FOSTER CITY, CA —Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath (D-Encinitas), Chair of the Assembly Select Committee on Sea Level Rise and the California Economy, convened a second hearing to identify the most immediate coastal infrastructure threats to communities in the San Francisco Bay Area due to accelerating sea level rise.
“We know the sea level is rising. This is not something out there in the future. It is happening now,” said Assemblemember Tasha Boerner Horvath. “At the state level, we want to work with coastal cities to find ways to prioritize a response to the rising seas and work in collaboration to best coordinate efforts into real change.”
The sea level has already risen eight inches along the San Francisco coast over the last century and it is expected to climb another 1 to 3.4 feet by 2100, according to the Ocean Protection Council’s State of California’s Sea-Level Rise Guidance 2018 Update.
“Sea level rise is one of the most serious consequences of climate change,” stated Assembly Speaker pro Tempore Kevin Mullin. “San Mateo County has more people and property value at risk from rising sea levels than any other county in California, making it an ideal location to hold the Assembly Select Committee on Sea Level Rise and the California Economy’s second public hearing. While San Mateo County has taken a proactive approach to addressing this serious and unique issue by creating the first county-level agency in the state to address sea level rise, there is always more to learn.”
According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report, Preparing for Rising Seas: How the State Can Support Local Adaptation Efforts, because the effects of sea level rise do not stop at the city border or county line, local jurisdictions would benefit from working together with their neighbors on a regional basis to collaborate on plans for addressing the interrelated impacts.
Warner Chabot, Executive Director at the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), confirmed, “The recent LAO report on sea level rise affirms what local governments, nonprofits, businesses, and other state agencies have been saying. It appropriately calls for state actions to support, fund and accelerate local, collaborative efforts.”
Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath re-established the select committee in 2019 to thoroughly review the challenges ahead in addressing the expected impacts of sea-level rise on coastal cities.
Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath represents the 76th District, which encompasses Camp Pendleton, Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, and Encinitas.
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