Santa Cruz didn't clean it up because of surfers, who didn't care because it wasn't very noticeable, although you knew you were taking a chance of getting mildl

Santa Cruz didn't clean it up because of surfers, who didn't care because it wasn't very noticeable, although you knew you were taking a chance of getting mildly sick. It's really difficult to resist going out when the waves are good. It was because the fecal bacteria count was over the new environmental standards that came to be in the last two decades of the 1900's. Many people don't realize there's an acceptable amount of mouse dung and insect carcasses in the food they buy, so it may sound gross to surf in gray water, but it really wasn't. It may be a bigger problem in San Diego because the water is much warmer than the cold currents the come down the coast from Alaska to Santa Cruz (along with some good waves)