About ActCoastal

By law, the California coastline is held in trust for the public, and the public has a legal right to access and enjoy the state’s shoreline and coastal waters. ActCoastal serves the public–the countless people from California and all over the world who love the state’s iconic natural coastline–who treasure a walk on the beach or bluff-top park, love to swim, surf, fish, or tide pool alone or with their family, or who cherish the coast’s diverse and abundant wildlife. It serves all those who enjoy the social, economic and cultural benefits provided by a healthy coastal environment. And it seeks to serve the Indigenous communities and nations, who have lived along the California coast since time immemorial.

In 1972, California voters took a stand against powerful development and resource extraction interests to pass Proposition 20–the Coastal Initiative–which declared that “it is the policy of the State to preserve, protect, and where possible, restore the resources of the coastal zone for the enjoyment of the current and succeeding generations.” The initiative also created the California Coastal Commission and empowered it with a simple mission: to protect the coastal environment from ill-considered development and other threats, and uphold the public’s legal right to access and enjoy it.

Thanks to over 50 years of Coastal Commission stewardship, the California coast remains accessible to the public and ecologically vibrant.

In partnership with non-profit organizations, local governments, other agencies, scientists, and Tribal organizations and governments, the Commission has managed development while preserving wildlife habitat, water quality, and the public’s ability to access and enjoy the coast. In recent years, it has also begun systematically integrating principles of environmental justice and equity into its decision making, planning and permitting activities.

Nevertheless, intense pressures persist to develop coastal lands, and exclude people from Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other communities of color, and lower-income communities. At the same time, climate change is accelerating the rise of sea levels, shrinking the state’s beaches and further heightening the challenges of coastal lands management.  

ActCoastal is a project of Azul, California Coastal Protection Network, Environment California, Environmental Action Committee of West Marin, Salted Roots and the Surfrider Foundation. We believe that the Coastal Commission works best when its actions are transparent and the Commissioners are held accountable to their duty to uphold the Coastal Act and its provisions to protect the public interest– a healthy, thriving coastal environment, and opportunities for all to access, enjoy and benefit from it.