• Local Govt's Role
• District Offices
• CCC Meetings
• Commissioners
• Related Coastal Mgt. Agencies

Overview

Introduction to Coastal Management in California

In 1972, the citizens of California passed a ballot initiative called Proposition 20. Approval of the proposition created the California Coastal Zone Conservation Commission, charged with developing a statewide plan for protecting the state's coastal resources. Four years later, the state legislature formulated the California Coastal Act of 1976, permanently establishing the California Coastal Commission.

The Coastal Act mandates that the Commission protect and enhance the resources of the coastal zone, an area specifically mapped by the legislature. The coastal zone extends from a boundary three miles seaward of the coastline to an inland boundary that varies in width. In urban areas the boundary may be only several hundred feet. In more rural areas it can extend several miles inland. The coastal zone, as established by the Coastal Act, excludes the San Francisco Bay, which is the jurisdiction of the Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC).

The Coastal Commission's primary mission is to plan for and regulate land and water uses in the coastal zone consistent with the policies of the Coastal Act. Commission jurisdiction in the coastal zone is broad and applies to private and public entities and covers virtually all manner of development activities, including any division of land, a change in the intensity of use of state waters and of public access to them. Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act spells out the coastal resources planning and management policies of the state. The policies address the following areas:

• Public access to and along the shoreline
• Recreation and visitor-serving facilities
• Water and marine resources and water quality
• Environmentally sensitive habitat areas
• Coastal visual resources and special communities
• The location and planning of new development
• Public works
• Dredging, filling, and shoreline structures
• Hazards
• Commercial fishing and recreational boating
• Agriculture
• Forestry and soils resources
• Industrial and energy development.

Development within the coastal zone may not occur until a coastal development permit has been issued. Through its management program, the Coastal Commission issues coastal development permits for a jurisdiction until the local government has adopted a Local Coastal Program (LCP) and the Commission has certified the LCP and delegated permitting authority. This delegation of authority represents a unique state and local government partnership established by the Coastal Act.

Permanent Responsibilities

The Coastal Commission has numerous permanent responsibilities beyond reviewing and certifying local coastal programs (LCPs). These responsibilities are to:

• Make decisions on permit applications for new development in areas where the Commission retains coastal permitting authority.
• Hear and decide appeals from coastal development permit decisions of local governments.
• Review all amendments to previously approved coastal plans prepared by cities and counties, industrial ports, and public and private universities located in the coastal zone.
• Periodically review each certified LCP to determine if Coastal Act goals and policies are being effectively implemented in light of changing needs and circumstances.
• In partnership with the State Coastal Conservancy, carry out a coastal public access program that protects and improves the ability of Californians and visitors to use and enjoy the coast.
• Working with state's water quality control agencies, implement a strategy to reduce the pollution of coastal waters from non-point sources (i.e., storm runoff, construction sites, agriculture).
• Carry out law enforcement duties to address and deter Coastal Act violations.
• Review and act on federal activities that affect coastal resources, including federally permitted, funded or licensed projects to ensure their consistency with California's federally-approved Coastal Management Program. Examples of federal projects that may be reviewed are: offshore oil and gas development beyond the State's three mile jurisdiction, highway projects, dredging projects, developments on military bases or in national parks, forests, or other federal lands.
• Together with the State Office of Oil Spill Prevention and Response and other state and federal agencies, carry out work to protect against and respond to oil spills in or affecting the coastal zone.
• Carry out a public education and involvement program relating to coastal environmental protection that includes the annual Coastal Clean-up Day, the ongoing Adopt-A-Beach Program, the WHALE TAIL^SM  Grants Program, a school curriculum, and other educational resources including an on-line directory of organizations involved in coastal conservation in California.
• Carry out various other coastal and ocean planning and management functions.

• Local Government's Role
  Local governments play an essential role in coastal management. Find out more here.
• Coastal Commission Offices
  The Coastal Commission staff is located in the San Francisco Headquarters office and in six District offices. Check here for the office locations and to learn which cities and counties fall into each district.
• The Meetings
  About the Meetings, including information about past and future meetings and the meeting Agenda. How to understand the Agenda and who to call with questions or for copies of staff reports
• The current agenda (Opens new window)
  Go directly to the current agenda.
• Meeting schedule (Opens new window)
  This year's meeting schedule.
• Past commission meetings (Opens new window)
  This page has links to past and future Coastal Commission meetings and agendas.
• The Commissioners
  How the commissioners are selected and appointed.
• Related Coastal Management Agencies
  The Federal Coastal Management Program, the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the California State Coastal Conservancy.