Manhattan Beach Poised For Sand Fight With Broad Beach Homeowners

MANHATTAN BEACH (CBSLA.com) — Homeowners along shrinking Broad Beach really like the sand in Manhattan Beach and think it would be perfect to help replenish their eroding shorelines. Problem is, Manhattan Beach city leaders really like it, too, so the two cities are poised for a sand fight.

The South Bay city was approached in August by an attorney for the 124 Broad Beach residents, who have formed the so-called Geologic Hazard Abatement District to fund the sand replenishment project, according to the Torrance Daily Breeze.

Dozens of Hollywood stars own homes along exclusive Broad Beach, including Mel Gibson, Richard Gere and Barbara Streisand. It's also been the focus of lawsuits over public access to its hard-to-reach beaches.

The planned nourishment project, with a $20 million price tag, requires the approval of several government agencies to add 600,000 cubic yards of sand to the shoreline, the newspaper reported.

The group has been in search for a suitable site to collect sand and found samples from Manhattan Beach to be ideal, the residents' attorney, Ken Ehrlich, told the Breeze.

Manhattan City Council members, however, oppose the project: the city fired off a letter to the State Lands Commission, urging the agency to reject the request.

"What I would say to the Broad Beach folks is, keep moving on," Manhattan Beach Mayor Wayne Powell told the newspaper.