Coastal adaptation: The case of Ocean Beach, San Francisco

•The significant role of government.•The necessity of a neutral, skillful, and respected mediator.•“What everyone can live with” may not be good in the long run.

This paper examines the way coastal adaptation at the local level works citing one of the more successful cases of adaptation planning in Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Recent erosions that endangered San Francisco's wastewater treatment system helped push coastal adaptation initiatives to produce the Ocean Beach Master Plan. The plan included scenarios and trade-offs to engage multiple stakeholders including the San Francisco (SF) Public Utilities Commission, the California Coastal Commission, the National Park Service, the SF Department of Public Works, and the user groups of the beach. Investigation into the planning process reveals the benefits of increased public awareness and partnerships as well as limitations of implementation and lack of longer-term solutions.