Most People Are One Tragedy Away from Becoming an Activist

When I was growing up in San Diego in the 1950s, I spent most of my free time either at the beach or playing in the canyons around my family¹s home. It was a perfect time to be a kid.

I particularly loved the beach and the ocean. All the tide pools had little fish swimming around and lots of crabs. Often, I would find starfish clinging to the sides of the shallow pools. In my mind, the experience was magical.

No matter how I felt before we went to the beach, I always felt better once I got there. After playing in the ocean, I would come home relaxed and hungry and sleep like a log.

As I grew up, I never lost my passion for the ocean and the beach. It was always a place I could go to feel better and get healthy. I regularly participated in environmental causes, but it wasn¹t until 1980, when I met my husband Skip Frye that my passion turned to action in a way I never dreamed possible.

I was living in Pacific Beach when I met Skip and we spent almost every day at the ocean when we weren¹t working. The ocean and surfing were his greatest pleasure and soon we opened up our own surf shop at the beach. On a regular basis, friends would come in to our shop and complain about a variety of illnesses that they were experiencing. This seemed odd to me given the fact that surfers were such incredible athletes and should be healthy.

I began investigating possible causes of pollution and found that the most popular surfing beaches were located in front of discharging storm drains. The storm drains were not part of the sewer system and all the pollutants that were washed into them ended up, untreated, in our ocean.

In 1995, I formed an organization called Surfers Tired of Pollution after Skip became seriously ill from surfing. I worked diligently to educate the public and elected officials about the serious health problems associated with ocean pollution, and demanded that action be taken to clean it up. These efforts culminated in the passage of statewide legislation that established water quality standards and routine water monitoring to protect the public from surfing or swimming in polluted water.

I knew that more needed to be done, however, and in 2001, I decided to run for the San Diego City Council. My election was not an easy one, but with the support of the surfing community and hundreds of dedicated volunteers, I won the election and am now serving my second term as a councilmember.

There are many lessons that I have learned along the way. One is that most people are one tragedy away from becoming an activist. Another is that nothing is impossible, but in order to initiate change you have to do your homework, get involved and vote. Finally and one of the most important lessons is that no matter the challenge, keep a sense of humor. If you find yourself unable to laugh, it¹s time to get back in touch with the joy of being in the ocean and playing at the beach.