Pacifica leaders seeking federal disaster funding to save city pier

Work is continuing to try to stabilize the Pacifica Municipal Pier, which began cracking at its base on June 4 and is now in danger of breaking off and falling into the water.  

On Monday morning, federal, state and local leaders gathered to urge the Trump administration to provide federal disaster funding to try to save the structure. 

During the morning low tide, while there was still a small stretch of sand, excavators were working to pile large rip-rap boulders next to the base of the crumbling Pacifica Pier. It may be too little too late, but at a news conference, Congressional Representative Sam Liccardo said no one should just be giving up.

"We're here to say: We need to save this pier. We need to do all that we can to protect Pacifica and our coast side," he said. "It turns out that climate doesn't care whether or not we believe in climate change. And if we do not act, the ocean will always win the battle over coastal erosion."

Local officials and community members agreed something must be done to preserve the pier which had been the center of life in Pacifica for so many over the years. But City Manager Sean Charpentier said the city doesn't have nearly the resources to do the job themselves. Even before the pier collapse, the structure was looking at damage from a previous storm that would take $20 million to repair.

"To put that into perspective, we are a full-service city, and we currently generate $18 million a year in property tax," said Charpentier.  "So, the need for federal and state assistance and leadership and funding on this is critical."

They were critical of the Trump administration for cancelling a $50 million funding commitment known as a "BRIC" grant that would have strengthened the entire seawall, including a new concrete barrier around the base of the pier. But the grant was cancelled only a year ago, so it's unlikely any fix would have happened in time. Now, with the base of the pier dropping lower each day, and the threat of King Tides, City Engineer Roland Yip said there is no telling what could happen if it should break off and topple into the sea.

"According to our structural engineers, who looked at the 'as-builts' from when it was constructed, there is a possibility that the displacement of this deck, and how it falls down, could potentially trigger a domino effect onto the remaining decks.  So, there is a potential that that could happen," said Yip.

He said that's what the new rocks were for, to absorb the pressure from the pounding surf. But the question remains, why was the base of the pier unprotected before this happened? On Sunday, residents Saul and Jeannie Villegas said they were at the site a few weeks ago and saw an excavator taking boulders away from the base.

"They were removing those boulders from the base of the pier," said Saul. "That's where the excavator was taking big boulders out of there."

"It just looks like you're just weakening the pier by doing this," said Jeannie.

The city manager denied that, saying the last time work was done was in January. And that was confirmed by Eric Jacobsen. He's known in town for posting almost daily pictures of Pacifica's waterfront and he displayed photos of the excavation happening on January 30. But he said they didn't appear to be protecting the pier itself.

"It wasn't really shorn around the pier. It was shorn along the seawall," said Jacobson.

He said he didn't see any boulders being placed near the base of the pier, "Just uncovered and moved. Uncovered and moved. They did not bring any rocks down, any extra rocks."

Yip said the pier's concrete base had been tested and they had no reason to believe it was about to fail.  But one look at the crumbling, corroded metal shield covering the base left Jacobson thinking, at the very least, that should have been replaced over the years.

"Because that rusted out a while ago," he said. "So, that's something that they probably could have done that we've all seen deteriorate right where it's cracked. But Mother Nature rules. She always wins. Always."

A federal judge has ordered that the project's money, known as a "BRIC" grant, be restored. But with the pier in such a perilous condition, it's unlikely it would come in time to help. Liccardo is joining others in requesting an emergency disaster declaration to provide faster relief.