September is a great month along the coast in California as we are typically greeted with sunny skies and the warmest ocean water of the year. Surfrider chapters were busy up and down the coast with a strong showing on Coastal Cleanup Day and at lots of local events.
Welcome Mitch! We are stoked to have Mitch Silverstein join the Surfrider CA team in September as our new California Senior Policy Coordinator. Mitch previously worked for the Surfrider San Diego Chapter as Chapter Manager and then Policy Manager. You can read all about Mitch and his role here.
September marked the end of the California legislative session in Sacramento. Click here to read our legislative recap. Surfrider’s impact at the legislative level can mostly be seen through what wasn’t up for vote: a wholesale gutting of the California Coastal Act.
On another legislative note, we are still waiting for implementation of SB 54, a great plastics reduction bill that passed and was signed into law in 2022 by Governor Newsom. Several Surfrider chapters and clubs signed onto an organizational letter calling for strong regulations as part of the implementation – shout-out to Surfrider Santa Cruz for taking the lead on this! In another show of strength, Ocean Friendly Restaurants recently joined together to rally behind SB 54.
Surfrider Santa Cruz policy efforts also helped to secure another Coastal Victory with the second unanimous vote by the Capitola City Council to pass the Capitola Ban The Butt ordinance. This is the third ordinance in Santa Cruz County that features a retail ban on the sale of tobacco products with a plastic ‘filter’ or tip. The Santa Cruz Chapter also had a great chapter meeting in September at the Patagonia outlet.
The start of a new school year means the South Bay Chapter’s Blue Water Task Force lab is back in action! The chapter partners with students from local schools, including the Redondo Union High School Surfrider Club, to run their water quality lab. Aptly named “Teach and Test,” through this program, students gain hands-on experience in environmental science, all while keeping their communities safe. See the results of their first sampling session here.
Don't Enable Sable! The Surfrider Santa Barbara County Chapter is leading the charge statewide to stop the restart of the oil pipeline that spilled in 2015. While lawsuits and judges are finally slowing down unpermitted activities, Sable is pursuing a new easement for the oil pipeline through Gaviota State Park. We are calling on Governor Newsom and CA State Parks to require full environmental review and a transparent process. Click here for more info and our action alert to call Gov. Newsom and State Parks.
The Long Beach Chapter hosted a community mural painting event. This new mural, which highlights the connection between land and sea, will serve as the new backdrop for one of the chapter’s Ocean Friendly Garden sites in the Shoreline Village. Check out the mural here!
Momentum to address and eliminate transboundary pollution in South Bay San Diego is building. In July, the U.S. and Mexico signed a new agreement committing to expedite solutions to the Tijuana River sewage crisis, underscoring the urgency and priority both administrations are placing on long-overdue infrastructure improvements. At the same time, a new scientific study has revealed dangerous air quality conditions in the Tijuana River Valley. These developments highlight both the pressing need for action and the opportunity to finally secure lasting solutions for the region.
Additionally, over the years, Surfrider San Diego beach cleanup volunteers and others have discussed the possibility of building and installing sand toy collection/borrow boxes on local beaches. These ''take a toy, leave a toy'' bins are common on the East Coast, but few exist in California — and until now, there hasn’t been one in San Diego County. With guidance from Janis Jones, Surfrider’s Rise Above Plastics Lead, Girl Scout and high school junior Lauren Silver reached out to the San Diego Chapter for support with her Gold Award project: creating a sand toy borrow box!
The San Francisco Chapter helped shape the future of the Sunset Dunes Park through community engagement during a Sunset Dunes Open House. The chapter shared native plant seeds with participants to inspire Ocean Friendly gardens.
The Ventura County Chapter is making great progess with their dune restoration project in Port Hueneme!
The Monterey County Chapter continued their Salty Speaker Series in September with Francisco Guzman of Regen Monterey and geologist Bill Godwin, who shared their work and talked about the interconnectivity of communities within Monterey Bay and beyond.