Los Angeles County manages 18 public beaches, which unlock recreation, employment, and heat relief for residents and visitors. The Executive Fellow will support the County in analyzing its beach-related policies, fees, funding sources, and cost recovery while enhancing accessibility. As a result of this work, the County will sustainably manage beaches for all residents to use.

Fellowship Dates: April 27, 2026 – April 23, 2027

Salary: Executive Fellows are FUSE employees and receive an annual base salary of $95,000. Fellows can also access various health, dental, and vision insurance benefits. Compensation for this year of public service is not intended to represent market-rate compensation for the experienced professionals in our program.

ABOUT THE FUSE EXECUTIVE FELLOWSHIP

FUSE is a national nonprofit working to expand social and economic opportunities, particularly for communities that have been limited by a history of systemic and institutionalized racism. FUSE partners with local governments and communities to more effectively address pressing challenges by placing experienced professionals within city and county agencies. These FUSE Executive Fellows lead strategic projects designed to advance racial equity and accelerate systems change. Since 2012, FUSE has led over 250 projects in 40 governments across 20 states, impacting the lives of 25 million people.

PROJECT CONTEXT

Los Angeles County’s Department of Beaches and Harbors manages 18 non-contiguous public beaches stretching across one third of its mainland coast. In addition to attracting tourists, the beaches provide 9.8M residents with access to nature, employment, recreation, and heat relief. Maintaining these beaches is expensive. From daily operations to long-term preservation (e.g., erosion control) and emergency response (e.g., post-wildfire clean-up), the Department must carefully manage its budget to effectively steward the coastline. Due to wildfire recovery, legal settlements, and federal budget cuts, the whole County’s budget is constrained. The Department needs to identify creative funding solutions to keep delivering its mandate.

Updating access policies and fees could help the Department fund its work. It is critical, however, that these changes not reduce beach accessibility. The residents who most need the beaches for heat relief are the least able to afford increased fees. In addition, the County is cognizant of the role policy making played in the County’s history of inequitable beach access. One hundred years ago, Manhattan Beach (in Los Angeles County) used eminent domain to acquire Black-owned beach property and implemented policies to reduce beach access for Black Angelenos. The County returned the property to the Bruces’ surviving heirs in 2024, elevating the importance of equitable coastal management policies. Any changes to policies and fees must pair the dual mandate of financial sustainability and accessibility for all.

Another approach to budget management could be improved cost recovery through fee waiver management and partnership negotiation. The Department frequently receives requests for fee waivers for community events. Some strategic waivers could increase beach access and revenue from other sources (e.g., parking, concessions). Similarly, thoughtful negotiations with cities could allow the County to recoup the true cost of beach management.

The County of Los Angeles will partner with FUSE to update beach access policies and fees. The FUSE Executive Fellow will help draft updates, identify creative ways to encourage beach usage while increasing revenue, assist board members in making decisions regarding fee waivers, support beach management negotiations between the County and its cities, and analyze beach access policies from other jurisdictions. As a result of this work, the Department of Beaches and Harbors will develop clear and equitable beach use policies and maximize resources needed to maintain high quality beaches that serve all members of the public.

PROJECT SUMMARY

Starting in May 2026, the FUSE Executive Fellow will develop deep relationships with a broad range of stakeholders, including County partners (e.g., Board of Supervisors), frontline workers, and members of the public, with an emphasis on communities historically excluded from beaches (e.g., BIPOC communities, people with disabilities). The Executive Fellow will seek to understand the resources, opportunities, and aspirations these partners have for beach management and access. In addition, the Executive Fellow will review best practices for sustainable, equitable beach use and management policies. Finally, the Executive Fellow will work with their Executive Sponsor and Project Supervisor to develop and approve specific project goals and deliverables. While these goals and deliverables will likely include the ones listed below, they may differ based on situational changes and the Executive Fellow’s specific skills and experience.

Next, the Executive Fellow will lead the drafting process to update beach access policies and fees. This will require extensive collaboration across the Department to identify and revise policies and fees, and analyze the accessibility implications for changes. As part of the drafting process, the Executive Fellow will identify ways to promote increased beach use while recovering costs. This could include new payment schedules (e.g., annual fees) or new services and revenue streams that drive (rather than restrict) beach access. If successful, the new fees and policies will increase revenue for the Department while also increasing beach use and access.

In addition, the Executive Fellow will support the Department in negotiating management agreements with the cities of Los Angeles and Hermosa Beach. The Executive Fellow will help the Department document and justify the costs and revenue streams to be codified in the new contracts. If successful, the new agreements will equip the Department with better cost recovery, improving its financial sustainability.

Finally, the Executive Fellow will compile and analyze beach access policies from other jurisdictions to extract best practices and lessons learned. In addition, they will identify which Los Angeles County policies are completely novel. If successful, the Department will be able to anticipate potential roadblocks to the new policies, respond effectively, and test brand new policies.

To ensure sustainability, the new policies and fees the Executive Fellow develops should, to the extent possible, equip the Department with the revenue it needs to deliver services, implement strategic projects, and respond to emergencies while remaining accessible to all.

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

By April 2027, the Executive Fellow will have overseen the following:

Conduct a Stakeholder Listening Tour – Develop relationships with County government, frontline workers, and members of the public to understand the resources, constraints, perceived opportunities, potential threats, and aspirations affecting beach management. Conduct best practices research on equitable, accessible coast management in communities similar to LA County.
Update Fees & Policies – Lead the development of new beach access fees and equitable beach use policies. Identify new fee schedules, services, and revenue streams to increase funding and beach use.
Support Negotiations – Equip the County with the information and analysis necessary to negotiate fair, sustainable beach management contracts with the cities of Los Angeles and Hermosa Beach.
Compile and Analyze Policies – Compile and analyze policies on accessible beach management from the east and west coast. Identify lessons learned and policies that are completely new.

KEY STAKEHOLDERS

Executive Sponsor – Amy Caves, Chief Deputy Director, Department of Beaches & Harbors
Project Supervisor – Gary Jones, Director, Department of Beaches & Harbors

FUSE Executive Fellow | Enabling Financially Sustainable, Accessible Beach Management

Recommended Jobs