The Commission publishes annual Year in Review reports to highlight key accomplishments, major projects, and program milestones across the agency. This page contains the agency-wide Year in Review reports, which offers a clear look at the Commission’s ongoing work to protect and enhance California’s coast.
In addition to these annual reports, you’ll also find key metrics and performance highlights that provide a snapshot of our progress over time, as well as a link to the Environmental Justice Program Year in Review reports. Together, these resources offer a transparent and accessible overview of the Commission’s efforts, achievements, and evolving priorities year after year.
Joshua Smith
Every year, the California Coastal Commission approves hundreds of new development proposals, working closely with applicants to ensure projects, where applicable, contain protections for natural habitats and public access to the shoreline. This includes issuing Coastal Development Permits (CDPs) and permit waivers, as well as amendments to Local Coastal Programs (LCPs). It also involves the review of projects proposed by the federal government or federally regulated activities such as offshore oil and offshore wind development. Here.
Every year the California Coastal Commission issues hundreds of Coastal Development Permits (CDPs) and processes dozens of amendments for Local Coastal Programs (LCPs) and other planning documents. The agency also enforces public access and natural resource protections, reviews federal projects and produces numerous reports and guidance memos. The full Key Metrics Report 2024 can be viewed here, or click here to view a summary.
The agency cleared the way for nearly 1,000 units of new housing, many of which included value-added conditions to address flooding and erosion hazards, preserve threatened habitats, promote environmental justice and protect shoreline access. The agency also continued to support coastal accessibility by approving new local regulations for short-term vacation rentals and supporting lower-cost rooms in hotel projects Learn More.
2023 marked the beginning of the second half-century of coastal protection in Californiasince the passage of Proposition 20 created the Coastal Commission in 1972. With fewexceptions, California’s landmark coastal protection law has remained strong through five decades of implementation, interpretation, and legal challenge. Learn More.
2022 was the year when we collectively decided it was finally time to get back in the water. After a 24-month hiatus from public hearings, the Coastal Commission resumed in-person meetings in April, reuniting Commissioners, staff, and the general public at the Ventura County Government Center. Learn More.
The 21st year of the 21st Century was extraordinary in the extreme, ushered in by a violent insurrection in our Nation’s Capital, and concluding with the new Omicron variant reminding us all that pandemic-life will be continuing into the New Year, regardless of vaccine status. In California, the 2021 culture wars crystallized in the form of a spectacularly failed bid to recall Governor Newsom; the Commission saw an unprecedented number of bills seeking to eliminate its authority over specified types of projects; and an October oil spill off of Newport Beach slicked the waters and fouled the beaches from Ventura to San Diego. Learn More.
If you would rather not spend much time re-living 2020, you’re not alone. Who could have known the new decade would usher in a global pandemic claiming hundreds of thousands of American lives, throwing millions out of work and devastating California’s robust economy? Three months into the year, the Commission’s Chair tested positive for COVID-19, after experiencing symptoms at the March meeting. Overnight, Commission offices were closed, site visits were cancelled, and staff and Commissioners were advised to self-quarantine for 14 days. Learn More.
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. Learn More.
2016 was a historic year for the California Coastal Commission and the California coast. In keeping with the spirit of the country’s flagship coastal management law, the California Coastal Act, on its 40th anniversary, the Commission found numerous opportunities throughout the year to implement coastal protection policies in bold and creative new ways. From advancing women’s equity in big wave surf contests, to levying the agency’s first administrative fines for public access violations. Learn more
The past year brought major successes to the protection of California’s coast and the legacy of the California Coastal Act, a visionary law signed by Governor Jerry Brown in his first term nearly 40 years ago. The Coastal Commission protected sensitive coastal and marine resources from Crescent City to San Diego, and defended the public’s right to access and share in Californian’s amazing coastline, while approving most of the developments that it reviewed. Learn more
The California Coastal Commission adopted its Environmental Justice Policy and related implementation actions in March 2019. Since then, it has published annual reports documenting its progress in carrying out the policy. To view the reports, please click here.
