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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.
August 2023 Hearing Report
The Coastal Commission meeting took place in Oxnard on August 9-10. On Wednesday morning, Commissioners and the public commented on the U.S.- Mexico border pollution crisis and the need for emergency action, discussed further below. The Commission adopted a new Sustainability Principles report as a framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the coastal zone. Commission staff reported on recent enforcement action in Long Beach, Seal Beach, Newport and more. The Commission approved the Manhattan Beach LCP Update for coastal hazards - which resulted in a vote chart. During general public comment, several spoke to the recent Oceano Dunes litigation, which the Commission decided to appeal, as well as the beach erosion in San Clemente and OCTA’s coastal armoring project. Check out ActCoastal partner testimony on the OCTA coastal armoring here.
Border Pollution
On Wednesday, the Coastal Commission discussed the U.S.-Mexico border pollution emergency. Commissioner and Imperial Beach Mayor, Paloma Aguirre led the discussion, thanking Governor Newson for his recent call for additional federal funding, and highlighted the need to recognize the situation as an emergency. The Commission agreed that the Governor's action is an important first step and that more needs to be done. They expressed a commitment to continued action and advocacy. Check out the full discussion from Commissioners on our Youtube channel.
The public urged the Coastal Commission to prioritize this issue and request further action from Governor Newsom and President Biden to address the pollution crisis as quickly as possible so that residents and visitors no longer have to choose between enjoying the beach and getting sick. Many, including Surfrider Foundation, are calling for an Emergency Declaration at all levels of government. Check out Surfrider testimony, here.
2022 California Coastal Commission Conservation Report Card
Spoiler alert: the 2022 edition of ActCoastal's just released Coastal Commission Report Card reveals welcome news: on average the Coastal Commission’s voting for environmental protection, environmental justice, and public access improved substantially from prior years. The Report Card aims to increase transparency and accountability on decisions made by the Coastal Commission. It features average voting scores for Commissioners on high-priority, high-stakes coastal development projects and issues of significant consequence to environmental protection and equitable public access to the California coast. The Report Card designates a "Best of 2022" and "Worst of 2022" and analyzes tends in voting on environmental justice and coastal preservation issues.
Overall, the Commission’s voting record became more balanced, with the lowest scoring commissioner still near the overall average and substantially more aligned with conservation, justice and access than the lowest scorers in years past. California’s advocates, policymakers, and commissioners themselves now must sustain this trend if we hope to preserve the ecological, recreational and cultural value of our coast in the face of this century’s rising seas and other natural and human-caused threats.
View the 2022 California Coastal Commission Conservation Report Card here.
You can follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, too! As ever, thanks for your support and dedication to access, open space protection and coastal preservation! Please let us know of your coastal concerns – we must all work together to #SaveOurCoast!
ActCoastal Blog
| Title | Date |
|---|---|
| August 2023 Hearing Report | 24 August 2023 |
| July 2023 Hearing Report | 24 August 2023 |
| June 2023 Hearing Report | 29 May 2023 |
| May 2023 Hearing Report | 24 May 2023 |
| April 2023 Hearing Report | 27 April 2023 |
| ... further results | |