Laguna Beach declared a local state of emergency on Friday morning after high tides and strong surf stripped sand from its shoreline, damaged a seawall and left six homes yellow-tagged. Several beaches and parking lots stayed closed as erosion continued, giving city officials one week of emergency powers unless they extend the declaration.
Dave Kiff, the Laguna Beach city manager, said the scale of the loss was unlike anything many longtime residents had seen. “Most of us have never seen this much sand leave our beaches at once,” he said. He added that the city expects some sand to return, but is not planning around that hope. With a very strong El Niño forecast ahead, he said Laguna Beach needs the ability to act quickly to protect homes, beaches and public infrastructure.
The declaration came a day after Dana Point declared an emergency and after the National Weather Service said this year’s El Niño has a 75% chance of bringing a historic weather event. The timing matters because the damage already visible in Laguna Beach is being treated not as a one-off washout, but as the start of a longer stretch of coastal risk, with more storms and stronger surf possible.
That is the pressure behind the emergency powers now. Laguna Beach officials can move faster for short-term response measures during the weeklong declaration, rather than waiting through slower routine procedures while the shoreline keeps moving. The city has not identified every beach and parking lot still closed, but the message is clear: the sand may come back, yet the city cannot afford to count on it.
The broader pattern along the coast has only sharpened that caution. Emergency declarations came after the fringes of Hurricane Marie brought high surf and rain to Southern California over Labor Day Weekend, and damage elsewhere has included homes, a pier and even a train line. For Laguna Beach, the question is no longer whether the beach changed. It is how much longer the city can leave itself exposed before the next round of weather arrives.
