Sabrina Brennan
Legislative Advocate, Surf Equity & Sport Equity
Sabrina Brennan (she/her) is a dedicated advocate who co-founded the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing [Surf Equity] in 2016, and also established Sport Equity. Born in New Orleans a mere forty-eight days after Hurricane Camille—a formidable, deadly, and devastating Category 5 hurricane—struck the Gulf Coast, Brennan's journey has been one of resilience and purpose.
Having spent her formative years in Mobile, AL, Brennan achieved a significant milestone by earning a BFA from the Atlanta College of Art. The year 1993 marked a pivotal turn as she bid farewell to the South, embarking on a new chapter in Sabastopole, CA. A subsequent move to San Francisco in 1994 set the stage for her accomplishments. In 1998, Brennan embarked on an entrepreneurial journey, establishing a small business while residing and operating from an Edwardian flat at 639 Broderick St. Her path led her to Moss Beach, where she acquired a coastal home in 1999, nestled in the serene landscape of San Mateo County.
Demonstrating her commitment to public service, Brennan admirably served two consecutive 4-year terms as a Harbor Commissioner in San Mateo County. Her first election in 2012 marked the beginning of an impactful tenure that extended until late 2020. Her involvement in the California Democratic Party was significant, and she held an elected position on the San Mateo County Democratic Central Committee from 2016 to 2020. Brennan's influence extended to environmental matters as she pioneered the Sierra Club’s Equity Team. Additionally, her commitment to social justice shines through her involvement on the NAACP’s Housing Committee.
In her personal life, Brennan and her spouse, Aimee Luthringer, share their home with two rescue rabbits and two cats. Their neighborhood is perches atop a bluff with a sweeping view of the Mavericks surf break. Luthringer, an avid surfer, enjoys the bounties cultivated by Brennan's love for gardening, while their shared passions for hiking and swimming deepen their connection.
Mavericks Beach | Oct 27, 2018
On November 5, 2015, Brennan championed the cause of gender equity in the Mavericks big wave surf competition, urging the California Coastal Commission to mandate the inclusion of women athletes.
Building on her triumphant efforts at Mavericks, she co-established the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing [Surf Equity] in 2016, igniting a global push for equal pay in professional surfing. Through her impassioned speeches, written correspondence, and presentations at Coastal Commission hearings and State Lands Commission meetings, she left an indelible mark.
In 2018, the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing [Surf Equity] achieved a groundbreaking victory, securing global pay parity in professional surfing. Their accomplishments have been chronicled in two documentary films and have captured the attention of countless news outlets. Notably, in February 2019, the New York Times Magazine featured a compelling piece by Dan Duane, shedding light on their fight for gender equality in one of the world's most perilous sports.
New York Times Magazine: The Fight for Gender Equality, In One of the Most Dangerous Sports on Earth
During 2019, Brennan waged a successful battle for the integration of cycling into Assembly Bill 467. Her advocacy encompassed the inclusion of state highways and roadways, as well as equitable race durations and remuneration for female cyclists participating in the Amgen Tour of California. Her tenacity bore fruit in the form of the "streets and roadways" amendment—a legislation mandating equal compensation for athletic contests conducted on state lands and roadways, regardless of gender. Further details about Brennan’s legislative endeavors are elaborated below.
On June 1, 2020, Brennan rebranded the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing as Surf Equity.
Then, on June 5, 2021, Brennan founded the Sierra Club Equity Team within the Loma Prieta Chapter with co-chair Galdwyn d'Souza, underscoring their commitment to environmental justice.
In 2021, Surf Equity's correspondence with Coastal Commission staff bore fruit in the form of guidelines to eradicate gender bias at Mavericks. These mandates ensure that both the women's and men's divisions consist of an equal number of participants within each gender category.
Likewise, in 2021, the Tokyo Olympics achieved a historic milestone by hosting an equal number of female and male surfers. This landmark accomplishment marked a pivotal moment for competitive surfing.
However, in 2022, gender disparity persisted within the WSL's Olympic qualifying events. Notably, a significantly smaller number of women (16) were participating compared to their male counterparts (32) in the WSL’s Championship Tour. Continuing her efforts is crucial, as there is still a need for transformation.
On May 8, 2023, the Washington Post published the following:
Sabrina Brennan, who moved to the neighborhood on top of Pillar Point’s bluff not long before the first Mavericks contest, probably has battled Jeff Clark more than anyone over the years. Her anger goes back to those first weeks in her new home when she saw a big story about the coming competition in the local paper under the headline: “Men Who Ride Mountains.”
“What about women who ride mountains?” she thought.
At the time, Brennan was an avid snowboarder with a creative design business and a side interest in pushing for equality in women’s sports. Though she really doesn’t surf, her wife does, and as she watched the all-male Mavericks contest over the years, she became more outraged.
Brennan pulled some of the best female surfers together, started a group called Surf Equity and stormed after surfing’s male establishment, demanding equal competitions with equal pay for women.
“There was this discrimination right in my backyard,” she says.
background
Gender-based discrimination in pro surfing first caught Brennan’s attention in 1999 when Jeff Clark founded the Mavericks big wave surf competition in Half Moon Bay. The event was named, “Men Who Ride Mountains.” Now, two decades later, women athletes have still not had an opportunity to compete in the Mavericks surf contest, however that will change when the next event is held.
Women big wave surfers ride 25-to 68-foot waves at the most dangerous spots on earth.The largest wave ever surfed by a woman is the height of a 7-story building.
In 2015, Brennan asked the California Coastal Commission to require that women be allowed to compete in the Mavericks surf contest. Her request was supported in a 7-4 vote.
Her success garnered the attention of professional big wave surfers Bianca Valenti, Paige Alms, Keala Kennelly, and Andrea Moller. Together they formed the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing with founding counsel Karen Tynan.
In 2016, Paige Alms made history as the first Women’s Big Wave Champion at Pe’ahi, Hawaii. The WSL paid Alms $15,000 in prize money and they paid the men’s division winner $25,000.
In Oct 2017, Alms successfully defended her title and again was paid 40% less money than a man.
In June 2018, San Francisco big wave surfer Bianca Valenti made history as the first Women’s Big Wave Champion in Latin America at the Puerto Escondido Cup. The WSL paid Valenti 75% less than her male counterpart surfing the same wave on the same day.
In July 2018, the Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing met with the World Surf League in Redwood City and presented a proposal for equal prize money. They told the WSL to end gender-based discrimination. CEO Sophie Goldschmidt said NO, and threatened to cancel the Mavericks surf competition rather than pay women equally.
What did they do? Back down? Accept less? Hell No! They stood their ground and went back to the Coastal Commission and demanded equal pay and equal access at Mavericks. CEWS also got help from Betty Yee and Gavin Newsom and the California State Lands Commission staff.
Here’s what happened next: On September 5, 2018, the WSL announced global equal prize money for every WSL event, including the Mavericks Challenge.
Four women surfers, an activist, a lawyer and their supporters stood together, united in their demand for equality and pay equity.
California Legislation
In 2019, Assemblymember Tasha Boerner Horvath took an interest in the precedent set by CEWS. Sadly, Boerner Horvath’s Equal Pay in Sports law missed the mark.
The Committee for Equity in Women’s Surfing opposed Assembly Bill 467 unless it was amended. In 2019, Brennan lobbied for amendments that would require the inclusion of gendered categories in professional athletic competitions, equal competitive time for each category, equal playing time, and equal racing time. Brennan met with legislators, Caltrans and the State Athletic Commission regarding gender discrimination in the Tour of California cycling race and other sports such as boxing. In boxing women are allowed fewer rounds per match and the number of minutes per round is shorter. Promoters pay women boxers significantly less than men boxers and they justify this based on the unequal fighting time/less time in the ring.
In March 15, 2019, Karen Tynan and Brennan met with Dana Mitchell, Chief Consultant Assembly Committee on Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Tourism and Internet Media. They discussed concerns about loopholes in AB467. Brennan made the case for amending the bill to include Caltrans to the list of state agencies responsible enforcing the law. Mitchell included Brennan’s concerns in the bill analysis.
On June 3, 2019, Brennan’s advocacy resulted in one substantive amendment. After many meetings, letters and phone calls AB 467 was amended to included “streets and roadways.” After a three month lobbying effort, Caltrans was included along with Coastal Commission, State Lands Commission and State Parks. This was win for women in cycling who had been forgotten in the original bill.
Throughout the process, Boerner Horvath rejected requests for gendered categories and equal competitive time for each category. Sadly, it’s still legal to hold a pro sports competition (including a cycling race) for men only on state land and state roadways. Brennan said, “The new law is misleading. It incentivizes single-gender competitions. We don’t have equal pay when one gender is allowed to compete.”
On Aug 29, 2019, the WSL canceled the Mavericks Challenge.
On Sept 9, 2019, Governor Newsom signed Assembly Bill 467 into law. The new law does not protect athletes from gender-based discrimination. CEWS is working to correct loopholes in future legislation.
On Oct 29, 2019, the Amgen Tour of California cycling race was canceled.
AB 467 Media
In 2019, CEWS asked legislators to close the loopholes in AB 467 and stop businesses, event promoters, and athletic organizations from marginalizing women athletes by excluding them from athletic competitions. Legislators failed to fix the bill because they support single-gender professional sports competitions on state land. The fight continues…
CEWS supported the Following Amendment to AB 467:
(A) “Competition” means competition or tournament on lands owned by the state and managed by the department.
(B) “Prize compensation” includes purse money, other awards, honors, gifts, rewards, goods, or other payment.
(C) “Event” means a segment of a competition such as a heat, race, or match, or game.
(2) The department/commission, shall require compliance with California non-discriminatory practices for individuals or groups protected by the California Unruh Civil Rights Act as a condition of a permit/lease, for a competition that awards prize compensation to competitors. Prize compensation shall be identical for all categories at each participant level. Event playing time shall be identical for each category, for a competition that awards prize compensation to competitors.The department/commission shall not approve a permit/lease for an event that does not comply with this condition.
Increasing the number of events and the number of awards for women, as well as offering equal prize money, is the only way to achieve meaningful equity in competitive surfing.
NYT Magazine » Feb 24, 2019 » Artwork by @gambineri