MAKING WAVES:

Turning Action Into Results for Oceanside’s Beaches

Our Impact: 

From city approvals to community action, 
see how Save Oceanside Sand is making real progress 
in restoring Oceanside’s beaches 
— and what’s next to keep them thriving.

Key Milestones Achieved this Year

  • Advocated to expand RBSP III sand placement to South Oceanside 

  • Grew the Coalition to Restore Oceanside Beaches to eight local organizations

  • Helped secure three City budget line items for beach restoration

  • Engaged City Council to direct staff on funding strategies for Oceanside City’s RE:BEACH and RBSP III projects

  • Advocated for and secured new City coastal management staff positions

2024 Highlights

  • Jan: City Council approves RE:BEACH pilot project

  • Mar: Secured $867,000 in city budget for beach preservation

  • Jun: Launched summer pop-up events & community science initiatives

  • Sep: Completed second summer intern project with local students

  • Dec: Hosted briefing on shoreline mitigation study

Restoring Oceanside’s Beaches Together

Continuing Goals

  • Support Oceanside RE:BEACH pilot project implementation

  • Advocate for near-term nourishment projects

  • Expand community science initiatives

What We’ve Accomplished

Together with the Oceanside community—and through strong advocacy with our city leaders—we’ve made incredible progress toward restoring our beaches. These wins wouldn’t be possible without your support. Take a look at some of the things we’ve accomplished so far, and know that your continued involvement is key to achieving a resilient, restored shoreline for all of O’side!

  • In 2019, SOS created and continues to conduct beachside informational pop-ups to provide education and outreach on Saturdays all summer long, and at selected events.  We share updates and information on projects that are happening to restore our beaches, as well as education on how we got here and what can be done.

  • SOS advocacy led to the City hiring of GHD and the completion in 2021 of Oceanside’s Beach Sand Replenishment and Retention Device Project feasibility study, which identified hybrid sand retention and nourishment solutions.

  • The SOS Community Science program was established in October 2021, and the monthly collection of scientific data has been ongoing since then. Working with the SCRIPPS Institution of Oceanography, SOS Community Science volunteers conduct monthly beach sand data measurements along our entire Oceanside and North Carlsbad shoreline.   This data is made available to other institutions, coastal engineering firms and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to better understand the Oceanside shoreline behavior and assist in engineering a solution.

  • Following advocacy by SOS, the City of Oceanside created a new position in May 2022 and hired its first Coastal Zone Administrator, Jayme Timberlake.

  • Every summer since June 2022, 6 students are selected to participate in the SOS High School Intern program.  The interns participate in the SOS Beachside Popups and the Community Science program, plus they  learn about coastal processes as they relate to the Oceanside coastal situation. They also have fun representing SOS and marching in the Oceanside Independence Day Parade.

  • SOS helped message and get the word out to its members and the community to get involved and participate in the community workshops that provided feedback to the design teams in the 2023 RE:BEACH International Design Competition.  Additionally, SOS CEO/President, Bob Ashton, was selected and served as a member of the jury that selected the winning design.

  • SOS advocacy contributed to the Oceanside City Council’s unanimous approval of the winning RE:BEACH design in January 2024 and its proposed project site in November 2024.

  • For Oceanside’s FY 2024–25 budget, SOS advocated and worked with the City to establish 3 independent budget line items in the city budget.  In the first year, nearly $900,000 was allocated by the City for beach restoration, including a commitment to recurring funding.

  • Public outreach efforts by SOS contributed to the passage of the Measure X extension (10 years)  (by Oceanside voters in November 2024.  Additionally,  the measure now includes beach and habitat restoration support and classifies the beach as critical infrastructure.

  • SANDAG’s Shoreline Preservation Working Group (SPWG) approved RE:BEACH as the region’s sand retention pilot project in June 2025.  While RE:BEACH remains a City of Oceanside project, its selection as the regional pilot secures SANDAG’s support for and advocacy on behalf of RE:BEACH implementation.  Consistent advocacy by SOS, as well as our education and outreach efforts, helped to bring this about.

Making Strides for Our Coastline

6+

Years advocating to save Oceanside beaches.

Established in 2019, after watching our sand be dug out and hauled away to make way for Oceanside’s newest hotels, SOS Oceanside was born.

Save Oceanside Sand efforts are working. See it in numbers.

900+

Save Oceanside Sand members and growing!

Sign up to receive the SOS newsletter and help RESTORE AND PROTECT Oceanside beaches. Join us!

19536+

Linear feet of public beaches we protect.

Oceanside is home to 3.7 miles of coastline. That’s a lot of opportunity for sand! It’s up to us to RESTORE AND PROTECT this precious commodity.