LOS ANGELES - Los Angeles County’s most iconic beaches are shrinking.

Zuma Beach in Malibu is losing about 3.6 feet of shoreline each year, and the popular Dockweiler State Beach near LAX is losing about 4.5 feet each year.

While beach erosion occurs naturally over time, in Southern California (and elsewhere), the process is speeding up due to climate change, which contributes to sea level rise and intensifies storms and waves along the coast.

Now, the county plans to spend $5.1 million in an attempt to slow the disappearance of popular coastlines at three beaches through “living shoreline” projects.

The projects will “use native plants to restore dunes and shoreline habitats that naturally protect the coast from rising seas and stronger storms,” according to a news release from the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors.

Story Date: October 5, 2025