San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Rules might boost equity for surf schools
In a decision that could have major implications for surfing schools statewide, the California Coastal Commission this month authorized new rules at one of the Bay Area’s top beaches for learners, ensuring access for surfing programs after they raised equity complaints that they had long been shut out.
For the past two decades, the city of Pacifica has authorized only the same four surf schools to operate at Linda Mar Beach, considered among the best spots in the region for beginner surfers because of its relatively calm waves.
But some groups — particularly nonprofits working to introduce the sport to groups that have historically faced barriers to beach access, including low-income youths, women and communities of color — have for years criticized the city’s longstanding permitting system. They said it caters to commercial schools and has effectively excluded
others, including those offering free or low-cost lessons to underrepresented groups in the affluent coastal area just south of San Francisco.
The city said the exclusion of underrepresented groups was an unintended consequence of a policy meant to ensure beach safety — but “new awareness” from nationwide social-justice activism in 2020 prompted Pacifica officials to approve revisions to its permitting system in January of last year.
But the Coastal Commission stepped in and took control after determining the changes resulted in a system that was “overly complex” and still “may present some inequity.” It ultimately required Pacifica to submit a coastal development permit application spelling out how it intended to run its revamped program.
State officials say such
permits are required for cities to regulate surf schools along the coastline, but Pacifica had never previously sought one. The city suspended its system in April 2022 while it worked with commission staff to develop a policy that would apply equally to nonprofit and commercial surf schools.
On May 11, the commission voted unanimously to approve Pacifica’s coastal development permit application. It also approved new rules for the city’s permitting system, which focus on equitable access for all groups that offer surfing instruction.
The new rules include five-year registrations for all groups with reduced fees for nonprofits; an expansion of the area where
the groups operate; an equal number of participants allowed from each school; annual reports for the program; and a memorandum of understanding among the city and surf schools.
The commission also indicated that the issue of equitable beach access was likely not limited to Pacifica, and could prompt it to create statewide guidelines for surf schools — an outcome that the Pacifica nonprofits had hoped for. They said many groups like theirs throughout California have encountered permitting systems that tend to cater to for-profit schools.
“This is a historical moment for our organization and our community, and is something we’ve been waiting for a very long time,” said Adriana Dominique Guerrero-Nardone, executive director of Brown Girl Surf, in a statement. The Oaklandbased nonprofit had first brought attention to the issue in Pacifica, along with City Surf Project.
“The decision is validating and affirming that we belong, that we’ve always belonged,” Guerrero-Nardone added.
“There is a huge sense of relief and accomplishment of six years of working towards getting a legitimate permit, and now we are one giant step closer,” said Johnny Irwin, executive director of City Surf Project.
Surfing, believed to have originated among Native Hawaiians, has become a flash point for issues of exclusion and equity, with the modern sport now widely held up as an example of cultural appropriation.
Donne Brownsey, chair of the commission, said its examination of Pacifica’s longtime permitting system made the inequities clear: “When I read this analysis, I was just like, ‘Oh, my God, separate but not equal, here we are again.’ ”
Coastal Commissioner Effie Turnbull Sanders asked staff to look into hosting an environmental justice forum to collect stories and bring more attention to beach access issues statewide.
“We have been contacted by different groups up and down the state about this particular item, and folks are looking to this as a model,” staff told the commissioners. “It’s really difficult to attack the problem of localism and surfing, and this is an attempt to start working towards something meaningful.”