Quick Take
As a wave of layoffs hits the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the effects on the local operations of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and National Weather Service remain largely unclear. Although most of the sanctuary staff are permanent employees, and the firings appear to cover only workers with probationary status, the Monterey Bay chapter director says the agency is expecting local cuts — which could have immediate impacts.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is one of the latest agencies to see large-scale layoffs as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to slash the federal workforce — but even those within the organization say they are unsure of how many workers could be affected and which, if any, programs and activities will be immediately impacted in Santa Cruz County.
Late last week, several hundred weather forecasters and other NOAA workers employees on probationary status were laid off as part of the administration’s moves to cut federal spending. Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell said that “at least 880” NOAA workers were affected. The effort has largely been carried out by President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, led by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and has been a major focus of Trump’s return to office.
NOAA, established in 1970, is the federal scientific agency responsible for weather forecasts, monitoring conditions in the ocean and the atmosphere, and managing marine resources. While the impact of the firings in every department of the federal government has raised immediate concern, the specific impacts on the agency and its operations are still largely uncertain.
Locally, the agency oversees the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, a federally protected area of the ocean that covers 276 miles of the Central Coast of California. It operates an exploration center in Santa Cruz and a fisheries research laboratory on the UC Santa Cruz Coastal Science Campus on the Westside.
Steven Lindley, the director of the Fisheries Ecology Division and NOAA’s Santa Cruz laboratory, said the lab employs about 40 federal workers and another 60 university affiliates, some of whom are funded through federal grants. However, he said he could not comment on how many, if any, have been let go. The exploration center’s website shows that it employs at least 10 NOAA workers, but similarly, it is not clear if any of them have been laid off.
Six employees were laid off from NOAA’s Monterey offices, Monterey County Now reported. They included a meteorologist, an administrative assistant and a facilities technician who worked for the National Weather Service, along with two scientists and a communications employee with NOAA Fisheries.
In a statement, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Monterey Bay Chapter Director Ginaia Kelly said that she and her staff were preparing for personnel and budget cuts locally, which are likely to affect a multitude of activities including whale entanglement response, marine debris removal, visitor center operations, education programs and public safety. She put out a call to action, urging locals to contact their representatives and donate to sanctuary programs.
“Here in the Monterey Bay area, we’ve enjoyed the protections of a national marine sanctuary for more than 30 years, but things are changing,” she said. “Just as our community rallied together in the 1980s to protect this very special part of the ocean, we will likely need to do so again to ensure Monterey Bay remains healthy and thriving for generations to come.”
Kelly did not return Lookout’s request for comment by publication time.
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Foundation board member and ocean activist Dan Haifley said that most of the Monterey Bay sanctuary staff are permanent status, and last week’s crop of layoffs involved employees in the probationary period, those with less than two years of employment. Still, though he said had not heard of specific layoffs or program cuts locally, the move puts the entire agency on edge.
“It’s the intention of the administration to slash 30% of the workforce at NOAA, which would be devastating,” Haifley told Lookout. “The NOAA team consists of scientists, educators and subject-matter experts who are there to serve our communities and our nation. These haphazard cuts are cruel and counterproductive.”
Chip Weiskotten, director of creative strategy and services at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, told Lookout on Monday that the situation is no clearer at the national level.
“We are still trying to figure out exactly what happened, honestly,” he said. “And we don’t know whether to expect more or not. It’s all just very sudden.”
In a statement, National Marine Sanctuary President and CEO Joel Johnson called the layoffs a “devastating blow to the health of our national marine sanctuaries and the coastal communities that depend on them.” He said that the cuts damage research, monitoring and emergency response efforts as well as put tourism, fisheries and recreation in a precarious position.
“National marine sanctuaries are economic anchors, protecting people, nature and property while preserving America’s maritime history,” Johnson said in the statement. “With families preparing for spring break, teachers seeking outdoor classrooms, and businesses gearing up for peak tourism, NOAA staff shortages leave sanctuaries and communities vulnerable.”
Johnson called on the Trump administration to be transparent and inform the public about which positions were affected.
“Restoring NOAA’s workforce must be a priority to safeguard these treasured places in our ocean and great lakes for current and future generations,” he said.
Have something to say? Lookout welcomes letters to the editor, within our policies, from readers. Guidelines here.