Pacifica declares emergency by proclamation for Esplanade area

February 16, 2010  

PROCLAMATION CONFIRMING EXISTENCE 
OF A LOCAL EMERGENCY
By: CITY MANAGER 

WHEREAS, Section 4-2.05 of the Pacifica Municipal Code empowers the Director of Emergency Services to proclaim the existence or threatened existence of a local emergency when said City is affected or likely to be affected by a public calamity and the City Council is not in session; subjed to ratification by the City Council at the earliest possible time; and

WHEREAS, conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property have arisen within said City, caused by severe cliff erosion and subsidence in the area of Pacifica adjacent to the Pacifica Ocean from a point at Manor Drive northward to the area of approximately 100 Palmetto. This condition is the result of El Nino conditions that have brought heavy wave action, strong winds and short bursts of heavy rain; and

WHEREAS, a total of 326 housing units are in peril due to the erosion. Of those, 14 are single family dwellings and the remainder are multi-family units; and

WHEREAS, due to the erosion there is an imminent threat of loss of structural support for the units and potential collapse into the ocean. To deal with this threat the City is requesting a Federal Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster declaration so as to qualify the owners for SBA assistance to shore up the properties; and

WHEREAS, said City does hereby find that the aforesaid conditions of extreme peril did warrant and necessitate the proclamation of the existence of a local emergency; and

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS HEREBY PROCLAIMED AND ORDERED that said local emergency does exist and shall be deemed to continue to exist until its termination is proclaimed by the City Council of Pacifica, State of California.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that a copy of this declaration be forwarded to the Governor of California with the request that he proclaim a state of emergency for Pacifica, and further that the Governor request a Presidential Declaration and an SBA disaster declaration.

Dated: February 16, 2010

BY:
Stephen A. Rhodes. Citv Manager
Director of Emergency Services

Amanita muscaria: El Montara

Mavericks Surf Ventures passes the buck...

Mavericks Surf Ventures passes the buck to San Mateo County, 

County Counsel Michael Murphy passes the buck to 

Harbor District Manager Peter Grenell who passes the buck

to Vandenberg Air Force Base who promptly pass the buck 

to Army Corps of Engineers and the buck circles back to 

Mavericks Surf Ventures.

Sorting out Mavericks accident: Responsibility unclear

By: KATIE WORTH San Francisco Examiner  February 21, 2010

Massive swell: An emergency crew sets up after a crowd of spectators was hit by a wave during Maverick’s Surf Contest near Half Moon Bay on Feb. 13. (AP file photo)

A week after mammoth waves swept through a crowd watching the Mavericks Surf Contest and brought serious injuries on 13 fans, it’s still not clear who might be responsible for the damages — or if no one is.

So far, no one has even admitted to owning the strip of beach that dozens were washed from on Valentine’s Day while watching the annual big-wave surf contest.

The event, world-famous for the huge waves tamed by surfers, this year became famous for massive waves that swept over a breakwater and beach, washing spectators into the lagoon behind them.

The breakwater had warning signs of rogue waves, but that didn’t stop the contest organizers from setting up a scaffolding tower for commentators and judges — as they have for years — or fans from gathering around to watch. The waves took out the tower, the contest’s sound system and dozens of cameras, purses, phones and backpacks of unlucky contest-goers.

Contest organizer Mavericks Surf Ventures has said they are not responsible for the injuries, noting they’ve encouraged crowds to watch the contest on the Web or at AT&T ballpark, where it’s simulcast. In an e-mail, Mavericks CEO Keir Beadling said the organization is “disappointed that a number of folks did not have a good experience on contest day, particularly since the events out on the contest waters truly made surfing history. We’re not happy about that at all.”

He did not comment on whether the organization has received any claims or suits over injuries.

Meanwhile, there is still confusion over who even owns the land where the injuries took place.

San Mateo County immediately checked after the contest and discovered it does not own the land, said County Counsel Michael Murphy. He said the beach is owned by a separate entity — the San Mateo County Harbor District, while the bluff is owned by the state.

But San Mateo County Harbor District General Manager Peter Grenell said the breakwater is owned by the Army Corps of Engineers, while the beach is owned by the Air Force, whose Vandenberg Air Force Base has a satellite installation at the top of the bluff.

However, Vandenberg’s Public Affairs chief said that the Air Force’s property ends at the top of the cliff.

The only entity to admit owning any property in the vicinity is the Corps of Engineers, who say they built and own the breakwater. However, spokesman J.D. Hardesty said that signs were posted stating the area was dangerous, warning of rogue waves that “meet legal requirements for notification so we are not liable.”

Further, he said, no one ever told the Corps that the event was being held or that anyone would be setting up observation towers on its land.

“No one contacted my office asking for permission, and that’s something we wouldn’t give, because we don’t recommend anyone go up there because of the inherent danger,” he said.

Wrong place, wrong time

Surf fan Pamela Massette remembers thinking she was perfectly safe in what she said was the designated safe area of the beach, but before she knew it, she was underwater and swept into the lagoon.

This week, she’ll undergo surgery for a spiral fracture in her hand.

“I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time,” she said.

Massette said she has good insurance and has no plans to pursue reimbursement for her injuries. But she expects other people may have reason to act differently.

“I’m grateful that I have health care, but I tell you what, if I didn’t have it, I’d be looking to find help somewhere,” she said. 

kworth@sfexaminer.com

Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos explains "private" Mavericks Surf Contest meeting

San Mateo County Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos had the following to say about the "private" meeting Supervisor Rich Gordon is having at the Moss Beach Sheriffs substation Monday, February 22, 2010 at 10:30am:

When members of the public and/or the media are there typically people won't be as candid as we need them to be to ensure the debrief is as clear as possible.

If there is someone there from the media then the purpose is compromised because people won’t be as candid as they would be...

Undersheriff Carlos Bolanos must have felt compromised when he and Sheriff Greg Munks were busted for loitering outside a Las Vegas brothel in 2007. Sheriff Greg Munks has experienced difficulty being candid with the media in the past. After the "Operation Dollhouse" bust Munks said in a statement to the press, “I believed I was going to a legitimate business.”