We Love LB

BREAKWATER BLUES

We Love Long BeachWed. July 08
 

Josh Fuller, invested surfer


PHOTO by JARED FULLER

“If you would have told me I was going to get the best barrel of my life in front of my house in Long Beach, well, I would have called you a liar,” says investor and entrepreneur Josh Fuller. “Long Beach breaks only a couple times a year—if you are lucky. However, during El Niño, there were so many storms that Long Beach broke a half-dozen times. It was as good as I have ever seen it.”

A Long Beach native, Fuller grew up by the beach. He cites this—as well as his older brother, who also surfs—as a source of his passion for the ocean. But he also realizes Long Beach isn’t a prime destination for surfing. “As much fun as it is to surf Long Beach, it’s also kind of depressing, in a way,” says Fuller, who, due to the city’s polluted and often waveless water, heads regularly to Huntington and Newport Beaches.

While making a Public Service Announcement for the Surfrider Foundation, Fuller came across some old photos of Long Beach at the Historical Society. He says he was both shocked and amazed at what the beaches looked like when the Long Beach coastline was in its heyday. “The beach was covered with thousands of people. There were roller-coasters, beauty pageants, games, restaurants, nice waves and tons of life. It looked like such a fun time to be alive,” Fuller says.

As the support for reconfiguring the breakwater grows, Fuller hopes Long Beach will one day realize the power that waves can bring to this great city. He just hopes that this day is sooner rather than later. // NATE BROWN

To learn more about We Love Long Beach, visit welovelb.org.

  • Dr. Morris
    Did I read right that Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-Huntington Beach) was asked 3 times to submit the "federal appropriations request" and turned
    down each request, contending that studying the reconfiguration of the Long Beach Breakwater is a local issue undeserving of federal money?

    What a moron! Is this who we want representing the people of Long Beach? He delayed the whole process of seeing if removing the breakwater would be good for the city. It makes me furious. It's clear that he has agenda and didn't just "forget" 3 times. Please do not support (vote) for him.

    I am thinking about starting my own blog "Impeach Dana Renebaucher.com," and making 10,000 flyers that say "Impeach Dana Renebaucher- He is bad for Long Beach" and pass them out to every house in Long Beach, and stand infront of his office in Huntington Beach with a big sign that says "Dana Renebaucher is Corrupt."

    Hopefully I can rally thousands of people and I believe we will start to uncover the real reason why the breakwater studies are moving forward so slowely. I have evidence of Long Beach politicians who have acted immorally/illegaly in the breakwater mater. Stay tuned

    http://rohrabacher.house.gov/Contact/
  • Lewis
    MONEY, MONEY, MONEY. That was is keeping the breakwater up and will continue to keep it up. The powers that be are making too much money with it up, why would they care about giving the people of Long Beach a vibrant beach.

    They don't want to "rock the boat" and bite the hand that feeds them. It's the same as Paulson and Bernake bailing out his friends on Wall Street with hundreds of BILLIONS of dollars, while 300 million Americans pay for it. It's welfare for the rich and its not good for you and me.

    But guess what, you don't even know this is going on and you don't care, this is why the breakwater will not come down, because eventhough we all want it down, no one is going to really do anything about it. Maybe Scott Jones, "Mr. Long Beach" and more guys like Josh Fuller could be the leaders of this movement. But most likely not.
  • Ricky Dog
    Does anyone know where I can buy some dinomite? Might be the only way, we all know our cities politicians are slaves to the lobbyists. The port of Long Beach has the control and unless the silent majority becomes unsilent, we will continue to have a deserted, dirty, worthless beach.
  • Bill Fuller
    Good to see you anyway I can, it's a great cause and I'm a 50 year resident of LB. dad
  • Jared
    Long Beach Breakwater is causing huge erosion problems on the peninsula - a problem that costs Long Beach tax payers upward of $50,000 annually.
  • Deborah
    Let's HOLD the Vision!! Didn't Congresswoman Richardson just get $$$ for research on sinking the east part of the breakwater? There's HOPE!!!
  • It's beyond me how uninformed the public is about the breakwater issue. First of all, there are 3 breakwaters, no one is taking about removing all 3 breakwaters. We are talking about removing or reconfiguring a portion of the eastern breakwater. No one wants to make drastic changes that will damage the Port, the oil islands, or the homes on the peninsula. The best action is a win win for all parties involved.

    Unless we can continue to get media attention and residents of Long Beach demand a safe, clean beach, it may never happen.


    With this article and the surfs up article, http://thedistrictweekly.com/2008/print/feature... I think we are off to a good start.
  • Jerry Farnsworth
    It used to be a fun time....

    Until the great white flight and multiculturalism took over.

    Section 8, HUD, welfare, illegal immigration, gangs, huge homeless population.

    How is Long Beach going to save it's shoreline and waves went it can't even save itself?

    Wishful thinking is always fun when it involves other peoples money.
  • Dave in Alamitos Beach
    Sorry Jerry, but I'd say it's the other way around. Once Long Beach allowed the Breakwater to happen (possibly for good reasons at the time), then the waves went away along with the good water quality.

    And once you've just screwed up your biggest asset, your raison d'etre as it were, then it's not surprising at all that all the other stuff would happen. People with means would leave, and those without would move in.

    So what do you want to do about it? Sounds like you don't want to do anything about it. Tearing down the Breakwater may help, and at least it's moving forward, no? I can think of no better step in improving Long Beach. The other problems you discuss, i.e. gangs and homelessness, etc. are FAR more intractible than a pile of rocks.
  • Jerry Farnsworth
    The people I mentioned never came here for the beach. They came here because LB is the wild wild west of LA county. We have also been under the stranglehold of socialist elite for the past two decades almost. Our city leaders dangle the carrots and they come.

    I could care less about the breakwater. If I decide to take my family to a beach, it will be one that doesn't have a bunch of fat brown guys standing by the parking meters in case parking enforcement strolls through. Bolsa, Huntington, Newport and maybe even Salt Creek.

    We need the breakwater to keep all the trash in.
  • Mayor of Long Beach
    Classic, I have surfed Long Beach dozens of times over the past 20 years and have yet to see anyone get barreled, let alone a Kirra barrel. If this wasn't Josh Fuller I would question if this was even Long Beach, but Josh has some pretty cool pictures from Long Beach over the years that he keeps under a lock and key.

    I would be interested in getting a copy of this picture if there is any way
  • Dave Wielenga
    Hey Mayor, and others...send your comments to letters@thedistrictweekly.com --- with your real names---and we will consider them for the magazine's Letters to the EDitor.
  • Grant
    I live on the peninsula and am all for the breakwater being reconfigured. Whoever is opposed to the breakwater being reconfigured because of houses on the peninsula is ignorant to the facts.

    In Surfside they have added 2 million square feet of beach in the last 10 years. This can easily be done to the peninsula. Most peopel don't realize Long Beach tax payers are charged $500,000 a year to add sand to the peninsula. Why? Because only South swells can enter Long Beach through the eastern end of the breakwater. This causes the beach on the peninsula to remain very small, while all the sand is pushed down to the pier, making a much wider beach there.

    If the breakwater was removed, North swells would be able to reach the peninsula, pushing the sand back, a natural equilibrium, just like nature intended.

    Would it cost money to do? Of course. But property values and local commerce would far out way the costs
  • http://republic.barefootwine.com/beachrescue/

    Please, Vote once a day to help secure funds to tear down the Breakwater!
  • Bring back the waves !!!
  • Dan<3waves
    This is the first barrel I have ever seen in Long Beach. I thought this was impossible. Josh Fuller is the man! We need to hold a rally of some sort to get this breakwater down! Does anybody know any actors or pro surfers that would support and raise awareness? Keep it up Josh!
  • Kahboom
    It's high time the breakwater came down so that we don't have to be ashamed of the second half of our city's fine name. It would be a boon for the city economically, there is no doubt of that, and it would put pressure on us to keep the rivers cleaner, too.
  • Smiggs
    Butt-mud
  • jerry
    until the home owners there on the edge agree, it aint gonna happen folks. high tide and a big swell and those homes are toast. aint gonna happen in this life time, or the next. million dollar properties are at stake. walk down the boardwalk and add it up sometime. i personally would love to see it happen, but as a realist, i don't see how.
  • Mayor of Long Beach
    Jerry,

    Do your homework, bud. Of course there would need to be some sort of reconstruction to the peninsula. No one is advocating just taking down the breakwater. There are a handful of similar cities across the world who had a similar situation as Long Beach, most added beach, others added groins. There is a solution so that no home is harmed.
  • I WANT WAVES AND I WANT THEM NOW!!!
  • Richard Payne
    The Fuller's are great surfers and like myself are Long Beach natives. I've been surfing for 38 years. I turn 50 next year and would love to see our city's beach turn into a surf destination before I die! I Live&Love Long Beach I just wish I could surf here! How sad is that! If the other city's can handle the surf so can we!!! Make this happen...Please!!!
  • Dave in Alamitos Beach
    My Dad grew up in the 1930s in Los Angeles (specifically the Highland Park area). He told me that when his family or neighbors went to the beach, the only place they considered going was to Long Beach!

    Even though Santa Monica and Malibu were closer (arguably), they didn't go there because it was more likely to be foggy and there wasn't as much to do there. With Long Beach you were guaranteed hot weather, nice waves, and lots of people watching. Imagine!
  • Rick Smith
    Great article and even better picture, the chocolately brown water does not look like something I want my kids swimming in. Luckily no one even goes to Long Beach, they drive to other beaches and spend their dollars there. I wonder how long it will be before an astute politician "gets it" and realizes how much money will Long Beach is losing
  • Delong
    I have live in Long Beach my whole life and have also seen the photos at the Historical Society, and Josh Fuller is completely accurate. Long Beach USE TO BE one of the best places to live. Long Beach residents need to recognize this is our city and we need to band together to make a positive change.

    -Delong
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