Meeting Overview
The Coastal Commission met in Ventura on March 10 and 11 for a compact but action-packed two-day meeting.
The Commission approved their Nature-Based Adaptation Strategies Guidance on Wednesday morning, earning a Pro-Coast vote. Ventura was a fitting location — it’s home to Surfer's Point, perhaps the state’s finest example of harnessing the power of nature to restore a once-threatened beach.
Sadly, the Commission also racked up an Anti-Coast vote for approving Ventura County's Sea Level Rise and Coastal Hazard LCP Amendment. While the majority of the language mirrors the protective framework of the Coastal Act itself, it also includes several unwarranted carveouts giving special protections to beach-killing shoreline armoring along the Ventura coast. Lastly on Wednesday, the Commission approved a new home development at a highly hazardous location on Beach Road in Dana Point. Because they held the line on a strong suite of legally enforceable special conditions to ensure the home neither armors nor encroaches upon public tidelands, the Commission earned a Pro-Coast vote.
On Thursday, the Commission earned a final Pro-Coast vote via approval of a Consent Enforcement Agreement to protect the critically endangered Pacific Pocket Mouse’s small remaining population at the Dana Point Preserve. The agreement centers on interim reduced hours at the public coastal trail. ActCoastal scrutinizes any and all reductions in public coastal access. However, we firmly supported the enforcement agreement because the species' survival hung in the balance.
Issues voted on at this meeting:
The Commission approved a consent enforcement agreement with the Center of Natural Lands Management (CNLM), who manage the Dana Point Preserve which includes a popular public access trail with coastal views along the headlands. The agreement centered on an immediate, interim trail hour reduction in order to protect the federally endangered Pacific Pocket Mouse population from dwindling towards extinction.
The Commission approved a coastal development permit for a new 2,710 sq. ft. residence on a highly vulnerable, oceanfront lot on Beach Road in Dana Point. This home is the latest in a string of new home builds on Beach Rd. that were approved locally, appealed by Commissioners, then subject to a much stronger framework of special conditions by the Commission.
The Commission unanimously approved a major coastal hazards and sea level rise LCP amendment from Ventura County, modernizing an LCP originally certified in 1983. While much of the protective language aligns with the Coastal Act, it also included unnecessary carvouts for continued reliance on beach-killing seawalls for existing (and and even new, in some cases) structures on the coast.
The Commissioners unanimously approved this important new guidance document designed to help the Commission, local governments, and anyone subject to the Coastal Act improve resiliency throughout the coastal zone.
Other Discussions
Executive Director’s Report
Director Huckelbridge’s ED reports are fast becoming a morning highlight, featuring both a program and public access presentation as part of the Commission’s ongoing celebration of the Coastal Act’s 50th anniversary. Huckelbridge also reported out her participation in the California Natural Resources Agency Speaker Series to reflect on 50 years of Commission coastal stewardship. This dynamic conversation, hosted by California Secretary of Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot, included the leaders of two ActCoastal coalition member organizations - Susan Jordan from the California Coastal Protection Network, and Marce Gutiérrez-Graudiņš of Azul.
You can view the full panel discussion below or on Youtube by clicking the video.
Huckelbridge also announced the Commission's recently published 2025 Key Metrics report, compiling and breaking down by district the total number of CDPs, permit waivers, LCP amendments, appeals, and emergency permits. The headline numbers are striking: the Commission denied only one CDP in all of 2025, just 3.4% of locally-approved CDPs were appealed, and the average time from application submission to hearing was only 47 days.
Outgoing Ecology Manager Dr. Jonna Engel presented this month’s program spotlight on the Commission’s 50 years of protecting sensitive coastal habitat. It was a fitting but bittersweet final presentation for Dr. Engel, who highlighted the Commission’s incredible achievements in habitat protection before Dr. Huckelbridge announced her retirement later in her report.
Public Access Manager Linda Locklin highlighted public access amenities the Commission required 23 years ago as part of a large residential subdivision at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, including an ADA-accessible three-mile waterfront pathway, small parks, and free public parking. Give it a like!
Legislative Report
Legislative Manager Sean Drake included a summary of AB 1740 (Zbur) in his report, which would significantly reduce Coastal Act protections for both public access and coastal resources. He noted staff’s concerns with the bill and promised a more detailed summary in the April leg report, after Commission staff have had a chance to meet with the author to discuss concerns. ActCoastal members have rallied in opposition to the bill - Surfrider’s Mitch Silverstein underscored those concerns during public testimony after Drake’s report, handing out a legislative briefer prepared in consultation with the California Coastal Protection Network and Azul. The comment precipitated a lively exchange among the Commissioners; you can watch Silverstein’s comment and the ensuing exchange below. Read our AB 1741 briefer HERE - please share widely.