Mayor, while stressing the value of the wharf in the community, says rebuilding without serious discussions would be “irresponsible.”

Amid another high surf advisory, Santa Cruz city leaders Friday morning provided an update on the future of the damaged Santa Cruz Municipal Wharf.

Work to repair last year’s storm damage to the Santa Cruz wharf likely contributed to its partial collapse, raising questions about the pier’s future as climate change fuels more powerful waves.

Santa Cruz officials on Friday said they're working with engineers to study the collapsed wharf to make sure it's strong and stable before they open it to the public.

Santa Cruz officials held a media conference on Friday to provide the public with new details about the Santa Cruz Wharf that partially collapsed earlier in the week. The wharf collapsed right in the middle of a $4 million project to fix the damages from previous storms.

Sea lions and a historic ocean swell were on a list of reasons released by officials Friday explaining why part of the iconic Santa Cruz Wharf collapsed. The wooden wharf is more than 100 years old and extends a half mile over the ocean.