Ollie and Jenna-Marie Rutherford competed in the 2023 World Dog Surfing Championships.
Thousands of people attended the Dog World Surf Championship last year at Linda Mar Beach.
Staff Writer
Ollie and Jenna-Marie Rutherford competed in the 2023 World Dog Surfing Championships.
The World Dog Surfing Championships are back in fundraising mode to host this year’s competition after an increase in fees from the city of Pacifica. The event is tentatively scheduled for August 2 at Linda Mar Beach.
Event organizers had to turn to GoFundMe last year to fundraise but eventually surpassed their goal of $10,000 to cover the increase in rates that pay for expenses such as portable toilets, trash dumpsters and permit fees.
This year’s fees were increased by 42% to cover additional police, traffic managers and park rangers, among other expenses associated with the large event.
Organizers have turned to GoFundMe once again and hope to reach their goal of $12,000 by May 1. The page which went up on March 17 had received $250 in donations by March 27.
“We do understand what [Pacifica] is saying,” one of the event’s organizers wrote to Coastside News in an email. “As you know, money to cover those increases is not easy to find. Especially not in these times of economic uncertainty.”
A spokesperson for the popular event added that the dog surfing championships put the spotlight on the coastal city, bringing thousands of visitors. It also brings awareness to rescue dog charity partners, nonprofit organizations and local schools. The organization’s fundraising page notes that one school raised over $4,500 in parking fees last year.
The World Surfing Dog Championships team says they have absorbed financial losses in the past but cannot do so again for another year. The costs, they say, can’t be covered by adding more vendors or raising fees charged to the vendors since most are small business owners.
Thousands of people attended the Dog World Surf Championship last year at Linda Mar Beach.
Pacifica city manager Kevin Woodhouse said that the city is supportive and appreciative of special events that help support local businesses. Still, after last year’s event, city staff reviewed the costs.
“Following last year’s event, with its large crowds and traffic, city staff conducted a more in-depth review of the actual costs incurred by the City to ensure that this year’s permit fees, which total $7,456.57, accurately reflect those expenses,” Woodhouse said in an email to Coastside News.
Woodhouse explained that the updated fee includes costs for public works crews that maintain site safety, cleanliness and restroom facilities during a large event; police presence for public safety and crowd control; and development of an event action plan by the police department that is required for an event of this scale.
Woodhouse also said that it’s difficult to calculate the tax revenue the competition generates because not every visitor spends locally and crowds at Linda Mar might prevent other visitors from traveling to Pacifica and make locals less likely to leave their homes. Impacts on streets or other infrastructure and wastewater processing also have costs that can’t be calculated, he said.
“Regardless of the level of net tax revenue, visitors may contribute to the local economy,” Woodhouse said. “All special events are treated equally in that they need to pay for their direct cost impacts to City staff time.”
“People from all across the Bay Area and region love to come to special events and to enjoy the beautiful open space and natural recreational areas Pacifica offers,” Mayor Sue Beckmeyer said. “Maintaining city services for our residents and visitors is becoming more and more difficult as costs outpace revenues. Outside event organizers simply must pay their fair share.”
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It is completely inexcusable that the city Economic Director and the Economic Development Committee is not developing a strategic plan to maximize the impact of one of the biggest events this city has along with the worldwide PR we get from the Dog surfing contest. The city needs to target a mass amount of food trucks, open city owned property for paid parking and promote as many businesses as possible for this event. This is a huge economic opportunity that is being squandered So again I ask why is the EDD and the EDC not all over making this a high win-win for the city?
On the flipside: This event has been negatively impactful to Pacifica State Beach, Linda Mar. The cost to manage all of the people that come for a fleeeting moment that impacts traffic, public works staff, trash removal and general enjoyment of the beach by the public. The promoters, as for all events, are to cover the costs and that’s what they are complaining about. The visitor serving businesses in Rockaway Beach have promoted hotel stays and pre and post events.
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