Sacramento Report: Coastal Commission Looks to Shed Its Controversial Reputation

Commission members gathered in downtown Sacramento last week for their monthly meeting to address the latest developments along California’s coast.

On the agenda was a Santa Monica hotel failing to comply with accessibility requirements and the Diablo Canyon power plant – the last remaining nuclear site in California – trying to stay open despite mounting environmental concerns.

Also on the schedule was a rule change that would give coastal affordable housing projects more time to begin construction.

In a unanimous decision, the 12 voting members of the quasi-judicial agency approved it, giving projects up to five years, rather than two, to break ground.

Commissioners and staff lauded the approval as a step in the right direction to allow affordable housing projects more time to get the funding they need. 

They also cheered the decision as a step toward remaking the controversial reputation of the 53-year-old agency.

“I think next year would be a good opportunity to roll out an education campaign in the Legislature to highlight some of the movements we made toward this,” Commissioner Linda Escalante said.

This week, I reported on how the California Coastal Commission is changing to regain the favor of lawmakers and housing advocates for its storied role in controlling housing along the Pacific coast.

The commission is one of the most powerful state agencies in the country, overseeing some of the wealthiest real estate in the world, as I mentioned in the Sacramento Report a few weeks ago.

Democratic Gov. Newsom has accused the agency of slowing rebuilding efforts in the Pacific Palisades after the January Los Angeles fires. State lawmakers, including Assemblymember David Alvarez, have introduced a slew of bills in recent years to cut its authority over certain housing rules.

In May, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas of Salinas appointed two pro-development officials: Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez and Chula Vista Councilmember Jose Preciado.

And last month, Newsom appointed Jaime Lee, a wealthy Los Angeles real estate developer to the commission to replace Effie Turnbull Sanders, who helped the agency adopt its current environmental justice policies.

Environmentalists, although surprised by Lee’s appointment, were wary of raising alarms, saying it’s too early to form an impression of Lee.

“While there have been concerns expressed within the environmental movement, at this point we have no idea how this commissioner will be,” said Jennifer Savage, associate director of the coastal protection group Surfrider Foundation.

“At this point we’re optimistic that she’ll uphold the coastal act.”

The 1976 law governs the Coastal Commission and San Diego’s own massive coastal zone, which is larger than that of any other county and includes over 300,000 residents, according to data from Nicholas Depsky at the United Nations Development Programme.

It was created in the aftermath of the 1969 Santa Barbara oil spill, one of the country’s worst environmental disasters, and its main purpose is to protect California’s beloved shoreline from environmental degradation. The coastal act also keeps its pristine beaches open to the public.

Staff and commissioners often point out that coastal protection and public access are the agency’s primary responsibility, not housing policy, which they believe they have been unfairly scrutinized for.

The commission is responsible for approving only a small number of housing permits and has authority over just a handful of local governments that do not have their own coastal rules.

“In the Legislature’s enthusiasm and zeal in order to effectuate housing more quickly, they’re kind of stepping on themselves,” said Sarah Christie, a legislative director at the commission. The myriad housing reform laws California has passed have made it confusing for cities and counties to update their coastal zoning rules, she said.

Commissioner Ray Jackson, a skeptic of big developers, said that lawmakers need to focus more on affordable housing rather than increasing supply more broadly.

Housing activists, such as Colin Parent with Circulate San Diego, have found hope in the recent changes.

“I think it’s a good sign,” Parent said. “I actually think that the coastal commission statute is fine as is if the people enacting it have a broader view of their goals.”

After commissioners approved the housing rule change, commissioner Escalante suggested the agency create a document compiling the movements it has made toward helping California’s intractable housing crisis.

“I don’t know if we can have a white paper that we can walk around with and figure out some of the reputation issues that we have.”

Looking ahead

The state Legislature reconvenes on Jan. 5. Here are some of the previously introduced bills I’m watching.

Senate Bill 369 is a union-backed measure that would require workers on the Salton Sea restoration project be trained or certified by an apprenticeship program. It was introduced by Democratic Chula Vista Senator Steve Padilla. Newsom vetoed the bill on Oct. 13, stating that it would cause delays unless changes were made in consultation with the state labor agency. It was returned to the Senate for reconsideration.

Padilla’s other proposal, to create a California Latino Commission, SB 388, was vetoed by the governor because the governor said “it would lead to ongoing implementation costs in the millions of dollars while duplicating existing efforts.” The bill, which seeks to create a nine-member state agency to address socioeconomic inequities among Latinos, was kicked back to the Senate.

Assemblymember Chris Ward, a San Diego Democrat, plans to revive his surveillance pricing proposal, Assembly Bill 446. It would prevent grocery stores from using user data to inform their prices. Ward previously told the Sacramento Report that he seeks to introduce a broader version of the bill that would include most retailers after AB 446 stalled after an Assembly floor vote.

Senate Bill 741, introduced by Democratic Sen. Catherine Blakespear of Encinitas, would stop the Coastal Commission from reviewing future projects added to the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo Rail Corridor, which hugs the Pacific coast. It would be another blow to the agency’s authority. It passed the Senate and awaits a committee hearing in the Assembly.

Another proposal by Blakespear, Senate Bill 569, aims to help streamline the process for cities to enter agreements with the state transportation department to clear homeless encampments on roads and freeways. It also awaits a committee hearing in the Assembly.

What I’m Reading Now

President Trump’s push to slash federal jobs could have played a role in a  22 percent annual reduction in San Diego’s military workforce, a new report finds and KPBS explains.

The Justice Department has joined in a lawsuit to block the new congressional maps California voters approved earlier this month, AP News reports.

The Associated Press also broke that the state plans to revoke 17,000 driver’s licenses given to undocumented immigrants in California following months of criticism from the Trump administration.

Thanks again for reading the Sacramento Report! As always, I can be reached at: nadia@voiceofsandiego.org.

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