California Update: Coastal Commission Report, Ocean Desalination in Los Angeles and more!

Protect & Enjoy Episode 26: The State of America’s Beaches Leaves a Lot to Be Desired, Attempting to Stop Bad Desal, Meetingpalooza and a FACTOID

Don't miss out latest podcast, released on November 18, 2019 featuring the following hot topics:

• Surfrider Releases State of the Beach Report (An interview with Coastal Preservation Manager Stefanie Sekich Quinn herself!)
• Help Stop Harmful Ocean Desal in L.A.
• Oppose West Basin Ocean Desal Plant
• Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies report
• The real concern of seabed mining
• City Surf Project
• Save the Waves Film Fest
• About the State Lands Commission
• About the Ocean Protection Council
• ActCoastal – Coastal Commission Accountability Project

ActCoastal November hearing report just released!

The Coastal Commission’s November hearing took place in Half Moon Bay at the Oceano Hotel and Spa on Wednesday, Nov. 13 through Friday, Nov. 15. A number of controversial items dominated the agenda over the three days of hearings with the California American Water Co. Monterey desalination project being at the top of that list. The meeting resulted in two vote charts. The first is the proposed permit extension for the Ocean View Plaza Cannery Row development. The permit extension, which includes a desalination plant, was denied due to changed circumstances including new desalination regulations and the need for coastal hazard sea level rise analysis. Read the full Ocean View Plaza vote chart here. The second is the City of Pacific Grove Local Coastal Program update. The update was certified with staff’s modifications but failed to incorporate suggestions made by ActCoastal partners. Read the full Pacific Grove vote chart here.

Check out our YouTube channel to see ActCoastal partner testimony.

Ocean Desalination Setback but the Fight Continues

Surfrider South Bay, Surfrider LA and Surfrider UCLA rallied recently with the Smarter Water LA coalition to fight the controversial plan for ocean desalination in Los Angeles. Ocean desalination is the most expensive, energy intensive, climate-impacting and environmentally harmful option for increasing LA's local water supplies. It should only be a last resort for our region. Read the full new coastal blog now!

Secretary Crowfoot’s Blog: What Drives Me Each Day

Check out the Ocean Protection Council's recent blog from the Natural Resources Agency Secretary, Wade Crowfoot and learn a thing or two about the Council! - "Our agency has a remarkable set of responsibilities. We help to steward 100 million acres of California’s land, hundreds of rivers, and a thousand-plus miles of coastline. We work to enable our state’s people and nature to thrive together in ways that celebrate our diverse cultures and tell our state’s history. It’s no small task." Read the full blog here!