The Encinitas City Council approved the list of commercial surf operators for the 2026 summer season and directed staff to revise the RFQ/permit process after lengthy public testimony from surf school owners and the YMCA. Operators urged more predictable multi‑year terms to provide business stability and called for clearer, objective scoring metrics and a transparent application process.

Staff outlined a shift to a three‑year RFQ cycle with annual permits and proposed a scoring rubric designed to reduce subjectivity by using objective yes/no criteria and rewarding prior permitted experience. Several long‑standing operators and YMCA representatives stressed that frequent reallocation threatens family businesses and nonprofit programs that serve children and scholarship participants. “We want to build something we can pass on to our kids,” said Matthew Allen, a local surf instructor who asked for a more stable term length.

Marine safety and the fire chief explained that permitted student counts per site reflect lifeguard staffing and site constraints; staff and council discussed adjusting capacities by site and committing to clearer pre‑season safety sign‑offs. Council created a two‑member ad hoc subcommittee (Councilmembers Schaeffer and O’Hara) with staff support and invited commissioners and surf operators to participate in the review. The subcommittee will refine rubric weightings (including resident percentage and history of performance), pilot any operational changes, and return with a revised process and recommendations for term length and enforcement.

Council agreed to assure current approved operators that they will have authorization for 2026 while staff and the subcommittee revise the longer‑term process. The motion to approve the operator list and form the subcommittee passed unanimously.

Next steps: staff to work with the subcommittee, marine safety and risk management to craft objective standards, consider a probationary period for new operators, explore scheduling earlier in the calendar for predictability, and report back with recommended RFQ timelines and enforcement protocols.