To supporters, the California Coastal Commission is a protector of coastal resources from unchecked development. To critics, it adds unnecessary bureaucracy.
For more than 50 years, the California Coastal Commission has been tasked with protecting the state's coastline from unchecked development. But critics say the commission has gotten too powerful and is working against the state's housing and climate goals. KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen says there's a growing appetite for reform in the state legislature.
But a growing chorus of critics argues the commission is undermining the state's housing and climate goals. Even in the coastal zone's most urbanized areas, new apartment buildings and improvements to bike and public transit infrastructure can face lengthy and expensive review timelines with no guarantee of approval."There's really a perception right now that the Coastal Commission is stopping us from being able to handle and address urgent problems," said state Sen.
But SB 689 does not cover projects that replace vehicular lanes with bus-only lanes, pedestrian promenades or parkways that enable tree planting. It also does not streamline any project that reduces street parking.Blakespear said she intentionally limited the bill's scope to win over the commission's support.
The Coastal Commission's sway over the legislature will be put to the test by several other bills introduced this year that don't have the agency's support.from Sen. Scott Wiener would carve out urbanized San Francisco from the coastal zone. The commission opposes the bill., which would streamline most accessory dwelling units in the coastal zone, and SB 1092, which would put new limits on the commission's appeals process.
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