 California Coastal Commission Logo | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1972 |
| Jurisdiction | California |
| Headquarters | San Francisco |
| Employees | 164 (2021) |
| Annual budget | $33 million (2021) |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | California Natural Resources Agency |
| Website | coastal |
| Footnotes | |
| [1] | |
The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state's 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is "to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline".[3][4]
Protection of coastal resources includes shoreline public access and recreation, lower cost visitor accommodations, terrestrial and marine habitat protection, visual resources, and regulation of agricultural lands, commercial fisheries, and industrial infrastructure. By regulating land use within a defined coastal zone extending inland from 3,000 ft (910 m) up to 5 mi (8.0 km), it has the authority to control construction of any type, including buildings, housing, roads, as well as fire and erosion abatement structures, and can issue fines for unapproved construction. It has been called the single most powerful land-use authority in the United States due to its purview over vast environmental assets and extremely valuable real estate.
Critics say that the CCC has exceeded its mission, as well as exacerbated California's housing shortage by limiting housing supply in some of the state's most affluent areas,[5] and harmed the environment by defending parking infrastructure and scuttled dense housing development, while proponents say that the Commission has protected open space, views, habitats, endangered species, and public coastal access.
- ^ "2021-22 Governor's Budget, 3720 California Coastal Commission". State of California Department of Finance. January 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
- ^ Tallal, Jimy (February 16, 2023). "California Coastal Commission has first female executive director". The Malibu Times. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Coastal-Act-Section-30103was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ California Coastal Commission, website.
- ^ Christopher, Ben (July 8, 2023). "California Housing Crisis Prompts Efforts to Weaken Coastal Commission's Power". CalMatters.
Along much of the coast, the commission has to approve city growth and zoning plans. In neighborhoods especially close to the water, foes of proposed developments can appeal directly to the commission. ... But for many developers — including those who build deed-restricted units for lower-income residents — the possibility of years of delay with no certain outcome has created a "chilling effect," said Jeannette Temple, a San Diego land use consultant. "If you're an affordable housing developer, you're already operating on the margins, so most of the time my clients, and people my clients know, don't even look in the coastal zone," she said. "In my opinion it's just another kind of redlining."