Repairs to the historic wharf in Santa Cruz, which collapsed in heavy swell on Monday, were reportedly delayed after an environmental and preservationist group’s lawsuit delayed changes to the 110-year-old structure by several years.
Waves were unusually high on Monday up and down the West Coast, bringing Christmas joy to surfers, who flocked to popular surf spots, north and south, to catch the swell.
But in Santa Cruz, the heavy swell also brought destruction.
No one was hurt, but three workers had to be rescued from the detached end of the wharf, which floated on the sea.
The San Francisco Chronicle recalled Tuesday that the city had planned to reinforce the wharf, but that the proposal had faced a lawsuit by a group of environmentalists and preservationists called “Don’t Morph the Wharf,” which caused repairs to be delayed and also caused part of the project to…
