The Coastal Commission received financial assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to develop policy guidance on addressing environmental justice, equity, and sea level rise in Local Coastal Program (LCP) grant deliverables, such as vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, and draft LCP policies on sea level rise. To ensure meaningful engagement and community input is integrated throughout the policy guidance, the Environmental Justice (EJ) Unit invited community leaders throughout California to apply for an advisory group that will advise staff on the development of this policy guidance. Eight individuals were selected to participate in the environmental justice and sea level rise advisory group and will be paid a stipend to provide input over one year on the policy guidance public engagement plan, background literature review, and policy outline development.

Why convene an Environmental Justice Sea Level Rise Advisory Group?

The Coastal Commission is a state government agency that preserves and protects California’s coast and ocean for the public by upholding the California Coastal Act of 1976.

In 2019, the Commission adopted its first EJ Policy to provide guidance for the Commissioners, staff, and the public on how the Commission will implement its environmental justice authority under the Coastal Act. The EJ Policy includes a set of guiding principles, one of which is on climate change and complements the Commission’s Sea Level Rise Policy Guidance section on environmental justice and equity. However, neither document provides detailed guidance on how to integrate the principles of environmental justice into sea level rise adaptation efforts or related LCP policies.

To bridge that gap, the Commission received financial assistance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to develop policy guidance on addressing environmental justice, equity, and sea level rise in LCP grant deliverables, such as vulnerability assessments, adaptation plans, and draft LCP policies on sea level rise. The guidance will also be a training resource that staff can share with local governments and the public.

This new guidance document will begin its development with the Environmental Justice and Sea Level Rise Advisory Group. The advisory group will inform the first steps in creating new guidance, including providing input on background information on sea level rise and environmental justice concerns, the draft policy guidance outline, and a broader community engagement strategy for the draft guidance. Following initial input from the advisory group, staff will implement the community engagement plan and develop a draft policy guidance. The draft policy guidance will eventually be adopted by the Coastal Commission and shared with local governments and the public.

Who is the Environmental Justice Sea Level Rise Advisory Group?

The eight individuals on the advisory group are:

• Adam Canter is the Natural Resources Director for the Wiyot Tribe Natural Resources Department, located on the Wig (Humboldt Bay), where he has worked overseeing a variety of grant programs and projects since 2014, where he currently also acts as the community Co-Chair for the Cal Poly Humboldt SLR Institute.
• Allene Villa is a lifelong Océano resident of Latin origin. Currently working with Océano Beach Community Association, she has been advocating for environmental justice for 5 years. Her community is a coastal town that has endured decades EJ issues due off-roading the beach and dunes.
• Cameron Yee works at the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy (CAUSE), where he organizes and engages residents of working-class immigrant communities in Oxnard in support of coastal access and environmental justice.
• Charming Evelyn has been working on water issues for the last 15 years through the Sierra Club as the Co-Chair of the CA Water Committee and Chair of the Angeles Chapter Water Committee (OC & LAC). Charming is also the Vice Chair of the Angeles Chapter Environmental & Social Justice Committee.
• Delaney Alamillo was raised in Los Angeles, is a transwomyn, second generation Mexican American, and parent of two kids. She is the Executive Director of Community Nature Connection, a non-profit that provides transformative outdoor experiences, leadership development, and community engagement to all Angeleno youth and families.
• Lesly Gallegos is a first generation graduate from San Diego State University with a B.S. in Environmental Science and Sustainability. She has been involved with the community-based organization, Casa Familiar for over 4 years as a volunteer, advocate, educator, and organizer specializing in EJ and air quality.’
• Naama Raz Yaseef is the Community Engagement Manager at The Watershed Project, a Bay Area nonprofit that works to better connect disadvantaged communities with their watersheds. Using a participatory lens on large-scale planning projects, she supports the enhancement of climate resiliency, especially around sea level rise. Previously, Naama worked at the Lawrence Berkeley Lab & UC Berkeley as an Environmental Scientist / Ecohydrologist.
• Orion Camero is an Oakland-based queer Filipinx multi-medium artist, coalition-builder and community advocate focused on nurturing the conditions for better worlds with a decade of experience. They believe the heart of collective liberation are the ingredients of inter-identity solidarity, cross-cultural connection, and exponential collaboration.

This work is being supported by Equilibrium Collaborative with logistical and facilitation services.

How to get involved.

Although the Environmental Justice and Sea Level Rise Advisory Group has been selected, there will be additional opportunities for public participation in this project. We will be updating this project page with more details. If you have any questions, please reach out to us at EnvironmentalJustice@coastal.ca.gov.

Finally, we would like to invite you to stay tuned by signing up for our environmental justice newsletter and our sea level rise newsletter at www.coastal.ca.gov/signup