Commentary is provided by ActCoastal partners. This blog represents the views of the authors, and does not necessarily reflect the positions of ActCoastal and its partner organizations.
July 29, 2015
July Hearing HMB Maps
At the July 2015 Coastal Commission hearing, Commission Staff and James Benjamin (a Half Moon Bay citizen) addressed the Commission regarding the need to update Half Moon Bay coastal resource maps. Commission Staff recommendations stressed the City’s maps do not identify all confirmed habitat areas. The City representative, however, contradicted Staff by asserting the recommendations are overreaching.
June 22, 2015
Refugio Oil Spill Roller Coaster
Tracking the Plains Refugio oil spill has been like riding a rickety, roller coaster. Since "Day 1" many Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) have been following the twists and turns of the spill—desperately trying to ‘make sense of the events’ by researching exactly what happened and analyzing how to avoid a similar travesty in the future. It has been five weeks since oil began spewing, and unfortunately, concrete information and answers regarding the spill are still very muddied.
June 2, 2015
Santa Barbara Oil Spill
On May 19, 2015, the popular and pristine beaches of Refugio State Beach were covered by sticky, smelly, black oil. Shockwaves spread through Santa Barbara—a tiny town all too familiar with oil spills. As Santa Barbara once again contends with a catastrophic spill, the memories of the devastating 1969 spill still linger. Ironically, the 1969 spill is credited with spurring the modern environmental movement—and here we are 46 years later still dealing with the horrible impacts of offshore oil drilling.
February 26, 2015
Help the Commission Ensure Our Coast is Enjoyed by All Californians
ActCoastal was a little caught off guard when the CCC approved a project that would greatly impact low-cost accommodations—right on the heels of conducting a public workshop to preserve such resources! Unfortunately, in January 2015, the Commission approved the “Ranch” project in Laguna Beach that would “upgrade” a once a low-cost 64-room modest, coastal hotel into a large “boutique hotel” containing 97 rooms.
January 14, 2015
The Shrinking Reality at Broad Beach
Broad Beach is an exclusive community tucked away on an idyllic beach in Malibu. The community was largely developed in the late 1970s. For the past few decades the community has been contending with a shrinking reality of shrunken beaches. While the community and homes are beautiful, the location of the development is not ideal.
January 14, 2015
The Coastal Commission Tackles A Social Justice Issue
A key role of the Coastal Commission is to preserve and protect public access to the beach. However, beach access is limited, or lost, for millions of low to moderate incomes families—especially as “low cost” overnight accommodations are increasingly disappearing from the coast and being replaced with high-end hotels and resorts.
October 7, 2014
Coast Scores During Legislative Season
The 2014 legislative season was a game-changer for the coast. Several important coastal and ocean laws are now “on the books.” Below is a quick list of key legislation passed–while there are others bills that will benefit the coast, the following laws are critical in order to help the Coastal Commission and other agencies continue important work of safeguarding our coast and upholding the Coastal Act.
September 4, 2014
Why Coastal Commissioners Should NOT Have Private Meetings with Coastal Act Violators
In August, the Coastal Commission was briefed by their lawyers on why state law prohibits private talks between Coastal Act violators and individual Commissioners. The key point of the briefing was to remind Commissioners that enforcement cases are unique and different from other matters where the Commission takes action (e.g. project permits, federal consistency reviews, etc.)
May 28, 2014
Our minds are blown!
At their April meeting, the Coastal Commission used a very inappropriate process to review and approve the Paradiso del Mare development project on the Gaviota coast. In response, nine Santa Barbara citizens filed a formal grievance with the State.
May 15, 2014
Engaging California’s Diverse Community for Coastal Protection
Zach Ploppler, Coastal and Marine Director for WILDCOAST, shares insight about organizing diverse communities to protect coastal resources.
May 7, 2014
Big Win for the Santa Monica Mountains
Sarah Sikich, Heal the Bay’s Science and Policy Director for Coastal Resources, celebrates a big win for the Santa Monica Mountains.
April 23, 2014
Governor Appoints New Commissioner
At the end of February, Governor Brown appointed Erik Howell, who has been on the Pismo Beach City Council since 2012, to be the Governor’s South Central Coast representative on the commission. Erik was sworn in as a Commissioner at the March hearing.
February 28, 2014
Commission Seeks to “Lift the Fog on Fracking”
In August 2013, the Associated Press reported that oil companies have used hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and other types of “well stimulation treatments” to access oil beneath state and federal waters for decades without notifying state agencies that the practice has been occurring.
January 13, 2014
Governor Brown Appoints Excellent new Commissioner
Today, Governor Brown appointed Effie Turnbull Sanders, of Los Angeles, to the California Coastal Commission (CCC). Effie has been an alternate member of the CCC for Commissioner Shallenberger since 2013.
December 19, 2013
Mother Nature Bats Last: Chair Kinsey has Quote of the Hearing
Incoming Coastal Commission Chair Kinsey earned the best quote of the December meeting for clearly stating the inevitable reality facing California as sea level rise increases erosion along our coastline. Kinsey’s quote was just one of the highlights from last week’s Coastal Commission (CCC) hearing where the commission discussed its newly released draft Sea Level Rise (SLR) Policy Guidance document.
December 8, 2013
Sea Level Rise on the Horizon
Climate change is now a reality–but what does that mean for the California coast? Coastal storms and floods already pose hazards to the state’s coastal communities, as noted by the National Research Council (NRC), an organization that provides nonpartisan scientific advice to the nation’s leaders.
November 14, 2013
The Beach belongs to you…not the lobbyists
Ever wonder why the California coast doesn’t look like Miami Beach or Atlantic City? There’s a good reason our beautiful coastline is the iconic image of California. Quite simply it’s because Californians love the coast. They demand that our leaders protect this natural legacy.
November 12, 2013
Losing What We Love to Truly Appreciate It
As the old saying goes, it takes losing what we love to truly appreciate it. Fortunately, sometimes a glimpse of a different scenario will do. Visiting the East Coast this week has offered me that glimpse, again, of what it is to not have public and unfettered access to the beach.
November 10, 2013
“Diversity in the Lineup” – Introducing the Black Surfers Collective
I’ve loved the beach and ocean since I was a young boy growing up in Southern California. As a grown man, I wanted to share this experience with others, especially city kids who don’t have enough recreational options. So, a few years ago, I co-founded Black Surfers Collective. Our mission is to raise cultural awareness and promote diversity to the sport of surfing through community activities, outreach and camaraderie. See: BlackSurfersCollective.org And for more information, see this story on GrindTV
October 30, 2013
When a dead president gives the best testimony…
At October’s Commission meeting, the Commission overrode staff objections and approved the expansion of the San Diego Convention Center. San Diego’s waterfront is increasingly being “walled off” by a series of high-rise hotels and an ever-expanding convention center.
Advocates Release Annual Coastal Commission Vote Chart
Today the Surfrider Foundation, WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE and Environment California, in cooperation with ActCoastal and California’s conservation community, release the 2014 California Coastal Commission Conservation Vote Chart.