At this week's California Coastal Commission in San Diego, six chapter representatives seized the opportunity to highlight several local coastal issues we're actively working on. We thanked the Commission for their attention to these matters, as well as urged additional action.
Thanks to being ahead of the pack, we gave the first general comments of the day. This allowed us to put the Surfrider mission front and center for three newly appointed Commissioners, who had lots of great input and questions re: the issues we highlighted during the discussion that ensued directly after the general comments period.
It never fails to amaze me when I think about the breadth and scope of issues our chapter addresses across San Diego County. On this day, we highlighted six of those issues in front of the Commission:
- We protect public beach access from those who attempt to take it away from us for their own personal benefit, because the beach belongs to everyone and public access is enshrined in the Coastal Act and California Constitution.
- We defend our lagoon and wetland habitats from the negative impacts of recent beach replenishment projects, holding the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accountable to their promise to mitigate those impacts when they occur.
- We hold SANDAG accountable for backpedaling on their well-documented, Commission-certified promise to move the LOSSAN rail corridor off of Del Mar's eroding bluffs, rather than continue to destroy the beach and bluffs with unending seawalls and bluff stabilization.
- We work with restaurants and hotels to reduce their reliance on single-use plastics which pollute our shores and choke our ocean, harming wildlife as well our own health.
- We watchdog beachfront and blufftop coastal development to oppose seawalls and armoring that destroys public beaches in favor of protecting private property for a few.
- We advocate tirelessly for a solution to our region's largest environmental and public health disaster, the Tijuana River pollution crisis, which has contaminated not only our southern beaches but the very air that South Bay communities breathe.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg. We are able to fund 3 full-time employees and support 7 volunteer-led programs thanks to the support of our greater San Diego County community. If you believe in the power of grassroots advocacy to protect the ocean, waves, and beaches we love, consider a donation to our chapter today no matter how small. A little goes a long way for us!