California Coastal Commission

California Coastal Commission
California Coastal Commission Logo
Agency overview
Formed1972; 52 years ago (1972)
JurisdictionCalifornia
HeadquartersSan Francisco
Employees164 (2021)
Annual budget$33 million (2021)
Agency executive
  • Kate Huckelbridge, Executive Director[2]
Parent agencyCalifornia Natural Resources Agency
Websitecoastal.ca.gov
Footnotes
[1]

The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state's 1,100 miles (1,800 km) of coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is "to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline".

Protection of coastal resources includes shoreline public access and recreation, lower cost visitor accommodations, terrestrial and marine habitat protection, visual resources, and regulation of agricultural lands, commercial fisheries, and industrial infrastructure. By regulating land use within a defined coastal zone extending inland from 3,000 ft (910 m) up to 5 mi (8.0 km), it has the authority to control construction of any type, including buildings, housing, roads, as well as fire and erosion abatement structures, and can issue fines for unapproved construction. It has been called the single most powerful land-use authority in the United States due to its purview over vast environmental assets and extremely valuable real estate.

Critics say that the CCC has exceeded its mission, as well as exacerbated California's housing shortage by limiting housing supply in some of the state's most affluent areas, and harmed the environment by defending parking infrastructure, blocking public transit and scuttling dense housing development, while proponents say that the Commission has protected open space, views, habitats, endangered species, and public coastal access.

  1. ^ "2021-22 Governor's Budget, 3720 California Coastal Commission". State of California Department of Finance. January 2021. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Tallal, Jimy (February 16, 2023). "California Coastal Commission has first female executive director". The Malibu Times. Retrieved February 17, 2023.