About

Welcome to ActCoastal, the California Coast Accountability Project. ActCoastal is a campaign to protect California’s coast by bringing transparency and accountability to the actions of the California Coastal Commission.

ActCoastal will serve the millions of Californians who love our coast. Those of you who treasure a walk on the beach or coastal bluffs. Who swim, surf, fish, or tidepool. We live on the most beautiful coastline in the world. And we want it to stay that way. Over 40 years ago, the people of California stood up to defend their coast against powerful development interests. They passed the Coastal Initiative to create the California Coastal Commission to act as the stewards of our coast.

Thanks to almost 40 years of that stewardship by the Coastal Commission, our coast does not look like Miami Beach or Atlantic City. We have managed development while preserving natural treasures, coastal vistas and thriving agriculture. We have protected the public’s right of access to the beach. We stopped offshore oil drilling.

ActCoastal is a project of the Surfrider Foundation, WILDCOAST and Environment California that represents a larger collaboration with California’s conservation leaders. We believe that the Coastal Commission works best when its actions are transparent and the Commissioners are held accountable to their promise to support the Coastal Act.

The mission of ActCoastal is to ensure that California’s coast remains protected for future generations. Each month, we’ll analyze and report the voting records of the twelve powerful appointed Coastal Commissioners. We will grade them on whether they are upholding the Coastal Act and protecting our coast or whether they are caving to lobbyists and developers.

To keep you informed ActCoastal will serve the public that loves the coast and the conservation leaders who take effective action to hold our elected officials accountable.

We will continue a 20-year tradition to provide an annual scorecard on the Commission’s voting record. ActCoastal also will now provide a monthly COASTAL VOTE CHART on key votes after each monthly Commission meeting.

We’ll also alert you to hot issues coming before the Commission. And we’ll give you tips on ACTIONS that you and other coast lovers can take to ensure that the Commissioners and those who appoint them are accountable to the public to uphold the Coastal Act.

ActCoastal will provide the tools to make sure our public leaders hear the public’s voice and not just the demands of those with self-serving financial interests in coastal development.