Ocean Advocacy & Community
Advocacy
Protecting Monterey Bay takes work on the water, in the classroom, and at the council table. Here's where I put that work.
Why the Ocean Comes First
The Bay Is the Reason I'm Running
For those of us who live, surf, and dive along the Central Coast, the ocean isn't a backdrop. It's a way of life. I've been involved with the Surfrider Foundation since 2008, paddling out, volunteering, and defending this coastline for nearly two decades. Today I serve as Marketing Director and Naturalist for Sanctuary Cruises in Moss Landing, and I run my dive and photography vessels, the Pitter Patter and the Pegasus, on the bay I'm asking to help protect.
That advocacy is exactly why I want a seat on the council. Sand City sits in a uniquely sensitive ecological position on Monterey Bay. I believe a healthy local economy and a healthy bay go hand in hand. Smart development, smart, cost-effective electrification, and cutting waste all lower costs for residents and reduce the strain on the ocean at the same time. The point is to think in decades, not election cycles. The decisions we make on runoff, infrastructure, and growth today are the coastline our kids inherit.
Marine Education
Raising the Next Generation of Ocean Heroes
The Mia Kingtide Ocean Adventures book series started with a real-world problem: a curious seven-year-old wanted a book about the ocean and couldn't find the right one. So I wrote it. The philosophy behind the series is simple. Stories are how kids fall in love with places they haven't been yet, and love is what makes someone a protector.
The books follow a young girl named Mia as she dives beneath Monterey Bay and sails to the Sea of Cortez, meeting real environmental challenges along the way: climate change, overfishing, and habitat loss. To keep the marine biology accurate, the science in the books is reviewed by researchers from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI), Hopkins Marine Station, and Moss Landing Marine Labs.
Physical copies of the novels even sailed aboard the Western Flyer, the newly restored purse seiner made famous by John Steinbeck and marine biologist Ed Ricketts, on its historic return voyage to the Sea of Cortez. Every book ends by pointing young readers toward real organizations where they can become Ocean Heroes themselves: beach cleanups with the Surfrider Foundation, marine tech at MBARI, and habitat work with the Giant Kelp Restoration Project and Sunflower Star Lab.
Western Flyer Foundation
Marine Science, Local History, and Education Outreach
I'm involved with the Western Flyer Foundation, which connects marine science, local history, and education outreach across Monterey Bay. The foundation recognized that work with its Seas the Day Award, for enthusiasm and eagerness that never runs aground. I'm proud of it, and prouder still of what it stands for: getting more kids and families connected to the bay.
Later, I spoke at the Surfrider Foundation's Salty Speaker Series on Cannery Row, where I talked about ocean science and conservancy through the eyes of a child, the same idea that drives the Mia Kingtide books.
In the Community
Showing Up Around the Bay
Advocacy doesn't stop at the water's edge. I'm a member of the Monterey Peninsula Yacht Club, and I take part in the Monterey Shootout, the region's underwater photography and dive competition that draws divers from across the West Coast. I also support Gathering for Women, which serves women experiencing homelessness and poverty on the Monterey Peninsula.
I regularly donate stays at the Ocean View BNB to help raise money and awareness for many organizations in the area, turning visitors into people who care about this coast the way we do. It's the same instinct behind everything else: bring people in, show them what's worth protecting, and give them a way to help.
At the Council Table
My Record in Sand City
When I moved to Sand City, I went down to City Hall to pull a permit to build a deck. What I expected to be a quick errand turned into an education. I learned how the council process actually works, and I met several of the people sitting at the dais. One of them, former council member Greg Hawthorne, encouraged me to get involved. So I did.
I started by speaking up for our park, because I wanted a better playground for my daughter. But once you start paying attention, you don't stop. Before long I was at the microphone on everything from permit costs to electrifying the city's vehicle fleet.
Below is my public record at the council table, drawn directly from the city's own minutes. I didn't just show up when something affected me directly. I kept coming back for the consent calendar items, the fee schedules, the budget votes, and the small stuff that never makes headlines but adds up to how a city actually runs.
February 15, 2022
I asked the council a simple question: when would the new playground be installed? Staff responded that the plans were under review by consultants and that construction would begin soon.
March 15, 2022
Spoke up during the council's first real debate over short-term rental rules. I told the council directly that running an STR is what lets me afford my mortgage in Sand City, and that a low cap with a waiting list could put my home at risk. I pushed back on requiring six months of prior TOT records and suggested two to three months was more reasonable. Later in the same meeting I made clear I support STRs, that my own rental is used by family during the holidays, and that my property has four parking spaces, directly answering the parking concerns other residents raised.
May 17, 2022
As the STR ordinance took shape, I talked about what owning a home in Sand City has meant for me, said I support the ordinance, and made the point that nobody wants bad actors running short-term rentals here. I'm a Superhost, held to Airbnb's community standards on top of whatever the city requires.
July 5, 2022
I asked the city manager directly why Sand City wasn't considering raising the transactions and use tax to 9.5 percent instead of 9.25 percent, and I raised concerns about lost desalination plant revenue and the burden on shoppers. Later that night, when the council adopted the short-term rental permit cap and fee structure, I thanked them for not shutting STRs down and said I welcomed home inspections, since they help protect property values across the city.
January 17, 2023
I asked whether comments on a specific agenda item could be heard that evening and was told the item would be taken up at the February 7 meeting. A brief appearance, but I was there.
February 7, 2023
Spoke on the proposed Monterey County Tourism Improvement District, noting that as an STR owner already paying a 12 percent TOT, it made sense for the city to be part of the district. Staff was directed to follow up with both me and the South of Tioga developer, as TOT-paying tourism businesses, and to bring the item back to council. Later the same night I thanked the retiring city planner for his work. Being part of See Monterey matters for the tourism-focused businesses in Sand City.
February 21, 2023
Public comment on the Housing Element Update presentation from EMC Planning Group, part of the city's long-range work on the 6th Cycle Housing Element. I support the city's efforts to bring more affordable housing and smart, well-planned development. Our housing element was submitted to the state and approved, which kept control in local hands and avoided the builder's remedy that other cities and counties are now facing across the state.
March 21, 2023
A full night of engagement. I spoke on declaring a vacancy on the city council, on the direction of the we.Mural Festival, on the city budget amendment, and on a resolution supporting a coastal development permit for the California Middle Mile Network broadband project. Four separate times at the podium.
April 4, 2023
Put my name forward to fill a vacant council seat. After candidate presentations, two council members listed me among their top two choices, and the council advanced me as one of three finalists, alongside Michelle Adams and Marilee Diaz, to the next meeting. I made my case for why I would be a strong addition to the council.
April 18, 2023
Returned to the dais as a finalist for the vacant seat, alongside Michelle Adams and Marilee Diaz, and spoke during the SURF! Busway and Bus Rapid Transit presentation from Monterey-Salinas Transit, a project I still support as a way to connect Sand City to the region without adding more cars to the road. The final appointment went to another candidate, but I keep working toward a seat at the table. I share the day-to-day realities of the people who live and work in Sand City, and I believe I can speak to their concerns because they are my concerns too.
November 5, 2024
One of my most active nights on record. I spoke during communications, on the procedures for issuing storefront cannabis retail permits, on the draft conceptual plans for the Sand City Coastal Trail, on the conceptual plans for the city's multiuse trail, and on amending EMC Planning Group's contract to fund long-range planning work through 2027. I support cannabis businesses in Sand City when they are properly permitted and controlled.
February 18, 2025
Spoke during communications and again on the conditional use permit for The Yard, a proposed food truck park and community event space on Dias Avenue, an item that drew significant public turnout on both sides. I support The Yard and believe it would be a great addition to the West End.
September 16, 2025
Active several times in one meeting: during communications, during the recap and planning discussion for the 2025 and 2026 West End Celebrations, during the council's discussion of joining the Monterey County Tourism Improvement District (a topic I first spoke on back in February 2023), and on the fiscal year 2025-2026 fee schedule.
December 16, 2025
Spoke during communications, on declaring a new vacancy on the city council, and in support of the city's decision to fund a new full-time police officer position, a direct investment in public safety. Our small force serves the thousands of people who pass through Sand City every day, and we need staffing that matches that reality.
January 20, 2026
A four-item night: communications, the presentation on the city's new website, the purchase of three new city vehicles, and the city's acceptance of a $200,000 state grant toward an electric street sweeper.
February 3, 2026
Spoke during the consent calendar, then put my name forward a second time to fill a vacant council seat, joining two other finalists for interviews. In the first round of voting, Vice Mayor Blackwelder named me as one of his top two choices. Kim Scudder ultimately won the seat, but it marked the second time in three years that I stepped up to serve when the city needed someone to fill a gap. I want to keep bringing my voice to council so the people of this city are heard.
Every entry on this page is drawn from the City of Sand City's official Joint Council and Successor Agency meeting minutes. Minutes are available through the city's public archive at sandcity.org/government/agendas-and-minutes.