Family member of Encinitas bluff collapse victims to attend State of the Union Address

U.S. Representative Mike Levin (D-CA) announced Jan. 30 in a news release that he will host Dr. Pat Davis, of Encinitas, as his guest for President Trump’s State of the Union Address on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Davis’s wife, Julie Davis, his youngest daughter, Annie Clave, and his wife’s sister, Elizabeth Charles, were killed when a coastal bluff at Grandview Beach in Encinitas collapsed onto them.

Several days before the bluff collapse, Levin called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to provide long-overdue federal funding for the Solana Beach-Encinitas Coastal Shore Protection Project, also known as the San Diego County Shore Protection Project. Since the collapse, he has repeatedly pressured the Office of Management and Budget to approve federal funding for the project. Levin and Davis met last year to discuss their shared commitment to preventing future bluff collapses.

“The Grandview Beach bluff collapse was a horrific tragedy for our community, and the federal government has a responsibility to help prevent similar accidents in the future,” said Levin. “It is long past time that we invest federal dollars to stabilize coastal bluffs, which are increasingly vulnerable due to climate change, rising sea levels, and high-energy storm swells. We cannot let Julie, Annie and Elizabeth to have died in vain. Dr. Davis and I stand together in our fight for action, and I am proud to host him as my State of the Union guest.”

“Not a single person should have to experience the loss that my family has a result of a bluff collapse,” said Davis. “In a coastal city like ours, where we are experiencing stronger storm swells and erosion as a result of climate change, we need to prioritize protecting human lives on our beaches. Replenishing beach sand is only one step of many that can be taken to protect lives on our shorelines. We need to work together at all levels of government to protect beachgoers, and the Administration must do its part. I’m grateful for the opportunity to attend the State of the Union and hope the President will recognize the urgent need to take action on this issue and save lives.” —News release