Sunset Cliffs is a favorite place for locals and tourists to see the wild ocean crash against the shore. But the edge of those cliffs is moving inland and getting more dangerous.
What was once a parking lot is now the very edge of the cliff. The eroding coastline has forced the city to constantly find new ways to keep people away from the dangerous blufftop.
“Mother Nature continues to take her toll on the bluffs and cliffs here in the area, so we need to keep up and make sure that we’re keeping public safety in mind,” said Jose Ysea, spokesperson for the city of San Diego.
This is why the city has set up caution tape and has plans to install a permanent fence along the top of the top of the cliff to prevent people from getting too close.
The new fence won’t be something you can’t climb over. Ysea said it won't be much different from the coastal fences we’re familiar with, with a heavy cable strung between wooden posts.
“It’s not really a matter of building a big, brick wall. It’s just a reminder that people can’t cross over that line to the other side of the bluff because of the potential danger,” he said.
Ysea called the whole business of securing the cliff a work in progress, which follows the progress of coastal erosion.
The danger of crumbling coastal cliffs is very real.
A family in Encinitas lost a mother and a daughter after a cliff collapsed in 2019, killing the two people on the beach below. The family sued Encinitas and the state of California, collecting a $30 million settlement.
People spending some free time at Sunset Cliffs were supportive of the city’s effort to make the cliffs safer.
“I think it’s a beautiful section of coast and as long as we can get up and look at it and appreciate it, I don’t see any harm if they put up barriers to keep us safer,” said Susan Butler, from Solana Beach.
Arturo Carmona was visiting from Los Angeles with his wife and child.
“You’re starting to see higher tides, probably a result of climate change. And I think as our nature and our climate changes you’re going to have to take measures to protect people with a balanced approach, that also allows us to have access to nature and our beautiful beaches in California,” Carmona said.
City workers will begin installing a permanent barrier in January along about 200 yards of bluff line near Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in Ocean Beach.