A Price Tag on California's Beaches

These costs are important to state agencies with responsibilities at the beach. "A sandy beach, even in L.A., is a habitat and a natural resource," said Pierre duVairof California Fish and Game's Office of Spill Prevention and Response, one of seven government agencies funding the study. State officials can also then evaluate the economic costs of pollution and development. The study is being conducted by David Layton, a University of California, Davis, economist, Michael Hanemann and Michael Ward of the University of California, Berkeley, and Linwood Pendleton of the University of Southern California.