I often say that I love California the way only someone from New Jersey can love California—partly because I grew up spending summers at the Jersey shore. I forgive you if you’re smirking, but please forget the television show. Yes, much of the shore is heavily commercialized, but New Jersey has some very beautiful beaches, and like many Jerseyans, I fell in love with the ocean at a young age.
As you might imagine, as soon as I laid eyes on the pristine beaches of California, which happened along the stretch of Highway 1 north of Santa Cruz, I was smitten. And here’s the thing: When I was growing up, many of the most beautiful beaches in New Jersey were private and off-limits. That remained true until four years ago, when Gov. Phil Murphy, invoking the Public Trust Doctrine codified by the Roman Emperor Justinian around 500 CE, signed legislation ensuring that the public has access to New Jersey’s shorelines and tidal waters.
If as a Californian, the idea of a private beach appalls you, I want you to consider that the public beach did not happen by accident. The notion of a private beach is unfathomable here because in California, with enough effort, the government can often be made to work for the people. As you will see in Jon Vankin’s article below, it was citizen activism that created the California Coastal Commission, which has worked to ensure that all California beaches are open to the public—and that the California coast does not look like the Jersey shore.
And: What happens when a big clean-energy plan challenges our notions of a pristine coastline? We shall see.
• Can California Continue to Fight the Ocean?
Los Angeles Times writer Rosanna Xia’s new book, “California Against the Sea,” examines the postwar coastal development boom and the challenges facing the 27 million Californians who live in the coastal zone as sea-level rise and coastal erosion become facts of life.
(10/22/2023) → Lookout Santa Cruz
• Higher Prices, Hungrier Students
The most expensive meal at UC Santa Cruz dining halls is now $14. The minimum wage in Santa Cruz is $15.50.
(10/20/2023) → City on a Hill
• Heidi Luckenbach Named New Santa Cruz Water Director
When Santa Cruz Water Director Rosemary Menard announced her retirement, the city began a national recruitment effort. After a weeks-long search, the ideal replacement was right here in Santa Cruz: Water Department Deputy Director and Engineering Manager Heidi Luckenbach.
(10/20/2023) → Santa Cruz Sentinel
• Santa Cruz County Supervisors Float Home Rebuild Program
Local leaders say the number of impacted homes and people displaced will only grow as the climate crisis intensifies, and they have set their sights on exploring a new tactic they think could both aid in the recovery effort and help residents prepare for the future.
(10/20/2023) → Santa Cruz Sentinel
• New Leaf Plans to Leave Pacific Avenue Store for Gateway Plaza in 2025
New Leaf Community Markets brand manager Lindsay Gizdich said the store is moving from downtown Santa Cruz to have more space. The new spot on River Street is 29,000 square feet, allowing the grocery store to expand its offerings.
(10/20/2023) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• Novelist Offers Supernatural Twist on Capitola Village’s Devastating Winter Storm
“A Dark and Rising Tide,” the latest novel from former KION-TV news director Debra Castaneda, is directly inspired by Capitola’s experience with the Storm of ’23.
(10/19/2023) → Read the full Lookout Local report
• Jayne Dough Gets a Home Base and a New Name
When we last spoke with Jayne Droese, she was serving up Detroit-style sourdough pizzas under the name Jayne Dough. Now she is putting down roots in the Capitola Village as La Marea Café.
(10/17/2023) → Edible Monterey Bay
