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Our Work

Ceto works across economics, environmental science, spatial analysis, and policy to help clients understand risk, public benefit, access, and resilience. Our work spans six complementary areas, from focused technical analyses to long-term planning efforts, with particular depth in coastal systems and methods that apply across a wide range of environmental settings.

Economic Impact & Environmental Valuation

economic-valuation

Understanding the value of natural resources, infrastructure, and public investments

The Socioeconomic Value of Urban Stormwater Capture
California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA)
2023-2024

Quantified often-overlooked public benefits of urban stormwater capture, including water quality, greenspace, wetlands, recreation, and community health, using economic valuation, GIS, and statewide stakeholder input.

San Clemente Fiscal Resilience Strategy
City of San Clemente
2024

Evaluated local funding strategies for long-term coastal resilience, modeling property-based, real estate transfer, and sales tax options to help the City identify reliable and equitable ways to fund adaptation.

Broad Beach Nourishment Economic Valuation
Malibu, California
2022

Evaluated the public benefits of proposed beach nourishment and dune restoration, including recreational and ecological value, to distinguish community-wide benefits from private property benefits in a complex funding context.

Climate Risk & Resilience

climate-resilience

Helping communities understand risk and plan for change

Stinson Beach Adaptation & Resilience
Marin County / ESA
2024-2025

Quantified property damage, recreational losses, fiscal impacts, and equity considerations associated with sea-level rise and coastal flooding to support adaptation planning and funding decisions.

Santa Barbara Airport Climate Vulnerability Assessment
City of Santa Barbara / ESA
2024-2025

Estimated the economic consequences of climate-driven flooding at Santa Barbara Airport, including flight delays, cancellations, passenger impacts, and operational losses, using FAA-aligned methods.

Dauphin Island Fiscal & Climate Adaptation Analysis
Mobile Bay National Estuary Program
2021-2022

Evaluated how alternative land-use, conservation, and infrastructure strategies would affect municipal revenues, service costs, and long-term fiscal resilience in a highly exposed barrier-island community.

Coastal & Natural Resource Planning

coastal-planning

Connecting science, economics, and policy in environmental decision-making

California Beach Resiliency Plan (CBRP)
Ocean Protection Council / UC Santa Barbara
2024-2027

Contributing socioeconomic, public access, and beach-use analysis to a statewide effort to understand beach vulnerability and support long-term resilience planning across California.

Los Angeles County Coastal Resilience & Shoreline Planning

LA County Department of Beaches and Harbors / Coastal Frontiers
2024-ongoing

Integrating economics, recreation, habitat, and coastal risk to help Los Angeles County prioritize resilience investments and evaluate beach nourishment, dune restoration, and living shoreline strategies.

Public Access, Recreation &
Visitor Use

public-access

Understanding who uses public resources, how they use them, and who benefits

San Clemente Beach Visitation, Access & LCP Planning
City of San Clemente
2025-2026

Combining camera observations, anonymized mobility data, demographics, and economic analysis to understand beach use, visitor origins, access equity, and future recreational capacity under sea-level rise.

Monterey County Overnight Accommodation Market Analysis
Monterey County, California
2025

Evaluated visitor demand, lodging supply, affordability, and geographic access to understand how hotels and short-term rentals support overnight coastal access for visitors across income groups.

California Coastal Accommodation & Access Analyses
Selected California Coastal Communitites
2025-2026

Analyzed lodging supply, affordability, visitor demand, and coastal visitation across multiple communities to evaluate how accommodation policy can affect overnight access to California’s coast.

Data, Monitoring &
Decision Support

data-monitoring

Turning complex data into useful tools for planning

California Beach Visitation & Coastal Access
California Coastal Commission
2026

Analyzing statewide beach visitation, visitor origins, and access patterns using anonymized mobility data and demographic analysis to support planning, policy, and equitable coastal access.

RCAMP Socioeconomic Monitoring Framework
BEACON / ESA
2023-2024

Developed a long-term monitoring framework for beach attendance, recreation, access equity, and economic value, integrating mobility data, surveys, GIS, and other socioeconomic indicators.

Regulatory, Policy &
Expert Analysis

regulatory-policy

Providing clear, defensible analysis for complex decisions

Charleston Storm Surge Wall Economic Review
Southern Environmental Law Center
2022

Independently reviewed the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ economic assumptions, benefit-cost methods, sea-level-rise treatment, and equity considerations for a major coastal storm-risk project.

Oceano Dunes OHV Economic Peer Review
California
2021

Reviewed the economic analysis used to support off-highway vehicle recreation, including visitor substitution, spending, non-market value, mitigation, and alternatives for protecting environmentally sensitive habitat.

The Dunes at Half Moon Bay Coastal Access Analysis
Califoria
2021

Evaluated how a proposed resort could affect coastal access for lower- and middle-income visitors, with recommendations for improving affordable and inclusive access.

Academic Research & Publications

Research and Publications

Ceto’s work is grounded in peer-reviewed research and long-standing academic collaborations. Our team contributes to applied studies on coastal resilience, access equity, sediment management, and valuation methods. These efforts bridge science and policy, supporting agency decision-making and advancing the field of coastal planning.


Peer Reviewed Research
 

  1. King, P., Jenkins, S., Spaccarelli, L., Patsch, K., Reineman, D., et al. (2025). Beach tourism and local economies: A micro-level study of visitor spending in southern California. Shore & Beach, 93(2), 3–17.

  2. Patsch, K., Merrill, N., Horn, D., Beyeler, M., Eger, E., Eger-Beyeler, A., & Sandoval, M. (2025). Estimating Beach Visitation Using Mobile Device-Derived Location Data in Southern California, USA. Journal of Coastal Research, 41(5). 

  3. Patsch, K. & Reineman, D. (2024). Sea level rise impacts on coastal access. Shore & Beach, 92(2), 26–32.

  4. Patsch, K., Jenkins, S., & King, P. (2023). All According to Plan: Maldevelopment, Moral Hazard, Federal Aid, and Climate Change Adaptation on Dauphin Island, Alabama, U.S.A. Ocean & Coastal Management, 233, 106451.

  5. Furey, R. P., Merrill, N. H., Sawyer, J. P., Mulvaney, K. K., & Mazzotta, M. J. (2022). Evaluating water quality impacts on visitation to coastal recreation areas using data derived from cell phone locations. PLOS ONE, 17(4), e0263649. 

  6. Patsch, K., King, P., Gaston, E., Reineman, D., Steele, C., Jenkins, S., & Anderson, S. (2021). Development of a Beach Sustainability Assessment: Rapidly Monitoring and Evaluating the Condition of California’s Sandy Beaches. Journal of Coastal Research, 37(6), 1130–1157.

  7. Revell, D., King, P., Giliam, J., Calil, J., Jenkins, S., et al. (2021). A Holistic Framework for Evaluating Adaptation Approaches to Coastal Hazards and Sea Level Rise: A Case Study from Imperial Beach, California. Water, 13(9), 1324.

  8. Pendleton, L., Mohn, C., Vaughn, R. K., King, P. G., & Zoulas, J. G. (2012). Size Matters: The Economic Value of Beach Erosion and Nourishment in Southern California. Contemporary Economic Policy, 30(2), 223–237.

  9. King, P. & McGregor, A. (2012). Who’s Counting: An Analysis of Beach Attendance Estimates and Methodologies in Southern California. Ocean & Coastal Management, 58, 17–25.


Select Technical Reports & Applied Research
 

  1. Patsch, K., Reineman, D., Castro-Sotomayor, J., King, P., & Lester, C. (2025). The People’s Beach: Sustaining Equitable Public Access in California. LINK TO REPORT   LINK TO STORYMAP

  2. Patsch, K., Horn, D., Beyeler, M., Eger, E., Eger-Beyeler, A., Sandoval, M., & Merrill, N. (2024). Estimating Beach Visitation Using Cell Phone Locational Data: A Pilot Study of Ventura, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Counties. Prepared for BEACON, MRCA, California Sea Grant, and The Bay Foundation.

  3. King, P., Patsch, K., & Jenkins, S. (2024). The Socioeconomic Value of Urban Stormwater Capture. Prepared for CASQA.

  4. Colgan, C., Jenkins, S., & King, P. (2021). Coastal Recreation in California: Beyond the Beach. Center for the Blue Economy. LINK TO REPORT

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