The timeline that proves we were right
In 2019, Citizens for Coastal Conservancy warned that Surfrider Foundation's proposed sewage plan would exacerbate the Tijuana River crisis. For speaking truth to power, we received cease and desist letters threatening legal action. We were excluded from "stakeholder" meetings. We were told to shut up.
We didn't shut up. And we were right.
Today, Imperial Beach lives the nightmare we predicted. What was once 30 beach closure days per year has become over 3 consecutive years of continuous closures. The crisis we warned about in 2019 has destroyed our community's economy, health, and quality of life.
Citizens for Coastal Conservancy published detailed analysis showing that Surfrider Foundation's proposed sewage plan would quadruple the amount of treated wastewater dumped off Imperial Beach—from 25 million gallons per day to over 100 million gallons per day.
Our analysis warned that:
The Response:
Surfrider Foundation sent cease and desist letters to C4CC leadership, threatening legal action for publishing factual analysis. We were accused of making "inaccurate" and "libelous" statements—despite using numbers directly from Surfrider's own proposal documents.
While threatening us with lawsuits, Surfrider held closed-door "stakeholder meetings" to develop their sewage plan. Imperial Beach residents—the people who would live with the consequences—were excluded.
Our Response:
We asked for clarification on what statements we should "cease and desist" from making. Surfrider went silent. No response. No clarification. No evidence that our analysis was wrong.
We continued our work anyway.
Beach Closures Explode:
Economic Devastation:
Health Crisis:
Infrastructure Failures:
Everything C4CC warned about in 2019 came true.
While powerful organizations tried to silence us, we continued our work:
✓ Original Research
Exposed faulty water quality testing methods that close beaches 56% of the time when water is actually safe
✓ Policy Analysis
Analyzed federal infrastructure plans showing they would discharge 600% more sewage off Imperial Beach
✓ Investigative Journalism
Published comprehensive analysis of PBCILA failures and government accountability issues
✓ Community Empowerment
Gave voice to residents excluded from "stakeholder" meetings and stood up to institutional power
| Year | Beach Closure Status | What C4CC Said | What Happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | ~30 days/year | "Surfrider's plan will exacerbate the problem" | C4CC received cease and desist letters |
| 2020 | Increasing | "Expanding treatment without fixing Tijuana won't work" | Closures begin increasing |
| 2021 | Continuous | "We're heading toward prolonged closures" | Continuous closures begin |
| 2022 | Continuous | "This crisis will last years" | Year 2 of continuous closures |
| 2023 | Continuous | "Economic and health devastation will worsen" | Year 3 of continuous closures |
| 2024 | Continuous | "We were right in 2019" | Imperial Beach still closed |
The verdict is clear: C4CC was right.
Imperial Beach residents understand this crisis better than outside organizations. When local voices are excluded from decision-making, communities pay the price.
C4CC published detailed analysis for public review. Organizations that operated in closed-door meetings and threatened us with lawsuits produced failed policies.
Surfrider Foundation had deep pockets, legal resources, and access to "stakeholder" meetings. They were still wrong. Power doesn't equal correctness.
The cease and desist letter was designed to make us stop. We didn't. Five years later, we're still fighting—and the timeline proves we were right to persist.
The 2019-2024 timeline proves a simple truth: when local voices are silenced, communities pay the price.
We were right to question Surfrider's plan. We were right to demand transparency. We were right to refuse to be silenced by cease and desist letters. And we were right about what would happen if our warnings were ignored.