2026-2030 Strategic Plan

The Commission unanimously approved the agency's next 5-year Strategic Plan with support from coastal advocates including ActCoastal members Surfrider and Salted Roots.

What's In The Plan

The Strategic Plan takes a more accessible approach than its predecessors—15 pages versus the previous 40-60 page documents. The plan organizes around 5 core goals, each with 2-4 objectives and specific implementing actions. Equity and resilience are woven throughout to address barriers faced by communities who have historically been excluded from coastal access and decision-making.

‍Surfrider's Contributions

ActCoastal appreciates the Commission's receptivity to public input. Key additions based on Surfrider's comments include:

• Increasing supply of lower-cost accommodations - Modified language to encourage creating new lower-cost coastal overnight accommodations, not just promoting existing ones. Surfrider cited long waits for San Diego County State Beach campgrounds as an example of this capacity crunch, while applauding State Parks' work to add tent camping at Silver Strand State Beach—currently limited to RVs only.
• Breaking down barriers to access - Added Action 1.3.6 to support coastal access and recreation opportunities that are inclusive and foster welcoming beach environments. While existing language addressed tribal access and education, there was no specific action targeting economic barriers (excessive parking fees, exclusionary permits) or the cultural and social barriers that make beaches unwelcoming to BIPOC and other underrepresented communities.
• Preparing for managed retreat - Updated Action 2.3.4 to explicitly call out nature-based adaptation, voluntary property buyout programs, and managed retreat as sea level rise strategies. As sea level rise accelerates, the time is now to lay groundwork for the managed retreat and voluntary buyout programs that will be necessary to save our beaches in areas where private property fronts the coast.

The Commission also made numerous other refinements based on public input from Salted Roots, Heal the Bay, Native American Tribes, and others. These include expanded protections for tribal cultural and ecological resources, stronger commitments to nature-based adaptation, and new actions supporting sustainable fisheries and agricultural practices. Changes are detailed in the Staff Report, linked below. 

ActCoastal looks forward to tracking the Commission's progress on these commitments over the next five years.

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The Commission's 2026-2030 Strategic Plan lays out an ambitious vision to ensure coastal access for all, plan for resilient communities, improve public engagement, protect coastal resources, and build organizational capacity. The emphasis on equity and access, coupled with protecting coastal resources in the face of rising sea levels, directly advances ActCoastal's work to preserve the California coast for all people.

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