ACCESS TO HEARINGS. If requested, the agenda and backup materials will be made available in appropriate alternative formats to persons with a disability, as required by Section 202 of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. Sec. 12132), and the federal rules and regulations adopted in implementation thereof. Any person who requires a disability-related modification or accommodation, in order to observe and/or offer public comment may request such reasonable modification, accommodation, aid, or service by contacting the Commission at 415-904-5202 or ExecutiveStaff@coastal.ca.gov, no later than 9:00 A.M. on the day of the scheduled meeting.
CAMPAIGN CONTRIBUTIONS. Government Code Section 84308 requires Commissioners to disqualify themselves from voting on any matter if they have received a campaign contribution of more than $250 from an interested party. If you intend to speak on any hearing item, please indicate in your email or voicemail requesting to speak (see detailed instructions on how to speak here: Meeting Procedures), if you have made campaign contributions of more than $250 to any Commissioner within the last year, and if so, to which Commissioners you contributed.
CLOSED SESSION. At any time during the meeting, the Commission may meet to consider personnel matters or litigation in a session closed to the public pursuant to the attorney-client privilege and statutory exemption to the Open Meeting Act (Government Code § 11126).
CONTACTS WITH COMMISSIONERS. Written materials sent to Commissioners must also be sent to staff at the same time. All non-procedural communications must become part of the record. For a summary of these ex parte communication requirements, please visit www.coastal.ca.gov/roster.html#exparte. The Coastal Act does not authorize ex parte communications that relate to alleged violations of the Coastal Act.
LOCATION OF MEETINGS. Commission meetings are currently being held in a hybrid format, allowing both virtual and in-person participation. The virtual meetings are live streamed via Cal-Span and virtual participation is being conducted through the Zoom format. The meeting locations for the in-person hearings/meetings can be found here: https://www.coastal.ca.gov/meetings/mtgdates.html.
NOTE ON SOME AGENDA ITEMS REGARDING ENFORCEMENT. The following note, or a similar note, is attached to some agenda items to inform the public, interested parties, and Commissioners that there is an open enforcement case associated with the item or site: “(NOTE: The Commission’s enforcement division has opened an investigation into potential Coastal Act violations associated with this item or site, as is explained further in the staff report.)” This note is not necessarily attached to every item that has an associated violation. Accordingly, the absence of such a note on an agenda item should not be treated as indicative of the absence of a Coastal Act violation(s) on the site.
PUBLIC & ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS. Some public records for agenda items are posted as part of the correspondence or exhibits associated with an item on the Commission’s agenda. Please email the appropriate district office if you have additional document requests related to an item on the Commission’s agenda, and staff will make every effort to provide you with copies of the documents that you seek.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCEDURES For more detailed guidance on how to participate at our monthly public hearings, submit a public comment, or tune-in via Zoom, refer to the Public Participation Procedures document. Si desea más información sobre cómo participar en audiencias públicas en español, consulte el documento sobre procedimientos de participación en audiencias.
PUBLIC STATEMENTS ABOUT ITEMS NOT ON THIS AGENDA (GENERAL PUBLIC COMMENT). Public comments that are not related to any of the items specifically listed on the agenda will be heard at approximately 9:00 am, for no more than one hour, during General Public Comment. At the discretion of the Chair, speakers may be given up to 2 minutes. If you wish to speak during general public comment, please submit a request to speak, using the procedures outlined in the detailed Public Participation Procedures document. Note: For general public comment, you may speak on a specific topic one time only each month. If you are participating virtually, please submit your speaker request by 5:00 pm the day before the hearing to assist with meeting management sign up. Virtual speaker requests will not be accepted after 9:00 am on each day of the meeting. If you are participating in-person, please submit your speaker request at the meeting location by 9:00 am on the day of the meeting.
PUBLIC STATEMENTS ABOUT ITEMS ON THIS AGENDA. If you are participating virtually or in-person and wish to speak about a specific agenda item, please see our detailed instructions on how to participate using the procedures outlined in the detailed Public Participation Procedures document.
If you wish to participate in-person, we recommend you complete and submit a “Request to Speak” form online. You also have the option to complete one at the meeting location. Speaker slips will be available at the front desk near the meeting room. Please note: Speaker slips must be completed and accepted prior to the agenda item being heard. Generally, and at the discretion of the Chair, speakers are limited to 2-3 minutes.
SPANISH INTERPRETATION SERVICES. The Commission offers free interpretation services during monthly hearings through the Spanish Program. To use this service, please send an email the Friday before the Commission hearing to SpanishProgram@coastal.ca.gov with the following information:
Additionally, please register online or in-person to give a public comment to the Commission (for registration instructions, please refer to the Public Participation Procedures document.) If you have questions about our Spanish Program, please email us at SpanishProgram@coastal.ca.gov. Para cualquier pregunta, favor de escribirnos a SpanishProgram@coastal.ca.gov.
SUBMISSION OF WRITTEN MATERIALS. Members of the public can submit comments electronically for consideration by clicking on the “Submit Comment” button associated with any of the items on the online agenda, found here: Online Agenda. Members of the public may also submit comments by mail, addressed to the appropriate district office. To ensure distribution to the Coastal Commission prior to consideration of the item on the agenda, please submit comments prior to 5:00 pm the Friday before the Coastal Commission meeting – if sending comments by mail, please ensure that these comments are received in the appropriate district office by this deadline. Those comments will be posted online and distributed to the Coastal Commission. (Because these comments will be posted online, please consider closely the personal information (email address, phone number) provided in such comments.) Commission staff will attempt to distribute to the Coastal Commission comments made or received after 5:00 P.M. the Friday before the hearing, and staff may be unable to post those comments online.
WHEN WILL MY AGENDA ITEM BE HEARD? It is not possible to predict how quickly the Commission will complete agenda items or how many will be postponed to a later date. The Commission begins each session at the time listed on the Meeting Notice and usually considers each item in the sequence listed. The Commission may consider an item even though interested persons are not present.
VISUAL PRESENTATIONS/MATERIALS. Please refer to the detailed Public Participation Procedures for instructions on how to submit a PowerPoint or other visual presentation materials. See section “Submitting Presentations, Videos, and Other Materials for Public Comment.
ADDENDUM. After a staff report is published, Coastal Commission staff may decide that an addendum may be needed to add additional information, make corrections, and/or address concerns raised by the applicant or other members of the public. This document is called an Addendum, and it is considered part of the staff recommendations and findings.
ADMINISTRATIVE PERMIT APPLICATIONS. If a person objects to issuance of an administrative permit or permit conditions, that person is allowed to request removal of the application from the administrative calendar. If four or more Commissioners vote to remove an item from this calendar, the administrative approval is revoked, and the application will be scheduled for action at a later meeting.
CONSENT CALENDAR. The time limit shall be determined by the Chair. Public comment may be taken. It takes 3 or more Commissioners to remove a permit application item from the consent calendar, in which case it will be scheduled for further hearing & action. It requires one Commissioner to cause removal of other types of items from the consent calendar. Items originally placed on the regular calendar may be restored to the regular calendar for hearing at the same meeting. Items originally placed on the consent calendar and removed may require hearing at a later meeting.
COASTAL PERMIT APPLICATIONS. The Commission may vote at the conclusion of the public hearing, or it may continue the matter to a subsequent meeting. Time limits are determined by the Chair. The applicant may reserve some time for rebuttal after the opponents speak.
CONSENT CALENDAR. Public comment may be taken. The time limit shall be determined by the Chair. It takes 3 or more Commissioners to remove a permit application item from the consent calendar, in which case it will be scheduled for further hearing & action. It requires one Commissioner to cause removal of other types of items from the consent calendar. Items originally placed on the regular calendar may be restored to the regular calendar for hearing at the same meeting. Items originally placed on the consent calendar and removed may require hearing at a later meeting. Items on the consent calendar are voted on together, with a single vote serving to follow the staff recommendation for all items. There is one vote for the Consent Calendar and one vote for Consent Calendar (removed from Regular Calendar).
CONSOLIDATED COASTAL DEVELOPMENT PERMIT. Typically, a development project will require a single coastal development permit. However, if the project location falls within the Commission’s jurisdiction as well as one or more local governments (i.e., city, county, state) that have their own certified Local Coastal Program (LCP), the applicant would need to obtain a coastal development permit from the Commission as well as a coastal development permit from the relevant local government(s). Instead, for efficiency, the applicant, the Commission and the local government(s) can agree that the project will be reviewed only by the Commission for consistency with the Chapter 3 policies of the Coastal Act.
CORRESPONDENCE. Any communication materials, including emails, filing letters, and mail, received by the Commission in relation to an upcoming project. Correspondence is maintained with the project record and posted to the online agenda items for transparency and will be available to the public. (Because this correspondence is posted online, please consider closely the personal information (email address, phone number) provided in such correspondence.)
DE MINIMIS WAIVER. Coastal Act section 30624.7 authorizes the Executive Director of the Coastal Commission to waive the requirement of obtaining a coastal development permit for projects which he or she determines has no potential to negatively impact coastal resources and is consistent with the coastal resource protection policies of Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act. The determination is reported to the Commission at its next meeting in the appropriate district’s Deputy Director Report (DDR) for the Commission’s concurrence (agreement). If four or more appointed members of the Commission object to the waiver, then the waiver is not effective, and a coastal development permit will be required.
DE NOVO HEARING. When the Commission determines that the appeal of the decision of the local government raises substantial issues of consistency with the Local Coastal Program (or Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act when appropriate), the Commission will review the entire project and make its own determinations as to the project’s consistency with the Local Coastal Program (or Chapter 3 of the Coastal Act when appropriate) and either deny, approve or conditionally approve the project.
ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS. Public hearing and action on proposed Cease and Desist Orders, Restoration Orders, Administrative Penalties, and recordation of Notices of Violation. For more information about the Enforcement Program and Coastal Act violations, see the website here.
EXHIBITS. Exhibits are figures, maps, and other materials associated with an agenda item, such as a Coastal Development Permit application for a development project. Exhibits are usually referenced in a staff report.
FEDERAL CONSISTENCY. The Federal Consistency Unit of the California Coastal Commission implements the federal Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 as it applies to federal activities, development projects, permits and licenses, and support to state and local governments. In the CZMA, Congress created a federal and state partnership for management of coastal resources. The review process used to implement this requirement is called a consistency determination for federal agency activities and development projects, and a consistency certification for federal permits and licenses, and/or federal support (i.e. funding) to state and local agencies. The enforceable policies of that document are Chapter 3 of the California Coastal Act of 1976. All consistency documents are reviewed for consistency with these policies. The Commission’s goal is to use the federal consistency process to provide open communication and coordination with federal agencies and applicants and provide the public with an opportunity to participate in the process. For more information about Federal Consistency, please refer to the webpage here.
REVISED FINDINGS. Public hearing and vote to approve findings for a previous Commission action. The only issue before the Commission is whether the findings adequately support the previous Commission action. The hearing is not to reargue the merits of the prior action. Only the Commissioners who were on the prevailing side of the prior action may vote on the Revised Findings.
LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAMS (LCPs). Local Coastal Programs or LCPs consist of a Land Use Plan (LUP) and Implementation Plan (IP) that are prepared by local governments and provide the standards for issuing coastal development permits after the certification of such programs by the Commission. Copies of LCP reports are available on request from the Commission office.
NEW APPEALS. . This agenda item requires an initial determination of whether the appeal raises a “substantial issue” and does not always include the de novo phase of the public hearing on the merits of the project.
When staff recommends “substantial issue,” a public hearing on the question of substantial issue will only be held if three or more Commissioners ask for it. If three Commissioners do not request a hearing on “substantial issue” the matter automatically proceeds to the de novo portion of the public hearing, either at this, or a later, Commission meeting. If staff recommends “no substantial issue,” public testimony will be taken only on the question whether the appeal raises a “substantial issue.” Only the applicant, appellants, persons who opposed the application before the local government, and the local government (or representatives of these) shall be qualified to testify during this phase of the hearing. Others may submit comments in writing. Generally, and at the discretion of the Chair, testimony is limited to 3 minutes total per side.
If the Commission finds “substantial issue” and there is no staff recommendation on the merits of the project, the de novo portion of the hearing will be scheduled for a subsequent meeting.
PERMIT AMENDMENTS or EXTENSIONS. Public hearing and action on requests to amend or extend permits previously issued by the Commission.
RECONSIDERATIONS. Public hearing and action to reconsider previous actions.
STAFF REPORT. Commission staff review permit applications, Local Coastal Program elements (Land Use Plans (LUPs) and Implementation Plans (IPs), amendments to Local Coastal Program elements and other matters impacting planning and development in the coastal zone for consistency with the California Coastal Act, then compile a staff report for public and Commissioner review, and recommend approval, conditional approval or denial of the proposal. A written staff report is available for most items on the agenda. At the end of the agenda description the author's initials and a code indicating their district office are identified (A=Arcata, SF=San Francisco, SC=Santa Cruz, V=Ventura, LB=Long Beach, SD=San Diego). Staff reports are usually distributed at least 10 days before the meeting. Staff reports for any item on this Meeting Notice are generally available on the Commission's website. Paper copies are also available upon request.
WAIVER. Coastal Act section 30610 contains a list of types of development that do not require coastal development permits unless they are described in the Commission’s regulations sections 13250(b) and 13252(a) as development requiring a permit. The Executive Director may waive such permitting requirements, however, if the impact of the proposed development on coastal resources or access will be insignificant. (14 CCR 13250(c) and 13252(c)). These waiver determinations are reported to the Commission in the appropriate district’s Deputy Director Report (DDR) for Commission concurrence/agreement. If three or more Commissioners object to the waiver, the waiver is not effective, and the project will require a coastal development permit.
