Last Tuesday, I was elected to represent you on the county Democratic Party Central Committee. I'm deeply moved by the voters support.
California is leading the Country on environmental issues and I'm thrilled that elected representatives in San Mateo County are addressing climate change. Last month, I organized a Sea Level Rise & Erosion Forum. Over 175 people including city, county, and state representatives packed the Douglas Beach House to the rafters! We're fortunate to live an area with an engaged electorate and strong leadership.
If you follow KQED News & Radio, CBS This Morning, Associated Press, Half Moon Bay Review, Santa Cruz Sentinel, Outside Magazine, or if you received my campaign mailer then you may have read about my effort to include women professional big-wave surfers in the Mavericks Surf Contest. To date no women have been allowed to compete in the Mavericks contest. Hopefully that will change soon!
Concerns about gender inequality in professional surfing are near and dear to my heart; my wife Aimee Luthringer and I live on a bluff top in Moss Beach overlooking the Mavericks surf break. This month, a documentary premiered in San Francisco that included a segment about the work I'm doing to ensure that both men and women are allowed to compete at future Mavericks big-wave events.
I grew up in Mobile, Alabama and I truly appreciate living in a place as progressive as the Bay Area. I'm committed to advocating for human rights, our environment, public transit, early childhood education, lowering college tuition, and ending pay-gap inequality.
This is a critical time for our County as we head into the presidential election. The Senate's inability to fill the empty seat on the US Supreme Court is a reminder of why it's so important to elect enlightened leaders and keep a Democrat in the White House. I'm honored that Democratic Party voters trust me to represent their values on the Central Committee.
With Gratitude,
Army Corps delivers Surfer's Beach erosion reports
In March 2016, the following three reports were provided by the Army Corps of Engineers: Engineering, Environmental, and Economic Reports.
- Jan 2015 — Engineering Appendix for North Half Moon Bay Shoreline Improvement Project (report received March 28, 2016)
- Engineering Summary
- Oct 2015 — Environmental Assessment for the North Half Moon Bay Feasibility Study (report received March 30, 2016)
- Undated — Economic Report for North Half Moon Bay (report received March 31, 2016)
James G. Zoulas, Civil Engineer with the Army Corps will give a presentation about these reports at the Coastside Sea Rise & Erosion Forum on May 24, 2016 in Miramar.
Coastside Sea Rise & Erosion Forum
Tuesday, May 24 at 6:00pm (presentations will start at 6:30pm)
Douglas Beach House
311 Mirada Rd, Half Moon Bay (Miramar), CA 94019
Please take either Magellen or Medio to Mirada Road
This event was inspired by the recent Pacifica Sea Level Rise Forum, and we hope it will be just as well received on the Coastside.
Speakers' Biographies
Dan Hoover, PhD
Dan is an Oceanographer with the U.S. Geological Survey Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center in Santa Cruz, studying coastline evolution and managing beach and near-shore bathymetry survey programs at several sites in California, including Santa Barbara, northern Monterey Bay, and at Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Dan holds a PhD and MS in Oceanography from University of Hawaii, and a BS and ME in Engineering from Harvey Mudd College. Dan has worked on a wide variety of biological, geochemical, physical and geological oceanographic research projects at coastal sites in Hawaii, across the Pacific, and along the California coast. Prior to returning to graduate school to study oceanography, he worked as an engineer on the Space Station and Space Shuttle programs.
James G. Zoulas, PhD, E.I.T.
James is a coastal engineer at the San Francisco District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, where he has been involved in developing solutions to coastal erosion and navigation problems in the San Francisco region. James received a B.A. in Geography at UC Berkeley, and then received his training in coastal geomorphology at UCLA, where his Ph.D. dissertation addressed long-term beach changes in Orange County, CA. James was the primary author of the Coastal Regional Sediment Management Plan for the Santa Cruz littoral cell, which includes San Mateo County from Pillar Point southward. James served as the primary coastal engineer on the North Half Moon Bay Shoreline Improvement Project, where he collaborated with a team from the USACE Engineer Research and Development Center to model the effectiveness of several erosion mitigation measures. James also conducted an evaluation of bluff erosion in the project area in order to better understand the influence of the east breakwater on bluff retreat.
Robert Battalio, PE
Bob is vice president, chief engineer, and leader of ESA’s Environmental Hydrology Coastal Zone Engineering & Management team. He has dedicated his career of over 25 years to coastal and estuarine engineering, wetland and creek restoration design, and waterfront civil engineering projects throughout the U.S. He has addressed erosion and flooding hazards on the West Coast, including shoreline mapping, sand budgets, wave and run-up studies, design of hard and soft erosion protection, and design of shoreline retreat and realignment. He was integral to pioneering projects such as the San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission’s 1990 San Francisco Bay sea level rise study; effects of coastal sand mining in southern Monterey Bay; FEMA’s 2005 Pacific Coast Flood Hazard Mapping Guidelines; and coastal erosion response to sea level rise for Pacific Institute and the California Ocean Protection Council in 2009. Bob holds a Masters of Engineering in civil/coastal engineering from UC Berkeley. He is a member of the San Francisco Bay Conservation & Development Commission's Engineering Criteria Review Board; Northern California vice president of the California Shore and Beach Preservation Association; member of The Surfrider Foundation; and former president of the California Marine Parks and Harbors Association.
LAST REPORT ON THE WAY...
In May 2016, John R. Dingler, Army Corps Oceanographer will release a Detailed Project Report for public review. This is the only Army Corps of Engineers report currently outstanding.
PILLAR POINT HARBOR OUTER BREAKWATER
Pillar Point Harbor is a protected harbor of refuge with two rubble-mound outer breakwaters constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers. The outer breakwater was built in 1959. The length of the east and west breakwaters is approximately 4,500 ft and 3,600 ft, respectively. In addition, three rubble-mound inner breakwaters were constructed by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1980s.
Media
April 7, 2016 - Half Moon Bay Review - by Carina Woudenberg
The crumbling Coastside: Winter leaves ominous signs of erosion
March 18, 2015 - Half Moon Bay Review - by Mark Noack
ADDITIONAL DOCS
Hey guys, Mavericks needs women
When it was my turn to speak during public comment at the November 2015 California Coastal Commission hearing, I explained that the San Mateo County Harbor District has a five-year exclusive permit with Cartel Management, the Titans event promoter. It specifies that only one surf contest can be held at Mavericks from Nov. 1 to March 31. I noted that the Mavericks contest does not include a women’s heat and no women have ever surfed in the final competition. I asked the Coastal Commission to add a condition to the Coastal Development Permit that would require a women’s heat.
My expectations were low. To my surprise my public comment was not lost on Commissioner Mark Vargas. He was concerned about inequality.
Contest organizers defended their all-male selection process. Contest founder Jeff Clark said, “The way we choose those invitees to surf in the Mavericks event is through a polling of the peers, the guys that surf out at Mavericks and the guys that are pushing it to the level of performance, that is the absolute highest level of performance. Now, there are women that surf Mavericks, I’ve surfed with many of these women at Mavericks and there’s the bowl at Mavericks, the most extreme and intense place to take off, and there’s, (pause) well we call it the west bowl, the much easier place to catch the waves, and the guys that get invited in this event, men or women take off in the bowl. And at this point we haven’t seen that kind of performance that would, you know, when the Committee 5 is watching a group surf Mavericks it’s like there’s always one guy that stands out. It’s that kind of, okay, can that person beat the guy who won it last year or the year before. Who has the ability to win this event. And the guys on the Committee 5 were with me when I first talked someone into going out there with me. They’re the guys in the early 90’s that actually surf Mavericks and still surf Mavericks, and they know, they have a very good eye of the performance level that we’re looking at, not only to surf Mavericks at the highest level, but to surf it safely and be in the condition that if you go down out there it’s not going to become a problem for the lifeguards, we want to avoid the rescue situations.”
Note that that the “Committee 5,” which selects competitors is not necessarily fair in its process. Case in point: Three days before the Coastal Commission hearing Sports Illustrated reported that the 2014 Mavericks defending champion, as well as 2006 Mavericks champion and 2014 Big Wave World Tour Champion Grant “Twiggy” Baker had fallen out of the Committee 5’s favor. Baker was banned from the 2015-2016 Mavericks contest for distributing a petition to support former 2013 Mavericks champion Peter Mel’s reinstatement in the contest. Mel was banned from the Mavericks contest because of a “conflict of interest.” The reasons given for banning Baker were convoluted. Jeff Clark told Stab Magazine that Baker had, “put other athletes’ at risk by being associated with a petition that was (circulated) on behalf of Mel to challenge the Committee 5’s decision on matters pertaining to the framework of their event protocol for the selection process.”
During the discussion at the Coastal Commission hearing, Mark Vargas said, “I'm still a little concerned about the fact that there is no clear plan for highlighting, involving, or encouraging the growth of women in this event or in this sport. I'll float it out there. I'd like to see if I can make an amending motion to add a specific condition that we ask the applicant to provide a plan for encouraging equal opportunity for women surfers in future events.”
In 1994, bodyboarder Sara Lucas broke the Mavericks gender barrier and four-years later Sarah Gerhardt became the first woman to ride the enormous wave standing on a surfboard. On The Inertia website Gerhardt is quoted saying, “I live as though I don’t have any limitations, when I have many. Physically, mentally, I’ve got many limitations. But surfing, surfing at Mavericks, makes me forget about them. And I try not to think about those limitations. I just go.”
In November 2015 a clear mandate was issued by a 7-4 vote to approve Vargas’ amended motion. Moving forward, oversight by the Coastal Commission will be necessary to insure that equity for women athletes includes a Women’s Division with multiple heats, appointment of a woman to the Committee 5, and a condition that corrects the gender pay gap in prize money. The Coastal Act provides coastal access for all.
Granting a CDP to an athletic event that discriminates based on gender is not consistent with the spirit of the Coastal Act.
The Eddie at Waimea in Oahu and Mavericks in Half Moon Bay are examples of off tour big-wave events that showcase an athlete’s talent and help them gain valuable sponsorships. A total of 9 contests have been held at Mavericks. The first event was in 1999, the same year I moved to Seal Cove, a bluff-top neighborhood in Moss Beach. My wife Aimee and I enjoy walking out our front door to watch awe-inspiring surfing at Mavericks. For years we’ve been hoping that women would be invited to compete and we’re thankful for the 2015 Coastal Commission decision.
Last month, it was announced that Savannah Shaughnessy would be included as an alternate in the event. It’s a well-deserved honor and a nice gesture however few alternates actually surf in the event. The decision came after alternate Garrett McNamara had emergency surgery resulting from a Mavericks wipeout earlier in the month. A total of six new alternates were added in January, including Savannah and her brother Patrick. The first woman selected as an alternate was Sarah Gerhardt. She was the last alternate in the first two events held in 1999 and 2000; she was not selected to compete.
In the world of elite surf competition women compete against women, as is the case with most sports. In 2015 the World Surf League championed equal pay for men and women. For the first time, women surfers earned the same prize money as their male counterparts on the WSL’s Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour. However prize money doesn't solve the problem of inequality in the number of women selected to compete at the elite level. In 2015 WSL Women's Championship Tour included 17 professional surfers competing in 10 events and the men’s tour includes 34 professional surfers competing in 11 events. Increasing the number of events and the number of awards for women, as well as offering equal prize money, is the only way to achieve meaningful equity in competitive surfing.
The WSL’s XXL Big Wave Awards first launched in 2000, to recognize the surfer who rode the year's biggest wave. Now into its 16th season, the Big Wave Awards has grown to include seven categories. The 2014/15 event included six categories for men to compete and win prize money and only one category for women. The 2014/15 purse for Performance of the Year was $15K for men plus a $4,500 watch and $10K for women.
On Jan 22, 2015, local Maui big-wave surfer Paige Alms paddled into the barrel of a lifetime at her home break, Pe'ahi, Maui’s big wave mecca known as ‘Jaws’. Her 2015 barrel at Jaws netted $10k for the Women's Performance of the Year, unlike her counterpart in the men’s category she did not win a $4,500 watch or get paid $15k.
The 2014/15 XXL Big Wave Ride of the Year award exemplifies the gender pay-gap. One could argue that women aren't excluded from this event, presumably if a woman got the best ride of the year she could win, however, because women are not included in many year round competitions there are limited opportunities for them to win. Fewer events and less prize money makes it challenging for women athletes to surf big-waves as frequently as required to win Rider of the Year. Currently the WSL Big Wave Tour holds seven international events with 24 contestants in each event, and none of these events include women. This results in Rider of the Year prize money going to men, first place $60k, second $15k, third $10k, fourth $5k and fifth $3k. The same is true of Maverick, with a $120k purse for the 2015/16 event.
Pioneers like Gerhardt and Shaughnessy deserve recognition for their inspiring contribution to big-wave surfing. Requiring women athletes to compete against men blocks women from equal pay, marginalizes professional athletes, and discourages women and girls from participating in sports. It’s time all athletes had an equal opportunity to compete at Mavericks.
Financial transparency coming soon to the Harbor District!
The Harbor District's smoke and mirrors approach to governance will soon be a thing of the past.
At the July 14 Harbor Commission meeting the board unanimously approved a contract with OpenGov to provide best-in-class financial transparency. The online platform will improve the District's financial operations and reduce the amount of staff time spent on public records requests, by making the District's budgets and annual audits accessible online to everyone. With just a few clicks, citizens and staff will have easy access to the District's financial information. This will allow Commissioners to spot budget trends and make data-driven decisions. And most importantly the increased transparency will help build trust.
The City of Atherton was the first public agency in San Mateo County to adopt the OpenGov platform. Please checkout case studies from a few of the 350 other public agencies already using OpenGov.
This is one of many needed improvements the board will continue to roll out this year.
Thank you,
