Surfrider Foundation :: South Bay Chapter

El Segundo Artificial Surfing Reef Removal Begins

September 30, 2008

The Surfrider Foundation embarks on the removal of the artificial surfing reef constructed in El Segundo in 2000.

Left: Chad Nelson, Environmental Director, Surfrider Foundation; Craig Cadwallader, Chair, Surfrider South Bay Chapter; representatives of Coastal Frontiers Corporation and Morrissey Construction Company (photo by Nancy Hastings, Surfrider Southern California Field Coordinator) Right: Dive boat and professional dive crew from American Marine Corporation conduct the underwater portion of the artificial reef removal process (photo by Craig Cadwallader)

The artificial surfing reef was built as mitigation for lost surfing resources when Chevron built a groin and added sand to the beach north of the El Segundo Refinery. Tom Pratte, a founding member of the Surfrider Foundation, convinced the Coastal Commission to include conditions in the permit for construction of the groin with associated beach fill to include monitoring and mitigation of the nearby surf if it was adversely impacted.

After 6 years of independent monitoring the California Coastal Commission determined that the surfing resources had been adversely impacted and they required Chevron to mitigate for the lost surfing. After years of negotiation between Chevron, the Coastal Commission and Surfrider it was agreed that the mitigation would be through the construction of an artificial surfing reef.

The reef was constructed in 2000 and 2001. Surfing and nearshore coastal processes were monitored extensively for 2 years and then annually thereafter.

The monitoring results can be found at:
Artificial Surfing Reef Monitoring Results PDF >>

The experimental reef was permitted for a 10-year period ending in 2010. In addition to not improving the surf quality of the break, some of the geotextile bags that make up the artificial reef are beginning to deteriorate.

The Surfrider Foundation believes that the removal of this artificial reef is necessary to be consistent with our mission to protect the worlds oceans, waves and beaches. Because some of the bags are damaged and others are beginning to decompose we want to remove them before the synthetic materials that make up the reef bags are discharged into the marine environment.

While the artificial surf reef did nothing to improve the surf in El Segundo, the project highlighted the need for protection of existing surf breaks, and helped the California Coastal Commission recognize surfing breaks as natural recreational resources that are worthy of protection.

Here are some additional details about the artificial reef removal:

The removal process will begin on Tuesday, September 30 and finish Friday, October 17th
The removal project is being directed by Coastal Frontiers Corporation, a Los Angeles-based coastal engineering firm with extensive experience in the installation and removal of geotextile containers from the marine environment
A professional dive crew from American Marine Corporation will conduct the underwater portion of the artificial reef removal process
Personnel from Morrissey Construction Company will bring the bags ashore and assure of their proper disposal

A Frequently Ask Questions (FAQ) on the removal project is available:
Artificial Surfing Reef FAQs PDF >>

A more detailed project description can be found at:
Artificial Surfring Reef Project Description PDF (File is 2.5 MB) >>

More details on Artificial Surfring Reefs is available on Surfrider Foundation's Web site at: http://www.surfrider.org/asr

Surfrider Foundation's Policy on Artificial Surfing Reefs — Policy >>

If you have any questions or comments about the project please feel free to contact me.

Thanks,

Chad

Chad Nelson
Environmental Director
Surfrider Foundation

Chad Nelsen | Surfrider Foundation | p: 949.492.8170x408 | cnelsen@surfrider.org
PO Box 6010, San Clemente, CA 92674

Join Surfrider: http://www.surfrider.org/join

Thank You! Trestles Hearing Successful!

Posted by Stefanie Sekich at savetrestles.org
Tuesday, September 23, 2008, 12:41 PM

Thank you!

We did it AGAIN--we made a huge impression on decision makers! Close to 3,000 people attended the hearing yesterday (we distributed over 2,700 tee shirts and food tickets--AND we didn't even catch everyone as you walked into the hearing). As you know, we are back in "the waiting game".

The Secretary of Commerce will make his decision between October 24, 2008 and January 7, 2009.

Which is great!!

It gives us more time to make sure all of our family and friends write the Federal Government and demand they uphold the Coastal Commission decision to protect San Onofre State Beach. We have until October 2, 2008 to submit comments. We've made it easy for you: click here If you have already completed the action alert, our system will catch it. Even if you have written the Federal Government, please pass this link around to at least 20 friends today.

At this point, waiting is our forte! We have been fighting this toll road for over 10 years... and remember when we had to wait for a public hearing to be rescheduled? Patience always pays off! We will be uploading all the great pictures that were taken yesterday, so stay tuned...

Thanks for your enduring support. It's all possible because of YOU!

Your Pals at Surfrider

Save Trestles Press Conference Press conference - Elected officials:
Bobby Shriver, Bill Lockyer, Christine Kehoe, Donna Frye.

"ACCIDENTAL ICON: THE REAL GIDGET STORY"

MOVIE SCREENING & CLEAN WATER AT THE WEST LA / MALIBU FUNDRAISER

THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008

SEPTEMBER 5, 2008
5:30 PM TO 12 AM
DUKE'S MALIBU
Screening times: 5:30 (Q&A), 7:30 & 9:00 pm
Tickets: $40

Meet Kathy "Gidget" Kohner Zuckerman & other legends of the surf community.
Silent Auction of Fine Artwork from top Malibu and LA artists.
Live Hula Show, Aloha Happy Hour and $4 Mail Tai's located in Barefoot Bar.
After party with live music and more!

Narrated by Jorja Fox (CSI) and produced by Brian L. Gillogly and Master Communication, the documentary explores the largely untold story of the real "Gidget," Kathy Kohner Zuckerman, and how her account of surfing Malibu in the mid-50's became the basis for a best-selling novel by her father Frederick Kohner. A half century later, "Gidget" is celebrated as an enduring Hollywood movie/TV franchise and a slice of Americana, with considerable impact on popular culture and the sport of surfing.

"Accidental Icon: The Real Gidget Story" includes interviews with: Kathy Kohner Zuckerman (Gidget); Actors Sally Field, Cliff Robertson (Kahuna), James Darren (Moondoggie), Gregory Harrison (Ed, North Shore); Legends Jericho Poppler Bartlow, Lance Carson, Mike Doyle, Mickey Munoz; and Pro Surfers Layne Beachly, Summer Romero, Kassia Meador, Ashley Lloyd, Belen Kimble, Carla Rowland and more.

Surfrider &MSA are proud to celebrate Gidget's story and the history of Malibu surfing for this one-time special evening.

100% of the event proceeds will go towards Surfrider and MSA's mission for Clean Water in Malibu. For more info please visit: www.surfriderwlam.org.

"Its a blast from the past! A story showcasing an eclectic group of surfers, then and now, and Kathy `Gidget Kohner, the surfer who spawned a whole movement of Surfer Girls and liberated a whole generation of young women. The film has cross-over demographics and charms audiences of all ages."

-Lin Bolen Wendkos, former NBC VP

More info:
www.SurfriderWLAM.org

Purchase Tickets at:
https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/41663
Receive a $5 discount, Use discount code 'gidget'

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A group of plastic bag manufacturers, distributors and retailers filed a lawsuit against Manhattan Beach challenging the city's recent ban of the shopping sacks.

The coalition, SaveThePlasticBag.com, filed its suit against the city Aug. 12 with the Los Angeles Superior Court and claims that the city justified the bag ban with misleading information and a biased, not thorough environmental impact study.

The citywide ban was adopted at the July 1 City Council meeting after the issue was postponed at a previous council meeting due to a need for an Environmental Impact Report as required by the California Environmental Quality Act.

The lawyer representing SaveThePlasticBag .com, Stephen Joseph, lambasted the city saying the report was only a justification for banning plastic bags rather than a full study of the pros and cons of plastic bags in Manhattan Beach.

"The study was a series of cutting and pasting from the misinformation superhighway (the Internet) rather than a full study," said Joseph.

The coalition, whose founding members are Elkay Plastics and Command Packaging, posted its main objection on its Web site, stating that the city did not prepare an authentic Environmental Impact Report and hopes that the court will force the city to prepare a more objective study. Joseph said the city should spend more time studying the impacts of banning plastic bags. The Daily Breeze also stated that the suit intends to address the city's power in issuing such a ban and questions if the city should be able to ban a product regardless of an objective environmental study.

"I represent an industry that generates about 4,000 jobs. Would you want to lose your job based on misinformation?" said Joseph.

City Attorney Bob Wadden was quoted in the Daily Breeze as saying that the city's environmental impact report has an excellent chance of holding its own in court. City staff has yet to be served with the complaint and would not comment further without seeing the actual complaint filed.

If the Manhattan Beach ban stands, it would be enforced within about five months. The ordinance approved by council bans all point-of-sale carryout plastic bags in the city and will take effect for grocery stores, food vendors, restaurants, pharmacies and city facilities in about five months and in about 11 months for all other retail businesses and vendors, according to a city staff report.

Malibu is the only other Southern California city to ban all point-of-sale plastic bags at all retail establishments. San Francisco has a limited plastic bag ban and Oakland attempted a similar ban but a 2008 Alameda County Superior Court decision overturned the ban due to a weak environmental study.

Dear Friends,

For the past two years, California has faced severe drought conditions. In June, the Governor issued an executive order declaring a statewide drought and directing state agencies and cities to take immediate action to address California's impaired water supply. In response, the Council and the Mayor approved the Department of Water Power's (DWP) recommendations to expand and enforce the prohibited uses of water. These restrictions will further our City's stellar record of water conservation and help us secure sustainable sources of water for the future.

PROHIBITED WATER USES:

There are penalties for not complying with these water-usage prohibitions.

PENALTIES:

I hope you will join us in these important water saving techniques during this time of extreme water shortage. The City also offers many rebates and incentives to help residents and business conserve water. For more information, please visit http://www.ladwp.com.

Councilman Bill Rosendahl
200 N. Spring Street, Room 415
Mailstop 218
Los Angeles, CA 90012

The American Chemistry Council and bag manufacturers are digging into their deep pockets to fund a campaign against AB 2058 (Plastic Bag Litter Reduction Act). They are spreading misinformation about the environmental and societal impacts of reducing plastic bag usage. For the first time, California has the chance to pass the most aggressive policy to reduce plastic bag consumption. We can't allow the American Chemistry Council and others to use their large budgets to spread misinformation to legislators and the public.

Under AB 2058, large grocery stores and pharmacies would be required to charge a 25 cent fee for plastic grocery bags, the proceeds of which would be used for local litter abatement, cleanup and prevention programs. This fee-based approach has encouraged shoppers to bring their own reusable bags and has reduced plastic bag consumption in Ireland by over 90%.

Tell your legislator to SUPPORT AB 2058. Let your legislator know that all Californians want to protect their community from plastic bag pollution. Please take a few moments to fill out this form with sample letter and we will hand deliver your letter to legislative offices in Sacramento. http://www.healthebay.org/actionalerts/2008_07_28_ab2058/default.asp

Fact: AB 2058 is NOT a tax, it's "fee by choice". You can CHOOSE not pay 25 cents if you just remember BYOB: Bring Your Own Bag.

Fact: AB 2058 can actually help low-income consumers SAVE money and clean up plastic bag blight in their communities. Under AB 2058, proceeds from the revenue can also be spent on reusable bag giveaway programs.

Low-income communities are burdened by the blight caused by plastic bag litter in their communities. Los Angeles County spends $18 million per year on litter prevention, cleanup and enforcement activities, tax dollars that could've otherwise been invested in public safety, libraries and parks.

The plastic bag industry is already making a profit off of low-income families that pay upwards of $18 per year in "hidden costs." Each time you get a plastic bag at the grocery store, you pay 2-5 cents that is already embedded in the price of goods.

Myth 3: There is no need for this law because plastic bags are fully recyclable.

Fact: While plastic bags are recyclable, less than 5% actually get recycled despite aggressive efforts to educate the public and implement recycling programs. California currently spends $25 million per year to landfill plastic bag litter. The quantity of plastic marine debris is rising and WE CANNOT CONTINUE TO RECYCLE OUR WAY OUT OF THIS PROBLEM.

Los Angeles Times article link:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-plastic23-2008jul23,0,5875215.story

L.A. City Council votes for ban on plastic shopping bags

The council plans to ban plastic carryout bags in the city's stores by 2010,
unless the state imposes a 25-cent fee on those who request them.

By David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 23, 2008

The Los Angeles City Council voted Tuesday to ban plastic carryout bags in the city's supermarkets and stores by July 2010 -- but only if the state fails to impose a 25-cent fee on every shopper who requests them.

Council members said they hope an impending ban would spur consumers to begin carrying canvas or other reusable bags, reducing the amount of plastic that washes into the city's storm drains and the ocean.

"This is a major moment for our city, to bite the bullet and go with something that is more ecologically sensitive than what we've ever done before," said Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents such coastal neighborhoods as Venice and Playa del Rey.

Tuesday's vote comes as the plastic bag industry, formally known as the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition, is fighting efforts to regulate its products. The group filed a lawsuit last week challenging a Los Angeles County plan to reduce plastic bags about 30% by 2010.

Still, a lawyer for the coalition said that as long as the council's decision remains a policy and not a law, he sees no need for a legal fight.

"Why challenge it?" asked coalition attorney Stephen Joseph. "It's not an ordinance."

The council also voted to require city agencies to stop purchasing polystyrene food containers starting next year.

The plastic bag ban was hailed by environmental groups, including Heal the Bay and the Surfrider Foundation. Opponents warned the policy will have a devastating effect on the region's packaging companies.

"When we start banning things and closing factories, where are the blue-collar workers going to go?" asked Anatolio Riegos, a Highland Park resident who works for Pactiv, a packaging company in the city of Industry that has roughly 1,300 workers.

City officials estimate that Los Angeles consumers use 2.3 billion plastic bags each year. An estimated 5% of plastic bags are recycled statewide, according to the city's Bureau of Sanitation.

The ban was proposed by Councilman Ed Reyes, who called plastic bags "the graffiti of the L.A. River," which passes through his district.

Although the plan originally called for the bag ban to go into effect in 2012, council members Janice Hahn and Richard Alarcon persuaded their colleagues to embrace an earlier deadline.

Alarcon said the council would eventually pass a law regulating plastic bags. But for now, the council's vote is designed to persuade state lawmakers to impose a fee on them.

"If they don't do [a fee], then we do a ban," said Alarcon, who represents the northeast San Fernando Valley. "So yes, at some point there would be an ordinance."

david.zahniser@latimes.com>>

From: Surfrider Foundation
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:06:09 -0700
Subject: Trestles Toll Road Hearing Canceled for July 25th.

We wanted to remind the hearing on the 241 Toll Road scheduled for July 25th at UC Irvine's Bren Center is canceled. They feared that the turnout from supporters of San Onofre State Beach and Trestles would overwhelm the facilities at UCI, estimating that over 10,000 of you would show up.

Clearly there is strong community opposition to this destructive highway project, and those voices need to be heard. Unfortunately no other venue has been identified. The Department of Commerce said they are committed to having a public hearing and are looking for a venue that would accommodate the crowd and their budget. The hearing could possibly be held in late August or early September.

We will keep you informed as the situation develops, but for now there will be NO Hearing on July 25th at the Bren Center.

In the meantime, make sure that the Commerce Department knows that you still want the opportunity to be heard. Send an email to Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez demanding that they reschedule the hearing so that he can hear from the community on this issue. Copy and paste the text below or write your own letter, and send it to gcos.comments@noaa.gov

Surfrider and Sierra Club are planning a community meeting on July 24th to talk about what the cancelation of the hearing means. Mark Massara, long time Surfrider and Sierra Club activist, (and attorney) will be on hand to discuss the current situation and answer questions.

The meeting will take place on July 24th at the San Clemente Community Center, 100 N. Calle Seville, San Clemente, CA 92672, at 7:30 pm. click here for directions>>

If you would like to receive regular updates about the Trestles campaign, please sign up: click here>>

A very special Thank You to our friends at Whole Foods Market for selecting the Surfrider Foundation - South Bay Chapter for their "5% Day" on June 12, 2008!

On June 12, 2008, Redondo Beach held a 5% Day for
the Surfrider Foundation - South Bay Chapter.
We presented a check for $1,996.45.

Courtesy...
Lena Pereira
Marketing Supervisor
Whole Foods Market Redondo Beach
405 North Pacific Coast Highway
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
(310)376-6931 phone
(310)376-7651 fax

San Clemente, CA (June 19, 2008) This week, there have been several calls for Congress to lift its long-standing ban on offshore oil and gas drilling. In response to these announcements, the Surfrider Foundation has released a statement on its position against offshore oil drilling.

"Surfrider Foundation is opposed to any attempt to lift the federal moratorium on offshore oil drilling," said Environmental Director Chad Nelsen.

"Our nation's oceans, waves and beaches are vital recreational, economic and ecological treasures that will be polluted by an increase in offshore oil drilling."

"Instead of advocating for transient and environmentally harmful ways to meet America's oil needs, we should seek a comprehensive and environmentally sustainable energy plan that includes energy conservation."

The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide. For more information on the Surfrider Foundation, go to www.surfrider.org

Alexis Henry
Communications Manager
Surfrider Foundation
PO Box 6010
San Clemente, CA 92674
P: 949-732-6413 | C: 714-315-7102
Email: Ahenry@surfrider.org

From: Jeff Eick
Sent: Wednesday, May 07, 2008 6:01 PM
To: Surfrider Foundation Membership Email
Subject: Keeping the ocean clean

My name is Peff Eick. I was honored by being inducted into the Hermosa Beach Surfers Walk of Fame in April of this year.

I have been surfing for over 55 years. Recently I have been surfing on a standup paddle surfboard when the surf is flat at my home break in Manhattan Beach. My field of view on the stand up board has revealed that there are lots of plastic bags in the water. I wondered what I could do to pick up some of the plastic while not interrupting my surf session.

I went to Home Depot and bought some strips of velcro. I put the velcro around my upper calf and when I see a bag I grab it, roll it up and put it between my leg and the velcro. I can still surf and when I come in I just through it in the trash. It's my little part to keep the ocean clean.

ENVIRONMENT: The facility would test treated water; none would be used for drinking.

By Kristin S. Agostoni, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/09/2008 12:07:34 AM PST

Environmental leaders are looking cautiously at plans to turn ocean water into potential drinking water at a test site in Redondo Beach, even as the West Basin Municipal Water District pledges to minimize the effects on sea life.

West Basin, which proposed the demonstration desalination plant more than a year ago, presented its plans Thursday to a small audience at the Los Angeles Conservation Corps' SEA Lab. It marked the start of an environmental review for a project that will require a host of approvals, including permits from the California Coastal Commission, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and others.

With the cost of imported water expected to rise due to dwindling supplies, district officials stressed the need to find a new source of potable water.

"With costs going up, ocean desalting, it makes sense," West Basin director Ed Little said. "We need to find out how to do it in an economic and environmentally sensitive way, and that's what we're coming at here."

But environmental leaders say desalting should be used as a last resort to conservation and recycling efforts. Also, some worry a temporary plant could pave the way for a full-scale facility that could do significant damage to ocean ecosystems.

West Basin officials, anticipating those concerns and others, have invited environmental groups to a meeting Monday to discuss the plans in greater detail.

The district wants to build the desalter in an old pump house next to the SEA Lab on Harbor Drive. Across the street is the former Southern California Edison plant - now AES - which used the structure to supply cooling water to four units that are now decommissioned.

The plant would be West Basin's second desalter; it already operates a smaller pilot facility at the NRG plant in El Segundo.

The agency has said the Redondo project is temporary and that its goal is to operate a permanent facility in El Segundo, once that plant finishes an extensive renovation.

In the meantime, though, the Redondo desalter would operate on a larger scale, filtering 500,000 gallons of seawater daily through the power plant's old intake pipe - up from 40,000 gallons in El Segundo.

( West Basin had initially discussed filtering 1 million gallons a day but later revised the plan, Shoenberger said.)

To minimize the number of organisms getting flushed into a 14-foot underwater tunnel, Shoenberger said the district wants to run an 8-inch pipe inside and cover the opening with a wedgewire screen.

The protective cover and smaller pipe - which draws water at a lower velocity - will keep larger organisms from getting pushed against the screen and reduce the amount being sucked in by 95 percent, he said.

None of the water would be used for drinking; after testing, the salt-free water would be combined with the concentrate and released back to sea. The salinity of the outgoing flow would be nearly identical to the incoming seawater, Shoenberger said.

West Basin also wants to simulate a natural subsurface intake system that would use water first percolated through the ocean floor. The temporary device would be built onshore and used for research.

Joe Geever, California policy coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation, said his group has supported desalting research elsewhere along the coast. But large-scale plants should be "an option of last resort," he said, only after water conservation and recycling programs are exhausted.

And while wedgewire screening devices are believed to minimize the effect on aquatic life, Geever said "the jury is still out about whether they work."

Sarah Abramson, a staff scientist with Heal the Bay, said she questions why the agency plans to test screening devices if the subsurface intake method is known to have fewer effects.

Still, even that process would require study, she said: "We don't know the feasibility of certain locations."

Desal plants that use wells and subsurface pipes require less energy and reduce the effect on sea life, said Conner Everts of the Desal Response Group.

But Everts also believes that co-locating desalters with coastal power plants poses problems, as it promotes antiquated systems that last year suffered a blow in court; the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency had no basis for letting electricity generating systems suck in ocean water even if other measures were taken, such as replacing sea life with fish nurseries.

And Everts said he has concerns not only about how West Basin's process will work, but that the quality of the purified water would be safe to drink. "The Santa Monica Bay is not exactly a safe place to swim (let alone) drink water out of it," he added.

West Basin's proposal is a lucrative one for the Los Angeles Conservation Corps and the tiny SEA Lab.

The agency will pay the corps $5,000 a month in rent and spend $1.5 million renovating the pump house. Once the desal project is done, the lab can reclaim the space.

Yet as environmentalists pose questions, the deal puts the nonprofit aquarium in an awkward position. After all, it was formed in 1996 with money from a legal settlement between Edison and the Earth Island Institute, which alleged the company's new San Onofre station would harm aquatic life.

"We are extremely sensitive of the perception. We wrestled with this, most definitely," said Dan Knapp, the Corps' deputy director. "We're first and foremost a youth development agency, but we're also an environmental agency."

The Corps agreed that West Basin could use the space for research purposes, he explained, yet that doesn't mean the aquarium is a partner.

"The only reason we've gone into this is that it's temporary and pure research," Knapp said.

The benefits to the lab were also considered. Today, the 1940s-era pump house, is "completely unusable to us," Knapp said.

"It can be used to bolster our education. We have plans for wet labs and classroom space. This will help us make it safer and allow us to further our mission."

Joe Geever
Surfrider Foundation
California Policy Coordinator
8117 W Manchester Ave. #297
Playa del Rey, CA 90293
(310) 410-2890
Please help restore and protect the ocean we love by joining Surfrider Foundation at: www.surfrider.org/join

The California Coastal Commission voted 8-2 to oppose a planned toll road that threatens San Onofre State Beach Park and the surfing resources at Trestles...

California Coastal Commission votes against the six-lane Foothill South route.

DEL MAR — The California Coastal Commission handed environmentalists a major victory and rejected the pleas of motorists Wednesday, voting down plans to build a six-lane toll road through San Onofre State Beach, a popular preserve in north San Diego County known for its scenery and famous surf spots.

Before a boisterous crowd of more than 3,500 people, commissioners decided 8 to 2 that the proposed Foothill South project violates the California Coastal Act, which is designed to regulate development along the state's 1,100-mile shoreline. They reached the conclusion following hours of sometimes heated public testimony that pitted protecting the environment against the need to relieve traffic congestion in south Orange County.

The decision was a major setback for the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which has spent years and tens of millions of dollars preparing to construct the 16-mile tollway as an alternative to Interstate 5.

"This project looks like something from the 1950s," said Commissioner Sara Wan of Malibu, who voted against the tollway. "Putting a massive project in an environmentally sensitive area, it is inconceivable."

After the state Supreme Court's decision, the developer of the West L.A. project says it will try to resolve the environmental impact issues with the city.

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday denied a request by Playa Vista to review an appellate court ruling that halted work on the development's final phase. The 2nd District Court of Appeal had found that the project's environmental impact report was flawed.

Playa Vista said in a statement that it had expected the result because the state's high court accepts only a tiny percentage of cases for review. The company said it would work with Los Angeles officials to address the three issues that the appellate court decided needed further analysis.

In September, the appellate court found that the city's approval of the big, mixed-use development's Phase 2 was based on an environmental review that was "deficient in its analysis of land-use impacts, mitigation of historical archaeological resources and wastewater impacts."

The project's $1.1-billion second and final phase, the Village, calls for 2,600 housing units and 250,000 square feet of office and retail space on 111 acres.

The retail space would include a supermarket and other businesses in the hope of reducing traffic outside the development.

Playa Vista's first phase involved 3,246 housing units and more than 3.2 million square feet of office and retail space. The company is allowed to continue with first-phase construction.

Sabrina Venskus, lead counsel to the environmental groups that challenged Phase 2, said her clients would favor a much scaled-down final phase, with no housing and about 110,000 square feet of retail space. Her clients have recommended that the rest of the property set aside for Phase 2 be converted into a treatment wetland to clean storm runoff before it could reach the Ballona Wetlands and Santa Monica Bay.

Joe Geever of the Surfrider Foundation, one of the organizations that sued the city soon after it approved the second phase in 2004, said the high court's denial would force the city to think about alternatives for the controversial project just south of Marina del Rey. But he acknowledged that "people living in Playa Vista were promised those amenities, and I think they should get them."

Steve Soboroff, Playa Vista president, said the company expected to present further analysis of the three issues to the city "in a couple of months."

"I'm confident it's going to be remedied so we will get done with our ultimate vision," he said.

Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the city attorney's office, said: "Now it's up to the city and the developer to remedy those [issues]. The EIR conditions are fixable."

Joe Geever
Surfrider Foundation
California Policy Coordinator
8117 W Manchester Ave. #297
Playa del Rey, CA 90293
(310) 410-2890

Saatchi & Saatchi Los Angeles makes a clean sweep of the beach on Thursday, November 15, 2007, in support of the Surfrider Foundation - South Bay Chapter. This special beach clean up event, coordinated by Saatchi's Bruce McDermott, was well-executed by our friends at Saatchi LA and sincerely appreciated by the South Bay Chapter and all beach-goers, both human and other!

LOS ANGELES - A decade after environmental groups settled a federal lawsuit with a plan to control pollution flowing into Southern California coastal waters, they have filed an intent to sue again this time to force local agencies to actually clean up the water.

The Natural Resources Defense Council and the Santa Monica Baykeeper used Los Angeles County's own data to show how the county and the city of Malibu potentially owe millions of dollars in fines for violating the Clean Water Act. The notice, which was sent Thursday, is the first step in filing a federal lawsuit within the next 60 days.

"This lawsuit focuses explicitly on results measured at the beach and in local waters," said David Beckman, senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council. "No longer could the county merely file a paper program to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act. It would have to actually clean up the water to be in compliance."

The federal law required pollution limits to be set by 1979 for all water in the United States considered unsafe for people and aquatic life.

In the mid-1990s, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Baykeeper filed a federal lawsuit claiming that the county violated clean water standards by failing to control storm water polluting Santa Monica Bay. The two sides settled in 1996, with the county promising to develop a program to find the type and source of pollutants flowing into the bay through storm drains and flood control channels.

In 1999, the same groups sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing for 20 years to ensure that state waters were clean. In a settlement that year, the EPA agreed to set pollution limits for the 156 water bodies in Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

In this latest round of legal action, the Natural Resources Defense Council and Baykeeper say Los Angeles County and Malibu have routinely violated clean water standards by discharging contaminated water and urban runoff into coastal waters. County data showed that Malibu Creek and the Los Angeles and San Gabriel rivers repeatedly exceeded safe levels of cyanide, aluminum and fecal coliform.

The groups' notice seeks imposition of penalties for violations of the Clean Water Act ranging from $27,500 to $32,500 per day dating to May 2002.

Some of the area's most famous beaches have been plagued for years by water quality problems, which can make people sick. Los Angeles County had the 2,213 beach closings in 2005, the notice said. #

Investigators say water pollution is contributing to a spate of marine mammal deaths that have scattered carcasses along the California coast.

In the past several weeks, dozens of whales, dolphins and sea lions have washed ashore dead or dying from Los Angeles-Venice area to San Luis Obispo.

The latest discovery occurred Tuesday in Ventura, where an 8-foot juvenile minke whale washed up dead at San Buenaventura State Beach. Lifeguards buried it in the sand.

"It is episodic. Springtime is peak time when this happens," said Michelle Berman, assistant curator and marine mammal specialist for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. "Animals are reproducing, and we have upwelling and nutrients that can lead to red tides. But to have so many in a short time frame is not so common."

In Santa Barbara, a 29-foot sperm whale washed ashore April 9 near Isla Vista. In both instances involving whales, investigators collected tissue samples from the carcasses in an effort to pinpoint the cause of death.

Meanwhile, numerous dolphins and sea lions are washing ashore sick or dead on Southland beaches.

Peter Wallerstein, president and founder of Whale Rescue Team in Los Angeles, said he has conducted 78 marine mammal rescues this year, many of them common dolphins. He rescued a dolphin at Santa Monica beach and another at Venice beach this week. A live harbor porpoise washed up near Oceano Dunes near San Luis Obispo but died later.

Joe Cordaro, wildlife biologist for the National Marine Fisheries Service, said he does not see an ecological disaster under way but is concerned about toxic algae. It can produce domoic acid, which accumulates in shellfish and fish and sickens seabirds, otters, sea lions, dolphins, whales and humans. He said some sea lions show symptoms of domoic acid poisoning, including seizures and paralysis, but he said investigations are under way to determine if other factors contribute to the problem.

"We get spurts like this from time to time," Cordaro said, "but whenever we get one like this, this many (fatalities) at one time, it raises our antennae."

Officials warn beach-goers to keep themselves and children a safe distance from animals that appear distressed, especially sea lions.

October 10, 2004 was the official launch date of the South Bay Chapter's "Teach and Test Program." This is an exciting new initiative to coordinate with local high schools and improve water quality monitoring in the South Bay area. We have organized several high schools to sample local beaches for their science courses. The Chapter will then have the water samples analyzed and publish the results in an on-going database. We're also contributing to a study of plastics accumulation in our beach sand.
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Surfrider Foundation is tracking a development proposal to build townhouses on the dunes at Toes Beach in Playa del Rey (corner of Culver Blvd/Pacific St). These dunes are important coastal habitat and provide the local community with unique scenic, recreational and educational benefits. Our members and other local organizations are working to find funding to acquire this property for habitat restoration and public access.
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Surfrider Foundation frequently get calls from members who notice a sewer spill or other water quality violation and want to know how to report it. A call recently received was from a person at Ecostation in Culver City, who said a mobile car detailing service was pouring a lot of soupy water down into the storm drain system and then to Ballona Creek. To report pollution in the South Bay area...
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I'm writing to tell you about some special and exciting campaigns and issues that the national office is working on that increase our level of services to you, as well update you on some Surfrider Foundation Headquarters accomplishments. This information can be accessed through our website. More information >>

"Rise Above Plastics" News!
July 1, 2008: Manhattan Beach City Council
Unanimously Appproves Ordinance to
Prohibit Carry-Out Plastic Bags

Thank You Manhattan Beach
Residents and City Council!
CityMB.info

"Rise Above Plastics" News! July 1, 2008: Manhattan Beach City Council Unanimously Appproves Ordinance to Prohibit Carry-Out Plastic Bags

Thank You Manhattan Beach Residents and City Council! CityMB.info

"Rise Above Plastics" News!
July 1, 2008: Manhattan Beach City Council
Unanimously Appproves Ordinance to
Prohibit Carry-Out Plastic Bags

Thank You Manhattan Beach
Residents and City Council!
CityMB.info