As detritus from the badly damaged Santa Cruz pier washes ashore, California State Parks officials are keeping three beaches closed. “Because of the amount of debris washing up onto the local beaches from the collapsing Santa Cruz municipal wharf,” Twin Lakes State Beach, Seabright State Beach and San Lorenzo Point will be closed until Dec. 30 at 6 a.m., Santa Cruz State Beaches said.

Seacliff State Beach and Rio Del Mar State Beach both reopened on Christmas morning, though visitors should take care: A high-surf warning is in effect along the coast from Thursday morning until Sunday afternoon. The National Weather Service is advising people to stay off piers and jetties.

About 150 feet of the Santa Cruz pier and an entire building housing a restroom broke off into the ocean on Monday amid battering waves. Three people working on the pier plunged into the water, where two needed rescue and a third was able to rescue themselves. Since then, pieces of the wharf have been washing onto local beaches. There is no estimated reopening for the wharf itself. Waves also pulled support piling from the Cayucos Pier about 160 miles south down the Central Coast. The end of the pier was already closed as it incurred damage during stormy conditions in February.

“Please be cautious when near the ocean, as debris from damage north of Capitola is making its way down the coastline,” the Capitola Police Department said. “Several large pilings from the Santa Cruz wharf have found their way to our shores, creating an extreme hazard. Please use caution if you are in the area.”

What’s New

Hilton hotel workers in San Francisco voted on Christmas Eve to approve a new union contract after a 93-day strike, according to the Unite Here Local 2 union.

The union, which represents about 15,000 workers in the region, announced that the deal settles the last of the city’s 2024 hotel strikes, covering approximately 900 Hilton workers.

Newsweek has contacted Unite Here Local 2 and Hilton via email for comment.

Why It Matters

The new contracts after this year’s strikes establish significant improvements in wages, health care and workload protections for workers at Hilton, Hyatt and Marriott-operated hotels.

The agreements conclude months of labor unrest that involved thousands of workers and disrupted San Francisco’s hotel industry.

What To Know

Hilton workers voted 99.4 percent in favor of the agreement on Christmas Eve, which includes a $3 per hour immediate wage increase, additional raises, and protections against understaffing and increased workloads.

The four-year contract preserves affordable union health insurance and provides pension increases. The deal covers workers at Hilton San Francisco Union Square and Parc 55, with 650 workers having actively participated in the strike.

This agreement follows similar contracts reached with Hyatt workers on Friday and Marriott workers last Thursday, covering a total of 2,500 workers who had been on strike since late September.

What People Are Saying

Bill Fung, a housekeeping attendant at Hilton San Francisco Union Square for 29 years, said: “These 93 days have not been easy, and I’m so proud that my coworkers and I never gave up. We stood together through the rain and cold, and even though there were some hard days, it was all worth it. We will go back to work with our health care, good raises, and the confidence of knowing that when we fight, we win.”

Lizzy Tapia, President of Unite Here Local 2, said: “Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott workers refused to give up their health care or go backwards – and we proved on the picket line that we’re not afraid of a tough fight. As contract talks begin with the city’s other full-service hotels in the new year, they should know that this is the new standard they must accept for their own employees.”

San Francisco Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie said on X: “All those that have been out on strike will be back to work, and just in time for Christmas. So, things are looking bright as we head into 2025.

What Happens Next

Unite Here Local 2 said it would push for other full-service hotels in San Francisco to adopt the same standards established by the Hilton, Hyatt, and Marriott agreements when contract negotiations resume in 2025.