California chapters carried the summer vibe into August and made huge impacts through programs, advocacy work, volunteer appreciation events and had some fun celebrating 42 years of Surfrider!
Over the summer, California Chapters participated in the Love Your Beach Postcard Campaign supporting AB 2734 (Whale Tail License Plate Coastal Access Funding) and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Coastal Act. By the end of the campaign in August, we mailed more than 1,500 postcards to state legislators! Amazing work by all of the California Chapters. AB 2734 has passed through the CA assembly and senate and is now awaiting Governor Newsom's signature by the September 30 deadline.
The California legislative session ended on August 31, you can check out our tracker to see where all of the bills Surfrider is supporting or opposing landed. Sign Surfrider's action alert and ask Governor Newsom to sign these bills that protect our coast!
Surfrider Foundation staff and volunteers joined Congressional, Indigenous, and state leaders, business owners, and ocean advocates to protest the Trump Administration's takeover of California's coast during the in person and virtual hearings to review the Coastal Zone Management Plan.
Let's travel down the coast and see what all of the California chapters were up to this August!
Surfrider turned 42 on August 22nd and the Humboldt Chapter celebrated by protecting and enjoying our ocean, waves and beaches with a beach cleanup and clearing out invasive plants.
The Sonoma Coast Chapter joined Greater Farallones Association and Mission Blue at the Swim California community event in Bodega to highlight the amazing 900 mile swim along the California coast that Catherine Breed is embarking on while raising awareness about the crucial work ocean conservation non-profits are doing up and down our coast. The chapter leaders also enjoyed a fun day of learning about marine science with a special tour of the Bodega Marine Lab led by Dr. Tessa Hill.
Sonoma Coast Volunteers exploring Bodega Marine Lab. Photos by Susanne Tolksdorf
The Marin Chapter hosted their monthly chapter meeting at Hook Fish Co. at Proof Lab, their newest Ocean Friendly restaurant which has proved to be a great venue for friendly socials too! They headed up the watershed for a Bothin Marsh cleanup to collect trash before it flows out to our ocean.
The San Francisco Chapter continued their bi-weekly water quality testing, monthly beach cleanups, and mobilized the community to speak out against the federal attack of the California Coastal Zone Management Program. Check out their blog about the importance of the Coastal Act here.
The San Mateo County Chapter kicked off their August events with a volunteer appreciation party for their executive committee and lead volunteers. Their monthly beach cleanup had a great turnout and they held their Executive Committee and Chapter meetings at the beach to plan out the next few months of activities. After years of growing concern about the persistent water quality issues at Linda Mar Beach, the San Mateo Surfrider BWTF joined forces with a diverse group of environmental and surfing organizations to form the Linda Mar Water Quality Coalition and work toward solutions. The coalition includes Salted Roots, the San Pedro Creek Watershed Coalition, Cultivar Foundation, and the Pedro Point Surf Club. As part of their efforts, the coalition just launched a human health survey to better understand and document impacts of the poor water quality. Learn more about the problem, the coalition, and the survey in their blog!
The Santa Cruz Chapter collaborated with the City of Capitola and Relic to install a DIY beach cleanup station in Capitola!
The Santa Cruz Chapter supports Measure D, aka Stop The Drill, for the City of Santa Cruz voters to decide on in November. The chapter teamed up with Save Our Shores for an online Community Information Session.
The Monterey Chapter hosted a fun beach bonfire social event during the summer membership drive. Their Cannery Row beach cleanup (with yoga!) was a big success. An incredible 78 volunteers, including groups from the Monterey Jay Walkers and York School, came out to spread across the shoreline and remove litter before it had the chance to wash into Monterey Bay.
The Santa Barbara Chapter hosted a beach cleanup at East Beach. 21 volunteers came out and collected 88 pounds of litter from the beach, ice-plant dunes, and surrounding areas.
The Ventura Chapter hosted a 35th Anniversary Celebration that included a panel discussion with some of the founding members and early chapter leaders, great bands, drinks, food, and dancing! FYI - this year marks the 42nd anniversary of the Surfrider Foundation and the 35th anniversary of the Surfrider Foundation Ventura County Chapter.
The Los Angeles Chapter is excited to share a new Water for LA storytelling video featuring Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Gardens program and our work at the Kuruvungna Springs Bioswale. This video came together through the Safe Clean Water Program, as part of an effort to highlight how local funding is being transformed into real, community-based solutions across Los Angeles. Surfrider LA and our Ocean Friendly Gardens team had the opportunity to share how this support allows us to reach more people, provide hands-on education, build momentum in new communities, and continue expanding projects that use native plants, healthy soils, and water-wise landscaping to capture polluted runoff before it reaches our waterways and ocean.
The timing made it even more special: filming took place at Kuruvungna Springs, giving us a chance to showcase not only the bioswale itself, but the volunteers, partners, and community behind this work. Watch the video to see Ocean Friendly Gardens in action, and check out our June Open House recap for more from our work around Ocean Friendly Gardens.
The South Bay Chapter was joined by one of Surfrider’s partners, ALPAKA, and a local running club, Dog Haus, for their monthly cleanup where 70 volunteers removed over 100 lbs of trash!
Long Beach Chapter continues to make strides by making more of the City of Long Beach “ocean friendly” through two more Ocean Friendly Garden workdays in August. Volunteers learned about rainwater retention, climate-resilient native plants, and the city’s Native Plant Parkway Program while installing native plants.
North Orange County Chapter took a unique spin on the Ocean Friendly Gardens program and hosted a workshop where attendees learned the medicinal and culinary uses of native plants found at one of their OFG sites, Irby Park!
South Orange County Chapter hosted a Birthday Bash to celebrate Surfrider’s 42 years of ocean and coastal conservation!
San Diego Chapter Manager, Joana Guerra, and Clean Border Water Now Manager, Sarah Davidson, represented the Surfrider Foundation at the U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana, Mexico, alongside NGOs and organizations from Tecate, Tijuana, Ensenada, and San Diego.
Together, we shared an important conversation about the Tijuana River Watershed and the public health and environmental justice crisis impacting communities on both sides of the border. Collaboration across borders is essential to advancing meaningful, lasting solutions. This gathering was an important reminder of what we can accomplish when we work together.
That's a wrap for August! Check back next month for more updated from across the Golden State.