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The makings of a Central Coast ghost town

Cars are parked along a modest street that includes western-style buildings that say "Saloon" and "Pharmacy."
Ocean Avenue in the Central Coast city of Cayucos.
(John Corrigan / Los Angeles Times)
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Good morning. Here’s what we’re covering today.

The makings of a seasonal ghost town

A pier extends out over a body of water.
(Don Kelsen / Los Angeles Times)

It’s a classic California story.

A town with a certain charm, right on the beach, which for decades had been home to hippies and surfers is now an unaffordable nightmare: The cheapest house on the market costs more than $1 million, and permanent residents have been pushed out in favor of Airbnbs that sit empty for long stretches of time.

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Welcome to Cayucos, where all the elements that make for California’s contentious housing wars have converged.

L.A. Times reporter Jack Flemming recently reported on the city that once called itself “California’s last remaining beach town” — and is now more of a ghost town.

To understand what happened in Cayucos, it helps to take a look at the towns nearby.

Cayucos has seen particularly effective efforts to block development.

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The Cayucos Land Conservancy formed in the 1990s to stop a resort development by convincing the California Coastal Commission to disallow the project. That site has since turned into a state park.

In the wake of the years-long battle, Cayucans branded themselves “the little town that could,” Flemming reported.

Unlike Northern and Southern California, the Central Coast has vast stretches of open land that could be developed. But in the decades since its formation, the conservancy has acquired hundreds of plots of land in attempts to create a pristine, undevelopable greenbelt surrounding Cayucos.

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“We were lucky to be behind the curve,” Greg Bettencourt, who serves on the conservancy board, told Flemming. “We saw the development that was happening up and down the coast in Ventura, Oxnard, Santa Cruz, Monterey. We saw our future and decided we didn’t like it.”

Prices in beach towns up and down the coast have risen. They’ve risen more in Cayucos.

Here’s what Flemming found:

“Cayucos home prices have mirrored most of California, doubling over the last decade or so with a significant spike during the pandemic. But the low supply has sent prices soaring to greater heights than for its Central Coast neighbors.

“The median home price in Cayucos is $1.314 million, according to Zillow. That’s higher than Los Osos ($856,586), Morro Bay ($941,326) and Cambria ($1.006 million).”

There’s much more to the story than that. Read more about how locals are grappling with their changing town.

Today’s top stories

A man with graying hair, wearing a white shirt and khaki jacket, looks to the left
(Ana Ramirez / San Diego Union-Tribune)
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Gov. Gavin Newsom signed and vetoed several bills

Local fire chiefs say Forest Service staff shortages have exacerbated wildfires

What else is going on


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Commentary and opinions

Today’s great reads

A bird's eye view of a train on its route, flanked by forests
(Martin Zetina / Associated Press)

What a 1,000-mile railway across the Yucatán jungle says about Mexico’s outgoing president. The $30-billion train line has come to symbolize the presidency of Andrés Manuel López Obrador, an ambitious, often divisive leader obsessed with cementing his legacy.

Other great reads

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How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.


For your downtime

A spooky Victorian house with thirty one windows.  Each numbered.
(Patrick Hruby / Los Angeles Times)

Going out

Staying in

And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! Send us photos you have taken of spots in California that are special — natural or human-made — and tell us why they’re important to you.

A couple, seen from behind, walk on the beach near homes
A couple walk along the shoreline under cloudy skies in Venice.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Today’s photo is from Times photographer Brian van der Brug, of Venice Beach. A deep marine layer enveloped the Los Angeles region last week, bringing June gloom to September.

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Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Karim Doumar, head of newsletters
Amy Hubbard, deputy editor, Fast Break

Check our top stories, topics and the latest articles on latimes.com.

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