Editor’s Note: The following is a transcript of a podcast, which you can listen to using the embed above, or with the link here.

Oceanside’s beaches have been eroding away despite numerous efforts to bring in fresh sand. That’s why the city held a design competition geared at finding an effective sand restoration plan for its vanishing shores. During a council workshop on January 31, council officials unanimously voted for the International Coastal Management’s Living Speed Bump program. As Emily Ito reports, Oceanside locals have mixed feelings about it.

The plan is to create small living headlands that will act as natural erosion barriers and create open space for beachgoers. Longtime Oceanside resident, Bill Lillengreen, thinks its a promising proposal. He explains, “I am disturbed it has taken as long as it has to come to plan but I’m excited about it. Oceanside absolutely needs sand.”

Cameron Menesi lives just four blocks from the beach and often walks her dog by the area. She is skeptical given past sand restoration efforts have not worked. “They keep bringing sand on and it’s gone again in the next two weeks. I mean there’s no beach for people to lay on anymore so they should do that yeah.”

According to the ICM team, the pilot project will cost between 20 to 50 million dollars.

“My concern is that they’re going to spend a bunch of money and put all this sand in and the next big storm is going to wash it all away.” That’s Todd Melen, an Oceanside resident who worries that this solution will be short lived. “You can’t fight mother nature basically.”

Oceanside locals seem mainly excited but also anxious to see if this plan will actually work. Construction is projected to begin in the Fall of 2025. For UC San Diego’s The Guardian, this is Emily Ito.