Overview
- Inspectors found large cracks and concrete separation at the pier’s landward abutment that began cracking at its base on June 4, prompting a local emergency declaration and the demolition of the Chit Chat Cafe for public safety.
- City crews have mounted an urgent stabilization effort by placing roughly 150 rip‑rap boulders at the seawall connection and working at low tide to try to stop the pier from collapsing into the surf.
- Engineers are weighing short‑term options such as bracing the pier with new pylons, removing the compromised section, or a full rebuild, but any major work will need regulatory review and outside funding.
- Local and regional leaders, led by Rep. Sam Liccardo, are pressing the White House and Governor Newsom for a state emergency declaration and federal disaster or resilience grants, including contested BRIC funds recently ordered restored by a judge.
- The crisis highlights wider problems: the pier was flagged in 2022–23 reports that estimated $19–$21 million in repairs, Pacifica’s limited tax base cannot cover those costs, and an intense El Niño with high seasonal water levels has increased coastal erosion and risk to shoreline infrastructure.