San Diego Coastkeeper

San Diego Coastkeeper has received financial contributions from Earthshare and the Marisla Foundation, nonprofit funding organizations that contribute to left-leaning environmentalist groups. ³

The group is staffed by individuals affiliated with left-of-center causes. Phillip Musegaas, the executive director, was the vice president of programs and litigation of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a left-leaning Potomac River conservation group, and Hudson River program director of Riverkeeper, a left-leaning Hudson River conservation group. ⁴ He donated to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden in 2020. ⁵ Lucero Weber, the campaigns manager, was a staffer for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in the 2020 election and the campaign of then-U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA). ⁶ Chante Coleman, a board director, is a senior vice president of equity and justice at the National Wildlife Federation and worked as a field organizer for the California Democratic Party. ⁷

Activities

San Diego Coastkeeper was founded in 1995, intended to advocate for environmental protection policies for San Diego Bay as a member of the Waterkeeper Alliance. ¹ The organization’s activities include environmental monitoring, education, and advocacy. ² The group acts as an environmentalist watchdog by testing water from rivers, streams, and runoff from industrial sites for pollutants. ² If its tests render results the group deems unsatisfactory and noncompliant with state and federal laws, San Diego Coastkeeper reports infractions to government enforcement agencies and pursues litigation against parties opposed to their policy stances. ² The organization also develops and produces environmentalist educational materials to be provided to K-12 schools, including the San Diego public school system. ²

The organization lobbies local, county, and state governments, as well as federal regulatory agencies and commissions, to enact and enforce water and land use laws and regulations, climate change mitigation policies, and adherence to the Clean Water Act. ²

The group also demands that a ballot measure for raising stormwater fees be put to a public vote in San Diego. ⁸ The money raised would go towards the building of green infrastructure to combat climate change. ⁸ The group has also been an opponent of the building of offshore industrial fish farming sites, as they see them as a threat to indigenous fish populations of San Diego Bay. ⁹

Funding

In 2021, San Diego Coastkeeper reported a revenue of $1,128,832. ¹⁰ The organization received financial support from Earthshare and the Marisla Foundation, nonprofit funding organizations that contribute to left-leaning environmentalist groups. ³

People

Phillip Musegaas is the executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper. ⁴ He was the vice president of programs and litigation of the Potomac Riverkeeper Network, a left-leaning Potomac River conservation group, and Hudson River program director of Riverkeeper, a left-leaning Hudson River conservation group. ⁴ He donated to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden in 2020. ⁵

Lucero Weber is the campaigns manager of San Diego Coastkeeper. ⁶ She is the secretary for a San Diego branch of the Sierra Club. ⁶ She was president of the board of directors of the San Diego branch of the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV), a field manager for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in the 2020 election and the campaign of then-U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA). ⁶

Chante Coleman is a board director for San Diego Coastkeeper. ⁷ She is a senior vice president of equity and justice at the National Wildlife Federation and worked as a field organizer for the California Democratic Party. ⁷ She also donated to the presidential campaign of Joe Biden. ¹¹

Michael Torti is a board director for San Diego Coastkeeper. ¹² He was an executive committee chair and policy coordinator for the Surfrider Foundation. ¹² He donated to the presidential campaign of Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) in 2020. ¹³