California Ocean Day Agenda
April 27th
3:00 pm: Coastal Act Film
Location: California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium
To Save Our Coast: Prop. 20 and the Creation of the California Coastal Commission
“The 1970s is often referred to as the environmental decade, and perhaps no action better exemplifies the aims and achievements of this period more than California’s Proposition 20. Passed by voters in 1972, Prop. 20 established the regulatory body that became known as the California Coastal Commission - an agency widely recognized as the international flagship of coastal regulation. This documentary tells the story of that grassroots campaign through the voices of those who waged it, showing how a diverse group of underdogs took on the state's most powerful corporations to save the California coast for the people.
A Teidi Productions film in association with The Oral History Center of UC Berkeley and the California Coastal Commission.”
Credits:
Todd Holmes - Creator, Producer, Editor
Heidi Holmes - Editor, Graphic Designer
3:45 pm: How to Organize a Plastic Pellet Count
Fiona Hines, CALPIRG
Location: California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium
Plastic pellets, also known as nurdles, are the raw material used to make many familiar plastic products like water bottles, grocery bags and food containers. Unfortunately, these tiny plastics are frequently spilled, leaked, or dumped into the environment, especially our waterways, during manufacturing and transport. As a result, an estimated 10 trillion plastic pellets now enter our oceans each year.
Once present in our environment, plastic pellets can cause harm to fish and birds. If these animals mistake plastic pellets for fish eggs or other natural food sources, they can starve with their stomachs and throats full of plastic.
The International Plastic Pellet Count is an international day of action where volunteers around the world search for plastic pellets in riverbanks, lakeshores and beaches and record what they find, so we can all have a better understanding of where this pollution is happening and make the case for action.
Join us to learn how to conduct your own pellet count to expand the scope and amplify the impact of this important day of action.
4:00 pm: Our Water Ways Film & Panel
Sacred Places Institute for Indigenous Peoples
Location: California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium
6:00 - 7:00 pm: Happy Hour
Location: Thirty Four Cantina
No host happy hour with some light appetizers
April 28th California Ocean Day
8:30 am: Registration and Check In
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church (N street)
Check in, connect with advocates, and enjoy pastries and coffee courtesy of Azul.
9:00 am: Welcome
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church (N street)
9:40 am: Break Into Lobby Teams
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church (N street)
10:00 am: Lobby Meetings Start
Advocacy teams will attend 2-4 lobby meetings throughout the day from 10 AM - 5 PM, and are encouraged to attend other Ocean Day programming as available.
You will receive your lobby meeting schedule via email.
10:30 am: California Ocean Leadership Press Event
Location: Southwest Capitol Lawn
12:00 pm: Lunchtime Beach Party
Location: Capitol Park, Cactus Garden
Join us for a meaningful afternoon of community and conversation. Enjoy lunch alongside local advocates and connect with organizations tabling and sharing resources. The gathering will also include a discussion on offshore oil drilling (see below).
An informal art activity hosted by the Surf Justice Collective will be available for those who’d like to participate.
12:30 pm: Standing Against More Offshore Oil Drilling (at lunch)
Location: Capitol Park, Cactus Garden
Emcee: Joana Guerra, Surfrider San Diego Chapter
Speakers:
Secretary Wade Crowfoot, California's Natural Resources Agency
Assemblymember Laurie Davies, 74th Assembly District
Afternoon Panel Series
2:00 pm: How Marine Conservation Benefits Us All
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church (N street)
3:00 pm: The Tijuana River: Stories from California’s Most Complex Water Problem
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church (N street)
This panel shines a light on the magnificent Tijuana River Watershed at California’s southern border and the pollution flowing through it that has caused one of the worst ongoing public health and environmental justice emergencies in the United States. Through local images and voices, the panel will speak to the many values of the shared watershed, the severity and inequity of the pollution crisis, related state policy and advocacy opportunities, current research efforts and findings, and the important role art and storytelling play in addressing the Tijuana River pollution crisis.
Opening Remarks: Senator Blakespear, 38th Senate District
Moderator: Ramon Chairez, Tijuana River Advocate and Community Member
Speakers:
Philip Salata, inewsource
Aurora Czajkowski, Surfrider and UCSD The Airborne Institute
4:00 pm: Funding the Coast: Access, Belonging, and the Next 50 Years
Location: Westminster Presbyterian Church (N street)
As we look toward the next 50 years of the California Coastal Act, this panel explores the critical role of funding in shaping equitable coastal access and in supporting those who build lasting relationships with the coast.
Bringing together youth and adult voices from inland and coastal communities, panelists will reflect on how funding, policy, and program design influence who feels welcome, safe, and able to return to coastal spaces over time.
By centering an intergenerational lens, this conversation moves beyond one-time access to examine what sustained investment looks like; reimagining coastal spaces as places of long-term belonging, healing, and community connection.
Opening Remarks: Senator Gonzalez, 13th Senate District
Moderator: Jessica Knox (she/her), Salted Roots
Speakers:
Sophia Uribe (she/her), Native Like Water
Krystle Cansino (any), Queer Surf
Bella Bonner (she/her), Black Surf Santa Cruz
Jordan Thomas (she/her), City Surf Project
5:00 pm: Evening Reception
Location: Standford Mansion
Monterey Bay Aquarium Ocean Champion Award Ceremony
Gather to celebrate the ocean with state officials, ocean advocates, and activists.