It's Thursday. A new report reveals the dirtiest beaches in the Golden State. Plus, San Francisco's mayor discusses the city's woes and challenges that lie ahead. |
 | | Santa Monica Beach.Beth Coller for The New York Times |
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Slather up with sunscreen. Grab some flip-flops, towels and maybe a book. And make sure to check your beach's water quality. |
Heal the Bay, a nonprofit group based in Santa Monica, released its 33rd annual Beach Report Card yesterday, with information about how safe California's beaches are for swimming. Taking a dip in polluted water makes you more likely to develop stomach illnesses, ear infections, rashes and more. |
According to the report, 95 percent of California's beaches logged clean water-quality scores between April and October 2022, the months when we're most likely to swim in the ocean. That's on par with the annual average. Only 23 of the more than 400 beaches in the state had worrisome levels of pollution during those warmer months, the report found. |
"Across the West Coast, we are fortunate to have beaches that are beautiful and clean most days of the year, but unfortunately there are times and conditions when the water at the beach makes folks sick," Tracy Quinn, the Heal the Bay chief executive, said in a news conference yesterday. |
So when experts at Heal the Bay looked at water quality year-round, instead of just for the warmer months, only two California beaches — Point Loma Lighthouse in San Diego County and Bean Hollow State Beach in San Mateo County — met the highest clean-water standards for all seasons and weather conditions in 2022. The year before, 51 beaches qualified for that rating. |
One major factor in the decline was large sewage spills. In places where storm runoff goes into the sanitary sewer system, heavy rainfall can flood sewage lines and cause them to overflow. In the 12-month period from April 2022 to March 2023, some 45 million gallons of sewage spilled into the ocean or coastal waterways in California, Heal the Bay reported. The figure for the previous year was 29 million gallons, which was already considered an alarming amount. |
"So we've had these two years of really high amounts of sewage spilled, and lots of that is aging infrastructure and a need to upgrade," Katherine Pease, Heal the Bay's director of science and policy, told me. |
These were the dirtiest beaches in California in 2022: |
1. Santa Monica Pier (Los Angeles County) |
2. Linda Mar Beach (San Mateo County) |
3. Marlin Park (San Mateo County) |
4. Erckenbrack Park (San Mateo County) |
5. Tijuana River Mouth (San Diego County) |
6. Pillar Point Harbor at Capistrano Avenue (San Mateo County) |
7. Marina del Rey Mother's Beach (Los Angeles County) |
8. Poche Beach (Orange County) |
9. Gull Park (San Mateo County) |
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 | | An aerial view of the Los Angeles Country Club. The classically designed course has long been on the short list of venues the U.S.G.A. wanted to host a U.S. Open.Ringo H.W. Chiu/Associated Press |
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- U.S. Open: The golf tournament comes to the Los Angeles Country Club today, the first time in 75 years that the championship has been played in the shadow of Hollywood. Golfers will face a rare collection of par 3 holes at the club, including one with a stunning view of the city.
- Refilled: Lake Oroville, the state's second-largest reservoir, has rebounded to 100 percent of capacity after a historic rainy season and plentiful snowmelt, The Los Angeles Times reports.
- Dockworkers' contract: Union leaders said they reached a tentative deal with shippers on a new six-year contract for dockworkers at 29 West Coast ports, after labor tensions and disruptions snarled traffic for more than a year.
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- An impressive grad: Rigoberto Eugenio Rodríguez graduated from Madera South High School this month, having completed his education while working in the fields to support himself and his family in Oaxaca, The Fresno Bee reports.
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- Major League Baseball: A day after A's fans gathered at Oakland Coliseum in a reverse boycott of plans to move the team to Las Vegas, the Nevada Legislature approved $380 million in public funding for a new stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.
- Westfield mall: The mall owner Westfield has decided to give up its San Francisco location, joining a mass exodus of retailers fleeing the city's downtown.
- London Breed: San Francisco's mayor, London Breed, discusses the city's woes and the challenges that lie ahead as employees continue to work from home.
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 | | Trione-Annadel State ParkBrian Baer, via California Department of Parks and Recreation |
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Today's tip comes from Perry Moore, who recommends Trione-Annadel State Park in Santa Rosa: |
"Trione-Annadel State Park is one of the best mountain biking-hiking areas. Adjacent to Spring Lake Park, known for its beach swimming areas, Trione-Annadel State Park has some difficult biking trails that are well known nationally and a large swimming area to cool off in. Most people park in Spring Lake and hike into the adjacent state park, making for a good two- to three-hour event." |
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We'll be sharing more in upcoming editions of the newsletter. |
We're almost halfway through 2023! What are the best things that have happened to you so far this year? What have been your wins? Or your unexpected joys, big or small? |
Tell me at CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live. |
And before you go, some good news |
Two baby red-ruffed lemurs are the first to be born at the Happy Hollow Park and Zoo in San Jose since 2009, The Mercury News reports. |
Red-ruffed lemurs are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are found only in a small part of Madagascar — and now in San Jose. |
The zoo plans to hold a contest this summer to let the public vote on names for the pups. |
Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Soumya |
Briana Scalia and Johnna Margalotti contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com. |
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