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For over forty years, Surfrider’s mission has been to protect our ocean, waves, and beaches across the U.S. through a powerful activist network. In California, that work relies on upholding the California Coastal Act.
But, as you know, the California Coastal Commission has recently come under scrutiny by Governor Newsom and the Trump administration. The President has threatened to withhold FEMA support to Los Angeles wildfire victims unless the 53-year-old institution is defunded. Without a strong Coastal Commission to enforce the Coastal Act, Californians face the greatest risk to beach access and coastal protection since the Act was passed in 1976.
In response, starting on Saturday, April 19, Surfrider is touring the coast from San Diego to Humboldt County, stopping at universities and communities along the way to share and remind California residents why the Coastal Act matters more than ever in an era when our environment is under constant attack — and what we can do to protect it.
Our team is going to be passing through Ventura (April 22) and Santa Barbara (April 23) gathering constituent signatures on postcards at each stop of the tour. We will be hosting a walking tour through the in-development Surfers’ Point in Ventura, followed by petition signing at Topa Topa Brewing on Thompson. The following day, we will be presenting on UCSB campus in coordination with the UCSB’s Surfrider Student Club.
All signatures we get along the way will be hand-delivered to elected officials at the CA State Capitol Building in Sacramento for CA Ocean Day on Tuesday, May 6. We’re aiming to replicate the spirit of what was done in 1972 when Prop 20 established the Coastal Act. We would love to be in touch ahead of our arrival and invite you to cover this local and state-level interest story. I would be happy to connect you with my colleagues, including Jennifer Savage, Surfrider’s California Policy Associate Director, who are involved in this first-of-its-kind tour to connect with on-the-ground activists at the grassroots level.
