Santa Clarita Community College District Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting Wednesday, Sept. 18, 5 p.m. in open session to interview and appoint a new trustee for Area 5.
Sept. 18: COC Board to Interview, Appoint Area 5 Trustee
The city of Santa Clarita wants to remind residents that volunteer registration is open for the 29th Annual River Rally Cleanup and Environmental Expo scheduled for next Saturday, Sept. 21, from 8 to 11 a.m. at the William S. Hart Pony Baseball and Softball Complex, 23780 Auto Center Drive, Santa Clarita, CA 91355.
Sept. 20: Last Chance to Register for the River Rally
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