Retired supervisor of Santa Cruz Wharf believes its collapse was preventable

Рет қаралды 74,477

Күн бұрын

Пікірлер: 157

@hopefultraveler3543 Ай бұрын

I remember being in a restaurant on the wharf during a storm a few years ago, feeling the whole building shake, and wondering what preventative maintenance was done against the pounding of those waves. I guess now I know...nothing.

@siliconvalleyengineer5875 Ай бұрын

The city cobbles together and bandaids the warf, which is a huge tax and revenue generator. The city council is leftwing woke and progressive which means they are as rotten to their cores as the warf pilings are.

@susanlong8978 Ай бұрын

Same!

@curtcollett2893 Ай бұрын

Where is all that parking money going??

@ShadowcasterZero 29 күн бұрын

No money if they keep reducing parking. That's why the city pushed the sugar tax on everyone. Which you can get the soda companies will fight in court. Sheer ineptitude from the top down.

@billmoran3219 Ай бұрын

From the abundance of seagulls I see just over the hill at Guadalupe land fill and other various locations in the valley and even in Santa Cruze and the coast, I would hardly say that the disappearance of nesting areas for a few years to repair the structure would cause a hardship to the gulls population! People are making excuses for other reasons.

@ShadowcasterZero 29 күн бұрын

Small conservation groups trying to make themselves relevant by interfering with the wharf. If I was in city leadership, I'd ignore them and get the wharf repaired first thing in the spring. Just as it was. Anyone who barks about the seagulls can join them in the landfill

@Aly-q7o Ай бұрын

Value of the city is going down

@jimwhitsett4736 Ай бұрын

Blue-state lack of leadership.

@GryffindorScholar Ай бұрын

As a former Santa Cruzian, as well as one whose most memorable childhood moments are on that warf. I just want to say the boardwalk gets better maintained by all that I have heard. I fully understand that it is the hangout for the youth of the area. It is a teen hotspot even for teens from San Jose. I’m just saying the warf had a personality all its own; and to see this historic site that was once a part my families coming up on a whole come to this sorry state. It soured the Christmas holiday for a lot of families who feel the same I am sure! You would never see damage like this done to the boardwalk! The county has turned the carnival grounds inaccurate matter of fact! It sort of stings. Again I understand how it came to this, that does not mean I have to like it!

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

One of the only tourist attractions in Santa Cruz that actually generates tax revenue. I worked for James Gilbert for close to a decade. Gilberts Seafood Grill, AKA Malios. This was back in the late 80's/early 90's. Standing in the dining room in the 80's. Watching the ceiling fixtures swing around. Watching the waves out of the dining room window, full of debris. This is nothing new. Except for the neglect.

@GMK189-f2k Ай бұрын

Absolutely preventable. City should have attained a waiver from coastal commission to do repairs immediately after last years storm. Coastal commission should be sued. Justin Cummings came out and lied about waves being biggest since 1983 yet wharf was open when it collapsed with waves not even close to the deck like last year when they closed the wharf due to huge waves hitting the decking. So ridiculous measures to not disturb a few seagulls created public safety issue almost killing workers, debris spread over miles of coastline, pollution from equipment that sank, financial burden in millions for city and businesses on the wharf. Coastal commission must be held accountable for these draconian restrictions that led to this environmental disaster

@OSheaGlobalAlliances Ай бұрын

Tony Elliott comes out the gate blaming climate change. The true believers inside city gov don’t really push back at all and that’s why these agencies rule everything

@eh3477 Ай бұрын

This guy is complaining about a decision made TEN+ YEARS ago. Many changes in Coastal Comm. since then. Where's the city's follow up response, alternative proposals, and more?? And yes, public safety overrides many other rules. This reporter should've asked a lot more questions. Sounds like the city had poor or nonexistent follow-up to the 2013 decision.

@siliconvalleyengineer5875 Ай бұрын

@jessicaa7496 Ай бұрын

You do understand the CC had no play in this? We didn’t have funds & it was wrapped up in a lawsuit. They started construction in September of this year.

@siliconvalleyengineer5875 Ай бұрын

@edp2260 Ай бұрын

Are we running low on seagulls?

@zacharyfindlay-maddox171 Ай бұрын

seriously!

@axscdvfb Ай бұрын

Also running low on seals!

@xrrrismickey Ай бұрын

Vile animals

@thomasba7067 Ай бұрын

Seagulls, in my opinion, are just rats with wings. Nasty

@tiffanygrever8092 Ай бұрын

I haven't lived in Santa Cruz since 2000 so I really don't have a right to say much but I think this is a load of BS, the Santa Cruz wharf has always been a gem of Santa Cruz and a big attraction. It has brought a lot of great memories for locals I really hope they don't tear it down I mean what would they put in place of it what is the scheme?

@billmoran3219 Ай бұрын

Exactly, it always seems that when it comes to the coast line and restrictions and development it all boils down to one person or entity and not the populist/ taxpayer citizen to decide.

@JohnDough-yr2zt Ай бұрын

Omg if your “memories” are based on the existence of a pier, I feel sorry for you. Pathetic

@mikel7296 Ай бұрын

The real question is in..., 2013 where the funds were allocated to facilitate this fix,..Where the money go.., and who were the ones who wrecklessly stood in the way of the process. They need to puts those responsible what what had happen and many more lives than 1 would have been lost, the family members of the deceased need to now file a law suit for gross negligence...and now the pier is on borrowed time as it's now compromised and will be a HAZZARD...and possible more lives lost if further negligence goes unaddressed. This could have been prevented. Shame on the city of Santa cruz ro let this happen, especially if they knew it would happen eventually....report on that KPIX

@mikel7296 Ай бұрын

.....in addition, the money that was saved, the nolonger paid toll taker salaries, the lied to the tax payers after the 1987 earth earthquake., the promise of the raise toll to fix the bridge, then will return back to normal, never happen, stealing millions from tax payers and commuters. Now,.currently raising the bridge toll to $8 and continue to rise over time..., where is all this additional money "REALLY" GOING TO, IT.DOESNT NEED THE FANCY RED PAINT LIKE THE GOLDEN GATE, SO WHO AND WHERE IS ALL THIS STOLEN TOLL GOING??...

@mendynoma4272 Ай бұрын

The person who died was nowhere near the wharf.

@mikel7296 Ай бұрын

@mendynoma4272 The debris from the collapsed killed him, & yes it.was due to the pier collapsing, which in 2013 they had all the data and was suppose to fix it, but the trouble maker tree huggers was too concern about seagull nesting, which is contradicting as if the pier collapsing completely and it will,.will destroy the nesting,.but should've addressed it,.so this tragedy of a life and possibly more lives lost.

@ConnieB-ig4ds Ай бұрын

Mike, plans had probably dated back much longer than this. In the 70s we would go out to the end of the pier to crab and fish often at night. We could feel the swaying then. When cars would drive to the end we could feel the rumbling on the asphalt. This has been disaster just waiting to happen. Large waves or not. This is not the first time some of the stores and restaurants have been closed on the wharf for upgrading. Just the first time they have been knocked out of existence. Like everything else in the news these days details are being left out. One might wish to go and ask a Grandparent or someone familiar with the history of that Wharf to learn more. The fish markets out on the pier have been in competition with each other forever. Politics run wild in Santa Cruz.

@mikel7296 Ай бұрын

@ConnieB-ig4ds the plans referring to was suppose to happen as of 2013 to implement the fixes, but due to the W'reckless tree huggers, someone is now dead, these are the same people who is the cause of the homeless overtaking cities, and getting out of hand with crime, drug use and just plain public health and safety. There is a time and place for the homeless and tree hugging, but it has gone too far board, just the the clown circus of us politic with a convicted 24 count felon as president

@jackcorkrean9647 Ай бұрын

Seagulls are easy to deal with, simply don’t allow them to build a nest by continuing to remove the partial nest every other day and they will eventually go somewhere else. If you do this for a couple of years straight they won’t come back. Prioritizing the nest of a seagull over the potential loss of human life, well I guess this is where we are at regarding our priority’s, plus it’s obvious we need allot more seagulls around here, there practically extinct. Also take time to go and look at the debris from the wharf, there are MANY hollow pilings and snapped off wood members that show considerable lack of maintenance. It is obvious why this happened, the people in charge either don’t want it or aren’t competent, but don’t worry they won’t be held accountable.

@eh3477 Ай бұрын

Correct, and often environmental rules allow for construction to start BEFORE nesting season- so no nests are formed. It sounds more like the city didn't follow up with alternate proposals, and they should be asked about that!

@william2william Ай бұрын

Sounds like city government, local activist, and the coastal commission are collaborating to get rid of the wharf.

@Zorbino88 Ай бұрын

No, it's just that a very small group of people can exploit legal laws to their benefit, screwing over common sense plans such as strengthening a crumbling pier. I'm all for protecting the environment, but when it comes at the potential loss of life for innocent bystanders, a judge needs to throw those lawsuits out. Seagulls have the entire coastline and region to nest, but the pier is just one location. The birds will find elsewhere to go, but the pier can't just up and move itself. Some environmental laws cause more harm than good.

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

Every wharf.

@ConnieB-ig4ds Ай бұрын

No, it's probably just a matter of paying the "chosen contractor" for repairs and renovations. More politics. Imagine if this had happened when there were hundreds of people at the end of the wharf, fishing, crabbing eating at the Dolphin or just walking around. In some ways we should feel lucky especially those who visited frequently. As children we used to talk about what we would do if we accidently fell into the water, or the white fencing rail would break while leaning on it. We discussed a plan about this years ago. Believe me in the 70s it would sway back on forth on occasion. This is nothing new or shocking. Officials and locals just do not want it to become like another pier 39 project in San Francisco. Far too commercially driven. Caused Fishermans Wharf to become too much of a tourist attraction instead of honoring its historical beauty

@michaelsmiley15 Ай бұрын

All warfs and piers must meet all code requirements The problem is nobody wants to do what's nessary to comply Inspections and maintenance are expensive until we have a structural failure like this that wakes everybody up This was brought up when the capitola collapsed last year Santa cruz Pier all cost more money than the one

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

Das Code.

@ronaldmcdonald3965 Ай бұрын

The story of the Retired Supervisor is very credible to me. These kind of stories are common nowadays; similar concepts, different issues. I understand shear forces. This is doubly important when you take into consideration the power of the ocean and the corrosive properties of the ocean water and deterioration of wooden pilings. This is how things play out in the modern era: 1. Core issue based on facts: Deteriorating resistance to shear forces means the pier will collapse; core issue get lost in a sea of noise and irrelevant issues. 2. Non- technical people get involved with non-mission critical issues a) Activists who think with their emotions and have no technical capability (in this case, structural engineering) b) The Politicians who also have no technical capability but want the *optics* to look good to the Activists (e.g. votes) and to virtue signal to the general public (more votes) 3. Process a) Endless talking about non-mission critical issues that go in circles b) Endless delays c) Administrative costs pile up as they spend time on non-mission critical issues and commision studies and/or prices go up and endless delays. d) A myriad of non-mission critical requirements and regulations pile up, increasing delays and costs, and make *doing actual work* harder and more expensive. 4. But the Activists and Politicians *feel good* about themselves and virtue signal to naive people that don't understand mission-critical technical issues 5. Result...well, you see it here. 6. But you can look across America, and we can't build or fix things anymore. And all the projects go through the same nonsense.

@devonharrison7124 Ай бұрын

... that's what I thought!!! 🙏

@nd9329 Ай бұрын

I’m a big conservationist naturalist, but even I find it incredibly ridiculous that a few seagull nests prevented repairs and upgrades.

@jessicaa7496 Ай бұрын

That’s not the entire story, if you follow the case it’s telling. It’s public information.

@Jsurf-j5b Ай бұрын

Absolutely take steps to keep the wharf open. Considering Santa Cruz has no problem building those huge, ugly buildings on Pacific and River Streets, which just destroy downtown. The city must do what it can to preserve Santa Cruz. The wharf is an asset in many ways. After those buildings were built it would not surprise me if the wharf shuts down. I hate to even think it, I fear the next thing to happen will be a catastrophic boardwalk fire. Sounds crazy, but then giant ugly hotels could be built, etc. I hope the “leaders”of Santa Cruz wake up and preserve what is left.

@4362mont Ай бұрын

Not maintained like the Golden Gate Bridge, that's fir sure.

@mikel7296 Ай бұрын

Wait until all the hidden fail welds surface on the new bay bridge, a build a head of schedule and budget, a tragedy, like the Baltimore bridge calapse waiting to happen. It may look nice and new on the outside, but the build quality is questionable

@4362mont Ай бұрын

@mikel7296 Never peaid much attention to how the other bridges in the Bay Area look.

@ydne Ай бұрын

There hasn't been a big steamer docking at the Santa Cruz Wharf, to pick up lumber and lime, to rebuild San Francisco for a long time. Its original purpose is gone - unlike the golden gate which is more vital to traffic than ever.

@jackharrell5873 28 күн бұрын

I was the Wharf Construction Supervisor for 20 years before John Bombaci, and totally agree with him! It was due to lack of needed maintenance on this massive structure! Thankfully, the men on the work crew out there, weren’t harmed!

@GentiluomoStraniero Ай бұрын

Building a surge break wall by staking concrete tetrapods could have reduced the force of those waves significantly but the samd oppondnts of doing anything would havd forced the same result.

@alonsolaw8380 Ай бұрын

They removed the asphalt from the pier. Made it unstable. The pier was built in 1914 Didn't know what they were doing

@wrdennig Ай бұрын

Let's not just think about the business owners - let's think about all of those employees.

@jessicaa7496 Ай бұрын

They can find other jobs, we have a lot of job in our area. Let’s get real..

@wrdennig Ай бұрын

If the city is going to help the businesses on the wharf, that means that the city anticipates reopening the wharf. So, if the food servers all go out and get other jobs, then the restaurants will have to find new servers. I eat several meals each week on the wharf and would like to see the same servers there when the restaurants reopen. I'd wager that there aren't 2-300 server jobs open in Santa Cruz at this time.

@eh3477 Ай бұрын

There's more to the story that should have been followed up here. If public safety was at risk, then they did have a case to move forward. Construction is generally allowed if started BEFORE the nesting season. There've been changes to certain Ceqa rules and at the Coastal Commission, which are more friendly to construction. The city is responsible for public safety... if one proposal was unsuccessful over 10 YEARS AGO, where's the alternate proposal?? Where's the reporter's follow-up questions?? SMH.

@joesprague1464 Ай бұрын

Homeless seagulls,makes one shudder in horror,Cali’s got some big issues on their plate.

@uyeda Ай бұрын

Wow.

@davidwomack5982 Ай бұрын

I find this situation with the pier highly suspicious.

@siliconvalleyengineer5875 Ай бұрын

@ward5821 Ай бұрын

Well, do what all politicians do, take the money that was for the up-keep and up-grade, and give themselves a bonus (for public safety of-course).

@kyruslarocque5225 Ай бұрын

I don't know about everyone else, but I'm feeling injured by all this, I'm ready to sue!!!!

@Garda1962 Ай бұрын

Pay now or pay later!

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

Stagnaros is next..

@alonsolaw8380 Ай бұрын

No please

@rockyjay55 Ай бұрын

Poor maintenance!!

@AliasHSW Ай бұрын

Genuinely scared to step on any wharf now. This is coming from someone that’s been around construction and faith in engineering practice all my life

@jessicaa7496 Ай бұрын

Then don’t go, who is making you?

@AliasHSW Ай бұрын

@ no one asked you to reply. Why you need to reply?

@kanaancross317 Ай бұрын

If they are smart they will repair it

@johnnybbgunner2136 Ай бұрын

Moving all that heavy equipment off before the storm hit might have helped it from swaying!🤡🇺🇸

@PeteHagen-sm4tn Ай бұрын

OMG. "A giant unforced error" says retired wharf supervisor Jon Bombaci. Prompt repairs could have saved the wharf. The City of Santa Cruz, rich activists, and the California Coastal Commission almost seem like co-conspirators in the partial collapse of the wharf. Did the collapse happen due to gross negligence or intentional inaction. Maybe it was a combination of both? Is anyone going to be held accountable?

@susanlong8978 Ай бұрын

You better rebuild,!!

@BOBBIEVALINTINE Ай бұрын

Look at all that debris and trash. So much for the whales😂

@JamesDean-jy7oh Ай бұрын

Im surprised at how the fork lift was still floating

@TheCecil64 Ай бұрын

They were cheap. They didn’t wanna spend the money and they just figured the hell with the working people..

@Strideo1 Ай бұрын

The city has been trying to repair and reinforce the pier. It was a lawsuit from a local environmental activist group that prevented the needed upgrades, not the city being cheap.

@eh3477 Ай бұрын

@@Strideo1The decision he discusses here was 10+ years ago. Environmental rules have waivers allowed for public safety... has there been zero follow up by the city since then?

@rrrobeltnest7295 Ай бұрын

Alfred Hitchcock showed us what seagulls are capable of.

@alexandersokolov6376 Ай бұрын

Funny facts. If you want to replace your hvac system, you need to pay for a city permit, prepare some paperwork, and pass the inspection. But here, in public places, nobody cares about safety things.

@ydne Ай бұрын

The wharf is a unique parking lot, commercial zone and no-license fishing area. Is that the best deeper water experience a modern town can give its old timers, commuters, tourists and day-trippers?

@hillarykildepstein3196 Ай бұрын

Kind of a headache for the sincere, hard-working people in Santa Cruz. There are a lot of them.

@paulmicks7097 Ай бұрын

Well if Jessy has hope we should all have hope.

@caseyfox8391 Ай бұрын

It seems the city wants to get rid of anything from the past . Most things are worth salvaging.

@jimwhitsett4736 Ай бұрын

Government inertia and incompetence.

@CDZ1414 Ай бұрын

Yes it was avoidable.. they are too busy with homeless and immigrants. Instead of it's own

@rexmundi5180 Ай бұрын

For years you could tell just walking on this pier it was failing

@irgski Ай бұрын

Oh, but what abt the friggin seagulls?

@zxys001 Ай бұрын

..there's always that "one man" who says.... ns.

@anthonymoser1243 Ай бұрын

100 percent avoidable, the peir was in need of updated repairs for sure

@susanlong8978 Ай бұрын

City!!! Bad management!! Period!

@alonsolaw8380 Ай бұрын

Fishermans wharf in san francisco is cclosed. What a shame

@alonsolaw8380 Ай бұрын

The homeless drug are a higher priority to the county.

@MrPGC137 Ай бұрын

Talk about a case of misplaced priorities. They don't do the necessary repairs on the wharf because of... _seagulls? _*_Seagulls?!?_* Are they kidding? I mean, seagulls aren't exactly an endangered species to begin with & last time I checked they can build nests anywhere...right...? I mean, they've been building nests along the California coasts long before man even walked upright, so why is that the wharf is the *_only_* place they can build their nests? I swear, this is typical of California bass-ackward priorities in action right here...

@willungs541 Ай бұрын

Similar stuff is happening all along the coast, including San Francisco. I blame the state!

@JohnDough-yr2zt Ай бұрын

Omg it’s just a crappy old pier. Let it gooooo….

@briansalisbury4764 Ай бұрын

Nesting Seagulls? Seagulls are not a species that is going extinct. They have gone from 1000 breeding birds in 1982 to over 45000 plus now. In this case it contributed to this pier collapse and the possible death of workers on this pier. This would have impacted any seagull nesting insignificantly for a brief period.

@alonsolaw8380 Ай бұрын

If you shut down the wharf Santa cruz will lose millions. Don't do it .

@rockyjay55 Ай бұрын

What a bunch of idiots why was anyone surprised?

@nrakma Ай бұрын

Can anyone name a coastal open ocean pier that has never been damaged or destroyed? The missing 150 feet will not be missed.

@susanlong8978 Ай бұрын

REALLY BAD PLANNING!

@tonypalermo5796 Ай бұрын

Such bs. They never maintained it, why shocked.

@jessicaa7496 Ай бұрын

We spend 1.2M a year for repairs and maintenance. Where have you been?

@kennardjohnson7875 Ай бұрын

Sea gulls are plentiful, good neighbors not happening, just in this case.

@scottymac5174 Ай бұрын

Keely... the homeless don't float. This is why the taxpayer base of California is leaving.

@johncoyne7004 Ай бұрын

Don’t ya just know the snowflakes will blame global warming 😮😮

@molassescricket6663 Ай бұрын

It’s obvious but I’ll say it anyway, California leaders are asinine.

@JamesSmith-qj9kd Ай бұрын

Built in 1914. Nuff said.😂

@anthonymoser1243 Ай бұрын

People should stop caring so much for birds they will survive people are just gettong to be so stupid animals move to

@matrixsurvivor3216 Ай бұрын

Rat

@geneinman4488 Ай бұрын

That’s what happens when you have no common sense and a high education .

@xrrrismickey Ай бұрын

Of course it was preventable. What they prioritize tents and DEI in blue cities

@MuzaffarKrylov Ай бұрын

Another 'win' for leftist leadership...

@peterchen8868 Ай бұрын

Damn the abusing of CEQA.

@sonnynick1 Ай бұрын

The city did not want to give a permit to repair because they said it would harm the environment!!!!! The repair would be bad but the oil and gas from the dummies driving on it with a forklift and crane 🏗️ is a much better option for the city. The blind leading the blind.

@johndelorean2284 Ай бұрын

Use some of those tourist tax dollars and parking fees to fix the damn thing! Ask yourself, would China give up on repairing the wall? Would the French just stop repairing the Eiffel Tower?