QUIET RIOT

Environmental Steward Stefanie Sekich Echoes the Sounds of Silence in Her Fight for Trestles

Being quiet is so much louder these days. That’s what Stefanie Sekich, a surfer, environmental law and policy buff, and resident San Diegan learned on February 6, 2008, among the crowd of activists gathered in Wyland Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in California. It was the site of a showdown between the TCA (Transportation Corridor Authority) and the more than 3,000 opponents who showed up to contest the TCA’s plans to put a toll road through one of the best and most pristine surf spots in Southern California: Trestles. The referee for the match was the California Coastal Commission (CCC), and while the audience was overwhelmingly pro-Trestles (thanks to Stefanie’s efforts as the San Diego Chapter Head for the Surfrider Foundation and the “Save Trestles” campaign coordinator), odds were not in Surfrider’s favor. Just that week, TCA offered California $100 million in a no-strings-attached remediation if the road was allowed, and Schwarzenegger switched his position faster than you can say Tila Tequila. Question was, could the CCC be bought as well?

So the entire surf community mobilized to show their silent opposition; the CCC had been adamant about keeping the audience quiet during the meeting, even threatening to close down if anyone said a word, so the audience resorted to waving hands, feet, digits, and other appendages if they supported or opposed what was being said.

Over twelve hours later, positions and theories had been laid in front of the CCC and, it was time for public comment—the chance for Surfrider activists to speak out. Stefanie and her team rushed to the floor with a different idea: They lobbied the remaining activists for the risky strategy of ceding their time for comment and, amazingly, everyone agreed.

One by one, the roomful of activists filed out of the hall, walking silently past the members of the CCC panel in perfect quiet, ultimately prompting the CCC to vote against allowing the toll road to be built under its proposed route and plan. It was a huge victory, but the fight’s not over yet, as TCA has appealed the ruling and can still return with amendments to its plan.

So, how can you get involved in this fight and beyond? “Find what your best attributes are and ask what you can do,” says Stefanie. “You really can find your own place within a campaign, whether it’s letter writing, showing up in front of your local grocery store, or lobbying your local elected officials.” Even if it’s just showing up and closing your trap? “Even that.”
Log on to FoamMagazine.com/trestles for a video of the CCC’s decision, to buy Save Trestles gear, and to get more information about Stefanie and how to help Surfrider’s fight.

By Bradley Corbett
Portrait by Lauren Ward