Greetings Oceanside Beach Restoration Advocates,
Summer has certainly flown by, but some of the best days of our “local summer” are just starting. With school back in session and our visitors thinning out, it is an opportune time to get down to our shoreline and enjoy our beaches. The SOS team is providing updates on RE:BEACH, measure X, USACE Oceanside brief and other topics. The SOS beach popup continues to inform and educate the community each weekend. Dirk Ackema leads the SOS Popup team, and they will be wrapping it up for the summer at the Supergirl Surf Pro from September 20-22. Consider joining Dirk and the team, it’s a great way to get involved and be part of the advocacy.The Citizen Science team led by Serena continues to conduct monthly beach transect measurements and new citizen scientists are always welcome. Lastly, but certainly not least is our communications committee, led by Charlie Bowen. They continue to craft direct, factual and relevant messages and articles, updating and informing our community progress and issues supporting the restoration of our beaches. Look for SOS articles in the next editions of the O’sider and The Best of Oceanside.
Your SOS Board is hard at work focusing efforts to continuing to support the RE:BEACH Pilot project and continues to work with our city staff and elected officials on expanding the city’s capacity for coastal management as well as advocating for near term beach nourishment project design and execution in parallel with the RE:BEACH project.
In addition to these critical efforts, SOS is embarking and expanding our education/outreach and advocacy over the next 2 years by building focused, actionable project plans in the following three priority areas:
Coastal Resilience Education & Outreach – Through sharing science-backed, fact-based, information; SOS’s Coastal Resilience Education initiative will expand further, dismantling misinformation and helping to enable the community to effectively engage, form opinions and advocate for coastal management action by the City of Oceanside, as well as our state and federal agencies.
Vision for Coastal Management – In partnership with the City of Oceanside, Save Oceanside Sand (SOS) is leading the development of a 20-year vision for the entire Oceanside coast. This will consist of community visioning workshops and development of an actionable vision/plan for refinement and presenting to the city council for a vote of approval.
California Coastal Commission (CCC) Advocacy – Affect a positive change on behalf of the community in the way coastal projects are reviewed and approved by the CCC. By creating a coalition of other grassroots organizations focused on coastal issues, we will be able to elevate these concerns of the community and generate a dialogue with the CCC to create more pathways, funding and approval of projects along the Oceanside coast and beyond.
Some near term SOS calendar items of interest that SOS will be participating in to continue coalition building and stay engaged on coastal issues. Hit the active links below or follow up on our social media/website feeds.
5 September – SANDAG Shoreline Preservation Working Group
5-6 September – 2024 Smart Coast California Policy Summit
16 September – US Army Corps of Engineers Oceanside Sand Study Brief; Oceanside Civic Center Library Meeting rooms 6-8pm. Specifics to follow.
20-22 September – Supergirl Surf Pro Oceanside Surf contest and festival
As always thank you all for your continued support on our journey to restore our beaches in a manner that be a near-term and long-term solution. SOS continues to make a difference in working with our city leaders to do something no other California City is doing – Implementing a sustainable sand retention and nourishment pilot project. We are always looking to expand our core team of volunteers, come and join us at our remaining Summer Saturday pop-up events for education and outreach as well as the continuous SOS Citizen Science program. See the below links to volunteer.
Get involved with us by volunteering and/or donating to SOS.
Sincerely,
Bob Ashton
President/CEO, Save Oceanside Sand
bashton@sosoceanside.com
~ ~ SAVE OCEANSIDE SAND NEWS ~ ~
Oceanside’s RE:BEACH Pilot Project Moves Towards Siting Decision
The RE:BEACH pilot project will be in ONE of the three areas shown above
Oceanside’s RE:BEACH Sand Replenishment and Retention Pilot Project is making progress, working through the project siting phase. The RE:BEACH team conducted two very informative and engaging siting analysis webinars in July with great presentations, participation and Q & A sessions. The RE:BEACH team provided the pilot project outline below to define what the pilot project consists of.
Pilot Project Outline (from the RE:BEACH webinar)
The overarching intent is to implement one pilot project concept (two headlands and one reef with beach nourishment).
monitor and learn from it and develop future projects for the rest of Oceanside’s shoreline.
These future phases may not be a direct copy/paste of the pilot project concept.
The pilot project concept can be optimized for any segment (of the Oceanside shoreline) to meet the performance goals.
Benefits of the project will extend beyond the headlands (to the North and South) and behind the reef.
Implementation of the pilot project concept is viewed as feasible in all three segments of our shoreline being considered.
The ease of implementation across segments and the trade-offs between benefits and challenges vary across different segments.
What’s next? Further siting analysis is being conducted with another RE:BEACH webinar/public meeting, then the team’s siting recommendation will go to city council for review and approval. The siting location approval will get us to the next phases of final design and permitting. Exciting time on our coast for certain!
How can you be involved? Review the webinar presentations and most importantly provide feedback to the Oceanside RE:BEACH team via the RE:BEACH Website. Please take the time to review the webinar and provide feedback.
SOS Meeting in October
The SOS team is in the planning stages for another SOS in person meeting for the week of 21 October. Venue will be “The Vault” at Ryes and Grind with specific date/time to be announced shortly. Stay tuned via our website and social media feeds for an update on specific date and time information Special thanks to the staff at The Vault & Ryes and Grind for taking such great care of us at our last meeting. Great food, beverages, service and atmosphere.
SOS “Shined” at the City Independence Day Parade
We had an amazing time at the City’s Independence Day parade this year! Our volunteers showed up in full force for our third consecutive year, earning plenty of cheers and recognition for our cause. With our mission announced at every stop, and our SOS Summer Student interns marching alongside us, we were thrilled to be part of the City’s official YouTube video. It was a day full of excitement and community spirit—join us next summer for more festive fun!
Fall 2024 Best of Oceanside SOS Article
“What can I do to help?” is often one of the questions asked by people who stop by Save Oceanside Sand’s (SOS) informational popup booth that’s usually setup south of the pier on Saturdays over the summer. Currently that’s an easy answer to provide to registered voters living in Oceanside: vote yes on the Renewal of Measure X on your November 2024 ballot.
Renewal of Measure X will NOT raise taxes; rather, it continues for another 10 years at the same half-cent rate that otherwise expires in 2026. For the past six years, Measure X has generated on-average $18 million each year to directly support infrastructure improvements and community initiatives. Examples of this are increased public safety, improved road conditions, modernized infrastructure, expanded no-cost youth programs and aid for homelessness. Approximately 63% of sales tax collected in Oceanside is paid by non-residents, tourists and businesses. Fiscal accountability for expenditures funded by Measure X is provided through independent audits and a Citizen’s Oversight Committee.
If passed in November, the renewal of Measure X would directly fund the sustainable restoration of Oceanside’s beloved beaches and protect its coastal habitat. This is the result of successful advocacy efforts by SOS to convince Oceanside officials to include beach and habitat restoration as one of the funding categories. Additionally, the city now classifies our beaches and shoreline habitat as vital infrastructure that requires proper management, maintenance and recurring, budgeted funding.
In separate surveys conducted by the city and SOS, Oceanside voters strongly support beach and habitat restoration to ensure a usable beach and shoreline resilience for this and future generations. Similar results were seen in the city’s recent survey on its General Plan Update. When asked to name the city’s greatest asset, more than 80% of respondents selected “Beach and Coastal Amenities,” the top choice by far. In the same survey, when asked to pick 2 of their favorite things to do in Oceanside outside of their home, more than 65% selected “Go to the beach and/or harbor.”
The language in the Measure X Renewal on the November 2024 ballot clearly reflects what local voters value – the beaches and our coastal habitat. Voters will have a chance to vote in favor of what’s important to them, because a yes vote will help fund beach and habitat restoration, projects which are clearly important to Oceanside residents. SOS urges Oceanside residents to vote a yes on the Measure X Renewal.
SOS Summer Saturday Beach Pop-Ups
This summer, as in previous years, the SOS popup kiosk continues to inform and educate our community on critical shoreline issues and solutions. Led by Dirk Ackema, the SOS popup committee sets up and runs our SOS pop-up kiosk every Saturday near the pier. The exact location varies depending on local events. Two high school interns have joined the team, helping to educate the public about the importance of beach sand replenishment and retention. Each Saturday, the team engages with 200 to 300 beachgoers, explaining the sand loss issue and the City’s RE-BEACH project. Impressively, they’ve been able to sign up as many as 40 new SOS members each week!
(BELOW: Prior City Councilman Jerry Kern & his wife, Blake stop by SOS)
SOS Membership – Your Support Matters!
We’re excited to share that Save Oceanside Sand now has over 1,500 members! As a member, you receive our quarterly newsletter and occasional “Call to Action” emails, encouraging you to reach out to your elected representatives. This collective effort truly makes a difference!
To build on this momentum, we aim to significantly grow our membership in the coming year. With crucial sand projects on the horizon, we’ll need strong support from Federal, State, and local elected officials and staff to secure the necessary funding and approvals.
If you know anyone who isn’t yet a member—whether friends, relatives, or even your spouse—please encourage them to join us by visiting www.sosoceanside.com. Every new member helps strengthen our cause. Thank you for your continued support!
SOS July Meeting and Insights from Australia’s Gold Coast
On July 25th, SOS hosted an open meeting at “The Vault” on Coast Highway in Oceanside. The venue was outstanding, offering great food, excellent service, and state-of-the-art electronics. About 40 people attended, and we were delighted to welcome several new SOS members.
The meeting featured key presentations by Michael Gossman, Assistant City Manager, and Jayme Timberlake, Coastal Zone Manager. Michael discussed the achievements made possible by Measure X sales tax funding, highlighting the role of the Civilian Oversight Committee in ensuring responsible spending.
He also explained the details of the Measure X extension, which will appear on the November ballot. The SOS board is firmly in support of a “Yes” vote on this measure.
Jayme Timberlake shared fascinating insights from her recent trip to Australia’s Gold Coast near Surfers Paradise. During her visit, she closely examined the beach features designed to retain sand, such as headlands, sand bypass systems, and artificial reefs. She and her son even paddled out to the offshore reef to explore the diverse marine life and surf the waves created by these structures. Jayme’s briefing highlighted how elements of the Gold Coast’s successful sand retention strategies are being incorporated into the RE:BEACH plans for Oceanside, showing the potential for similar success here at home.
SOS Launches New Social Media Initiative—We Need Your Help!
Save Oceanside Sand (SOS) is excited to announce our partnership with Rising Swell, a top-tier social media firm, to amplify our impact across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube. Over the past two months, you may have noticed a stunning series of posts on Instagram. Soon, you’ll see this dynamic content on all our social media channels. This initiative is a key part of our mission to educate the public about coastal preservation.
We need your support! When you’re on social media, please search for “@sosoceanside” and take a moment to subscribe, follow, and like our posts. Your engagement is key to increasing SOS’s visibility in the community.
If you have creative ideas, draft scripts, photos, or video clips that could enhance our content, please send them to our Board Secretary at smaschue@sosoceanside.com. We’ll make sure your contributions reach our social media team.
With your help, we can spread the word and make a greater impact!
