Surfrider’s strength has always come from its grassroots leaders and volunteers who organize their communities to protect the ocean, waves, and beaches. Each year, regional conferences bring these leaders together to sharpen their skills, exchange ideas, and build the relationships that power Surfrider’s campaigns. These gatherings serve as both training grounds and energizing spaces where volunteers can learn from one another and return home with new strategies to strengthen their chapters and clubs.
This year marked another record-breaking gathering for the California Region, with 150 chapter and club leaders from across the state convening at the Crowne Plaza in Ventura for a weekend of learning, collaboration, and inspiration.
Conference Overview:
The 2026 California Conference centered around direct action organizing and its role in advancing Surfrider’s mission. Direct action organizing empowers community members to take strategic, collective action to influence decision-makers to create lasting change for our coasts. From passing proactive policies to blocking bad bills, direct action organizing helps turn community voices into real policy outcomes.
The conference began with a land acknowledgement from Alan Salazar, followed by a State of the Surfrider Foundation update from Surfrider's CEO, Dr. Chad Nelson. Participants received an introduction to direct action organizing and heard highlights from the student clubs. Additional sessions included a conversation with Patagonia's Nick Mucha about the book "Tools to Save our Home Planet," and fundraising tools that can fuel our mission.
Session Highlights:
The Direct Action Organizing theme was echoed by the conference’s keynote speaker, Meagan Harmon, Chair of the California Coastal Commission, who emphasized the critical role that public testimony plays in shaping the Commission’s decisions. Chair Harmon noted that Commissioners are responsible for decisions that affect coastlines across the state and rely on input from local communities to understand on-the-ground impacts and priorities.
Participants were also guided through a campaign planning activity, where we highlighted how Surfrider’s stewardship programs, such as Ocean Friendly Gardens and Healthy Beaches programs, can be leveraged to support policy campaigns. Through this exercise, participants explored how the data collected, community engagement built, and stories gathered through these programs can become powerful tools for advancing policy solutions that protect our coastlines.
Ventura is home to one of Surfrider’s flagship coastal resilience projects at Surfers’ Point. Just a couple of decades ago, Surfers’ Point faced severe erosion that threatened a bike path, parking lot, and shoreline infrastructure. Instead of armoring the coast, local leaders championed a nature-based approach of managed retreat and habitat restoration. Conference participants joined longtime Surfrider leader Paul Jenkin, who has helped guide this effort for decades, for a tour of the restored landscape. Today, the site stands as a thriving example of how relocating vulnerable infrastructure and restoring native dunes can protect beaches while allowing the dynamic coastline to adapt naturally.
As volunteers returned home from Ventura, they brought back renewed momentum for protecting California’s coast. The conversations, strategies, and on-the-ground examples shared throughout the weekend will continue to shape the campaigns, programs, and partnerships unfolding across the region. Together, this growing network of leaders is proving that when communities organize, real change for our ocean and beaches is possible. 🌊
The amazing chapter and club leaders who are organizing their communities to protect the ocean, waves, and beaches they love! 💙