Stop Pacifica Seawall Plan

Surfrider protects the California coast from a death by a thousand cuts of coastal decisions that favor private assets instead of our public waves and beaches. We’re preventing a deep cut in Pacifica, where a coastal plan has proposed allowances for seawalls that harm the public trust and are illegal under the Coastal Act.

The City of Pacifica’s plan for addressing sea level rise includes damaging policies that would wall off the coast and make erosion worse. The plan would significantly expand the use of coastal armoring, aka seawalls, to protect private development at the expense of our beaches, bluffs and waves. It also prohibits proactive solutions like managed retreat and allows seawalls and development to remain in hazardous locations into perpetuity. (see their plan here)

The City’s plan could be devastating for popular surf and recreational beaches such as Linda Mar, Rockaway and Sharp Park Beach because nearby development may become eligible for shoreline armoring. By failing to consider alternatives, it also dooms the beaches fronting Beach Boulevard, Esplanade and Palmetto to permanently drown as seas rise.

The California Coastal Commission will vote on whether to approve or deny the City’s plan sometime in 2023, date TBD. We need to send a strong message to the Coastal Commission and the City that this is not an acceptable approach to addressing sea level rise and coastal erosion in Pacifica or elsewhere in California. If this plan passes, it will set a dangerous precedent that could threaten beaches across the entire state of California.

Take Action to Stop this Harmful Plan!

With each new report that comes out, we hear that our seas are rising faster than expected. The decisions we make today will determine what beaches and waves we save across the state.