Protect our coast and oceans fund, photo by Ann Seronello

The April 2020 Coastal Commission Meeting is Cancelled

Coronavirus Disease Update

Please note that public counter hours for all Commission offices are currently suspended in light of the coronavirus. However, in order to provide the public with continuity of service while protecting both you and our employees, the Commission remains open for business, and you can contact staff by phone, email, and regular mail (see staff contact information at www.coastal.ca.gov/contact). Thank you for your patience and understanding as we all work through this public health crisis.

Message from Commission Chair on testing positive for Covid-19

Covid-19 Update on the Commission Chair

Volunteers in the Community

Coastal Zone Beach Access Restrictions due to COVID-19

Guidance on Coastal Access Restrictions and Closures Due to COVID-19

Sample Notification Letter to the Executive Director

Our Mission
Protecting & Enhancing California's Coast

The Commission is committed to protecting and enhancing California’s coast and ocean for present and future generations. It does so through careful planning and regulation of environmentally-sustainable development, rigorous use of science, strong public participation, education, and effective intergovernmental coordination.

Learn More

Property Owners

Property owners can apply for a Coastal Development Permit to legally develop their property within the California Coastal Zone

Local Governments

Many local governments are empowered to issue Coastal Development Permits through Local Coastal Plans

Informed Citizens

Everyone can learn about our coast & how to protect it. Join a beach cleanup, get teacher resources & grants, help out & have fun

Coastal Zone Beach Access Restrictions due to COVID-19

This is a list of beach access restrictions and closures that will be updated regularly, but due to rapidly changing conditions it might not capture all beach access changes. For most updated information, contact your local government or recreation department about local restrictions.

CCC Staff April 2, 2020

The Protect Our Coast and Ocean fund

The Protect Our Coast and Ocean fund on the California tax form supports coastal access, beach cleanups, pollution prevention, habitat restoration, public awareness, and more. Make a donation when you file your state taxes and join the nation’s first youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman in supporting the California coast. Learn more at CheckTheCoast.org.

CCC Staff March 6, 2020

Coastal Access – New Video Series

Announcing a new series of 5 minute videos that explore broad themes and topics related to coastal access in California. Produced by Rigler Creative with funding from a Coastal Commission Whale Tail Grant, the five titles are:

40 Years of the California Coastal Act
Public Access for all on the California Coast
Kids Belong at the Beach
Sea Level Rise and the California Coast
Activism and the California Coast

The new series complements the California Coastal Trail video series, which highlight different segments of the trail.

CCC Staff March 2, 2020

Year in Review 2019

The California Coastal Commission made steady progress on protecting the coast in 2019, advancing key principles such as maximizing public access and protecting ecosystem health, while also rising to the challenging issues of equity, housing, climate change and sea level rise. With 46 years of implementation to its credit, the Coastal Act has proven to be a resilient and effective law, even as the challenges become more complex.

Click Here

CCC Staff February 7, 2020

Highlights >Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program Interactive Workshop

Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program Interactive Workshop #1

Hollister Ranch – Coastal Access Program planning Interactive Workshop # 1 will be held on Thursday February 20 at 6 pm in Goleta, Santa Barbara County. Everyone is invited to attend and/or fill out the survey.

Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program: Public Survey #1
Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program – FAQ Sheet.
Planning Timeline 2020 - Next Steps.

CCC Staff February 4, 2020

Martin’s Beach Lawsuit

On January 6, 2020, the California Coastal Commission and California State Lands Commission jointly filed a lawsuit to ensure full public access to Martin’s Beach for all future generations. The lawsuit contends that the public’s historic use of Martin’s Beach as a public beach since at least the early 1900s has established permanent rights for the public to access and recreate at Martin’s Beach. Click here to read the joint press release and click here for a copy of the complaint. The Commission is interested to hear more about your experiences at Martin’s Beach. If you or your family has a history of use of Martin’s Beach, please take a moment to fill out the Commission’s Survey, which you can access by clicking here. You can send in the survey, written statements of your story, and any photographs you have by email to MartinsBeachPRS@coastal.ca.gov or in writing to the address on the survey.

Press Release January 6, 2020

California Coastal Commission elects its first openly LGBT chair

CALABASAS, Calif. - The California Coastal Commission this week unanimously elected its first ever openly LGBT Chair.

The 12-member Commission elected Chula Vista City Councilman Steve Padilla and attorney Donne Brownsey to lead board for the next year. Padilla called it “an honor” to serve as Chair of the state’s powerful coastal protection agency, which regulates development along 1,271 miles of coastline.

CCC Staff December 13, 2019

Strategic Plan Comment Opportunity

The Public Review Draft of the Commission’s 2020-2025 Strategic Plan is out for review. You may participate in these efforts by providing written comments through February 14, 2020. Comments can also be provided verbally at the December and February Coastal Commission hearings.

CCC Staff December 6, 2019

FAQ: The Coastal Commission and Sea Level Rise

Wondering what the Coastal Commission is doing about sea level rise? Click here

CCC Staff December 3, 2019

Marine Acoustics – Activities and Research

Since 1994 the California Coastal Commission has been involved in reviewing the effects of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment on marine mammal, sea turtles, fish, and other marine life. The following links are to major Commission-adopted reports involving significant activities, research on and monitoring of the impacts of noise in California (and other) ocean waters.

CCC Staff November 6, 2019

Webinar – Overview of Environmental Justice Policy

Please join us for an informational webinar on Monday, October 21, 2019 at 2PM PST for an overview of the Coastal Commission’s environmental justice policy. Staff will give a short presentation on the newly adopted environmental justice policy, including an in-depth review of what the policy is and how staff has been implementing it in their permitting and planning work. Staff will then take questions from the audience. Click here to register for the webinar.

CCC Staff October 7, 2019

New IPCC Report on Oceans and Climate Change

On September 25, the IPCC released a Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate (SROCC). Significant findings include that sea levels are rising at increasingly faster rates; that continued warming will result in increased frequency and intensity of El Niño and extreme storm events; and that both greenhouse gas emissions reductions and ambitious adaptation efforts will be critical for avoiding catastrophic impacts to coastal communities. Coastal Commission recommendations for sustainable land-use and adaptation planning will help communities address these impacts.

CCC Staff September 27, 2019

Announcing the winners of the 2019 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest

Artwork: "The Colorful Sea Animals"
By: Callan Stephen Cheng
Grade 1, Cypress

CCC Staff March 12, 2019

Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park - YourCoast

California Coastal Trail

Find inspiration in the stories that shaped the iconic California Coastal Trail.

California Coastal Access Guide

The fully revised 7^th Edition has information on more than 1,150 public access areas.

Whale Tail^® License Plate

Help protect & restore the priceless resources of California's coast & ocean

Beach Wheelchair

Access the coast with ease in a free beach wheelchair, available throughout California

Check the Coast

Donate to the Protect Our Coast & Oceans Fund on your California Tax Form

John "Jack" Ainsworth, 58, came to the Coastal Commission from the private sector in 1989 as a Coastal Program Analyst. Over the past 27 years, he has shouldered a variety of responsibilities including overseeing the South Central and South Coast (LA County) district offices and as the agency's Senior Deputy Director beginning in May 2015. He was appointed Acting Executive Director in March 2016. Ainsworth has a BA in Environmental Studies & Geography and an MSc in Geography from the University of California, Riverside.

The April 2020 Coastal Commission Meeting is Cancelled

Coronavirus Disease Update

Volunteers in the Community

Coastal Zone Beach Access Restrictions due to COVID-19

Guidance on Coastal Access Restrictions and Closures Due to COVID-19

Sample Notification Letter to the Executive Director

The April 2020 Coastal Commission Meeting is Cancelled

Here

Our Mission Protecting & Enhancing California's Coast

California Governor

Gavin Newsom

Commissioners

& Alternates

Executive Director

John Ainsworth

Property Owners

Apply

Appeal

Local Governments

Resources

Grants

Informed Citizens

Learn

Participate

Highlights

Stay up to date on all the work being done by the Commission to protect & enhance the California Coast

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Coastal Zone Beach Access Restrictions due to COVID-19

The Protect Our Coast and Ocean fund

Coastal Access – New Video Series

Year in Review 2019

Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program Interactive Workshop #1

Martin’s Beach Lawsuit

California Coastal Commission elects its first openly LGBT chair

Strategic Plan Comment Opportunity

2020 Draft Strategic Plan Webpage

FAQ: The Coastal Commission and Sea Level Rise

Marine Acoustics – Activities and Research

Webinar – Overview of Environmental Justice Policy

New IPCC Report on Oceans and Climate Change

Announcing the winners of the 2019 Coastal Art & Poetry Contest

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YourCoast

Explore thousands of California Coastal Access locations with the YourCoast Web app

California Coastal Trail

Explore the California Coastal Trail

California Coastal Access Guide

Buy the California Coastal Access Guide

Whale Tail® License Plate

Buy a Whale Tail ® License Plate

Beach Wheelchair

Borrow a Beach Wheelchair

Check the Coast

Learn More

California Opposes Trump Oil Leasing Plan

Our Mission
Protecting & Enhancing California's Coast

Whale Tail^® License Plate

Buy a Whale Tail ^® License Plate