"Recent large swells associated with Hurricane Marie resulted in the loss of cross braces at two (2) known locations along the side of the pier." City engineer Kathryne Cho wrote that line in a staff report, and Sun Newspapers quoted it when the City Council approved a new structural assessment of the Seal Beach Pier on Oct. 26.
Less than four weeks after that vote, the Seal Beach Chamber of Commerce will light its Christmas tree at the base of the same pier. Less than two weeks after the tree lighting, the Lions Club's Christmas Parade will step off from the pier and head up Main Street. Next to the pier, trucks are building the winter sand berm. This holiday season, the town's biggest celebrations and its most important winter repair work are happening on the same few hundred feet of shoreline.
The Braces That Went Missing in September
The damage traces back to Labor Day weekend. On Saturday, Sept. 5, strong surf flooded the parking lots near the pier. ABC7 reported that crews built a berm and pumped water back to sea. The next day, KTLA reported that the pier remained open while the 8th Street and 10th Street beach lots stayed closed.
The council's response came as a consent calendar item, which means nobody pulled it for discussion. The contract with GHD Inc. is capped at $198,000, including up to $18,000 for additional work requests. According to the staff report, the pier's last assessment was in 2015. The new one covers the wooden portion of the pier above and below the water. A separate assessment of the concrete section is already being completed.
The city issued its request for proposals on Aug. 19, before Hurricane Marie arrived, and received two proposals on Sept. 16. The inspection was already planned, and the storm made it more urgent. Cho's report says the confirmed damage calls for checks "beyond those conducted during a standard inspection." It ties the timing to "the forecasted strong El Niño season." GHD will rank repairs by condition and risk and prepare cost estimates for a phased maintenance plan.
A Pier With a Long Record of Coming Back
This is not the first time the city has had to take care of this pier. The Sun's history of the structure, "Seal Beach Pier: A history of comebacks," traces a cycle of damage and rebuilding that runs more than a century:
- 1904: A pier with a pavilion appears to have been built. The 1,500-foot pleasure pier at Fifth Street appears to have been finished in July 1906.
- 1935 to 1939: The pier fell apart, was razed and rebuilt starting in 1936, and reopened around Memorial Day 1939.
- 1983 to 1985: A February 1983 storm destroyed the pier. It reopened Jan. 27, 1985.
- 2013: Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier closed on Jan. 6.
- 2016: A fire on May 20 destroyed the former bait shack and the former Ruby's building. The Orange County Fire Authority found that it started as an electrical fire in the closed bait shack.
- After the fire: Repair work began in September 2018, and the pier later reopened on Friday, May 24.
The Sun's 2018 account said the city no longer planned to put a restaurant at the end of the pier, though the repairs would allow one later if the city chose. Today the pier's main role is a walkway and a gathering spot, and the holiday season uses it for both.
The Beach Beside It Changes Shape in November
While GHD prepares to inspect the pier, the beach south of it is being rebuilt for winter. The city's capital improvement site says the 2026–27 sand berm crews mobilized Wednesday, Oct. 21, with construction expected to continue through mid-November 2026. If that schedule holds, the berm should be finished around the time the tree goes up.
A 2019 Sun explainer, "Annual Seal Beach sand berm being built," covers the parts that stay the same from year to year. The berm runs from south of the pier to just short of the Naval Weapons Station fence. It is almost half a mile long and rises about nine feet above the regular beach at its highest point. It usually comes down in April. Seal Beach has built some version of it since the 1940s. Patrick Gallegos, then assistant city manager, told the Sun that its main purpose is to "protect against beach erosion and winter storm/wave damage to the beach and adjacent structures." The same article calls the berm a popular spot for kids to go sand sledding and for people to watch the sunset.
Hurricane Marie made this year's berm more pressing. The city reported significant loss and movement of beach sand during the September high surf, according to the Orange County Register.
Two Evenings That Start at the Pier
Both of the season's big events use the pier as their starting point, so the dates are worth knowing early:
- Saturday, Nov. 21, 4 to 7 p.m.: Christmas tree lighting at the base of the Seal Beach Pier. The Chamber's event page lists sledding for kids, a craft area, a visit from Santa, carolers, gingerbread cookies, hot cocoa and a life-size snowman for photos. The limited edition 2026 ornament is clear, crystal-like glass showing a seal riding in Santa's sleigh. It costs $20 and is sold at Javatinis, Bogarts Coffee, Endless Summer and the Chamber office. The Chamber's own note says it "will sell out."
- Friday, Dec. 4, 7 p.m.: the 48th annual Seal Beach Christmas Parade. The Seal Beach Lions Club's parade page puts the route along Main Street from the pier to Pacific Coast Highway. This year's theme is "A Red, White, and Blue Christmas," celebrating 250 years of freedom. The Lions Foundation produces the parade and expects "a large crowd of spectators." The same page links to the parade route and a parade parking map. Entry registration closed Oct. 15.
Both evenings begin at the foot of Main Street, next to Eisenhower Park at Main Street and Ocean Avenue. The city lists the park as open dawn to dusk, with restrooms and a tot lot. Families arriving early for the 4 p.m. tree lighting have a playground and restrooms close by.
Main Street Parking Stays Under Today's Rules This Season
The other decision from Oct. 26 sets how the holidays will work on Main Street. City staff proposed a five-year parking program with paid parking and shopper passes. The draft charged $3 an hour for on-street spaces in peak season and $1 an hour off-season, with a $70 annual Shopper Pass, and kept the two-hour limit and re-parking rules. Staff asked for permission to apply to the California Coastal Commission for a development permit. Paid parking would have come back to the council only after the commission issued that permit.
The council took no action. According to the Sun's report, Councilwoman Patty Senecal moved to wait until after the District One election seats a new council member, and Councilman Ben Wong seconded. That vote tied. Council Member Joe Kalmick then moved to submit the Coastal Commission application, and Councilman Nathan Steele seconded. That vote tied too. Mayor Lisa Landau recused herself. If the District One race goes to a runoff, the matter would return in March.
That means no change on Main Street before the tree lighting or the parade. The permit application has not been filed, and paid parking would need both the Coastal Commission and a second council vote. Police Chief Michael Henderson, who gave the staff presentation, said Main Street area parking regularly hits the 85% occupancy benchmark, especially in high season. His slides defined peak season as April 1 through Sept. 30 and off-peak as Oct. 1 through March 31. Under that definition, both holiday events fall in the off-peak window. During the discussion, Henderson suggested looking at longer time limits in the off-street lots.
For the Dec. 4 parade, the Lions' parking map is the practical guide. The GHD assessment has no announced completion date, the berm usually stays up until April, and the parking proposal could return as late as March. The tree lighting date and the parade route are set.
The Elmer Team keeps track of how changes like these, from pier repairs to parking rules, affect daily life along Main Street. If you're curious what your Seal Beach home is worth this season, The Elmer Team can help you start with an instant home valuation.
