SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Santa Cruz Wharf, jutting half a mile into the Monterey Bay, offers a cheerful stroll past souvenir shops, fishing boat rentals advertised as “Husband Daycare,” and children giggling at hordes of fat sea lions barking below.

But at the end of the city-owned wharf, hanging on a flimsy metal fence, are small warning signs. “KEEP OUT,” reads one. “DANGER,” says another.

The signs have been there for about six months — ever since a 180-foot section of the wooden pier collapsed into the ocean after being battered by towering waves during an atmospheric river storm that wreaked havoc along the Central Coast.

City officials hope the signs, fencing, orange safety barriers and exposed wooden decking at the end of the wharf will be gone by early next year. Constructio

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