As you may have heard, the Cemex company is taking tons – literally hundreds of tons – of sand off the beaches in central California.
And, as no surprise, as a consequence, the Monterey Bay beaches are eroding faster than any other coastal area along California’s shores.
In fact, after persistent urging by the Surfrider Foundation, last March the California Coastal Commission acknowledged Cemex’s egregious operation and issued a Notice of Intent to commence Cease and Desist Proceedings to shut down operations.
Ten months later, however, and Cemex still hasn’t officially responded to the notice, which initially required an official response on April 6, 2016.
And yet, the beat goes on. Surfrider’s Monterey Chapter is as persistent and steadfast as ever. Just last week, on Martin Luther King Day, in collaboration with Santa Cruz-based Save Our Shores and members of the public, Monterey Chapter activists voiced their opposition to Cemex in a march along the beach, which ended near the company’s site, between Marina State Beach and the Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge. Dozens of concerned Monterey Bay area residents attended, declaring their opposition to Cemex’s unpermitted taking of sand from the beach. Signs staunchly stated, “Take a Stand. Save Our Sand,” as protestors – who value and strive to protect beaches along California’s coastline, particularly along Monterey Bay - fought the taking of the precious resource.
The protest kept the light shining on Cemex’s operations, and local media took note. Check out the coverage here and here.
Surfrider’s Monterey Chapter continues to engage in the campaign to stop Cemex, and actively encourages both the California Coastal Commission and California State Lands Commission to stop Cemex from stealing Marina’s precious public trust sand resources. You can learn more about the campaign here, and become a member of the Monterey Chapter to join the good fight!
Staley Prom is an in-house attorney for the Surfrider Foundation, providing legal guidance to the organization and its 80 grassroots chapters across the U.S., on clean water, public beach access, coastal preservation, ocean protection, and plastic pollution related matters. Staley also performs general counsel duties related to 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and advocacy related compliance, and manages Surfrider’s legal internship program. Prior to joining Surfrider full time in 2015, Staley practiced municipal law at Green, De Bortnowsky & Quintanilla, where she served as a Deputy City Attorney for the cities of Rancho Mirage, Cathedral City, and Victorville, California. She has held internships at the Natural Resources Defense Council, the California Attorney General’s Land Law Section, and Surfrider. Staley is an advisor to the Executive Committee of the Environmental Law Section of the California Lawyers Association, having served on the Executive Committee between 2018 and 2022. In this role, Staley provided leadership on the Section’s sustainability efforts, and contributed to the Student Environmental Law Negotiations Competition and Environmental Law Writing Competition. Staley holds a J.D. from UCLA School of Law, and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida with degrees in business administration and communications. She is originally from Jacksonville, Florida, and now resides in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains where she enjoys spending time with her family in nature and at the beach.