December 2019 Hearing Description

The Coastal Commission’s December hearing took place in Calabasas at the King Gillette Ranch on Wednesday, Dec. 11 through Friday, Dec. 13. The agenda was slightly lighter than usual with one key controversial item on Thursday. The Commission approved an after-the-fact coastal development permit for the construction and operation of the Shore Hotel in Santa Monica. The meeting resulted in one vote chart.

The Shore Hotel’s proposed permit passed in a 7-5 vote with changes after negotiation with the applicant from the dias. While the final conditions agreed upon were a vast improvement from what the Shore Hotel had proposed, Commissioners could have sent a stronger message to current and future Coastal Act violators by denying the Shore Hotel’s proposal and requiring them to cease operating or to provide 100 percent of the lost low-cost hotel rooms on site. Read the full vote chart for more information. Watch ActCoastal partners testify on this item on our YouTube channel, here.

ActCoastal partners also gave public comment on two important items. Susan Jordan, Executive Director of the California Coastal Protection Network, presented an update to the Commission regarding the latest efforts to restore public access to Hollister Ranch HOA. Watch her testimony on the ActCoastal YouTube channel, here.

During the public comment portion of Friday’s monthly sea level rise presentation, Mandy Sackett, California Policy Coordinator with the Surfrider Foundation, presented an overview of the Coastal Commission’s decisions with regard to sea level rise adaptation in 2019, noting the Commission made several progressive decisions in favor of coastal preservation. Surfrider also highlighted the Legislative Analyst Office’s recently released report, Preparing for Rising Seas: How the State Can Help Support Local Coastal Adaptation Efforts and its recommendation that the state legislature do more to help local governments expedite sea level rise planning and adaptation. Watch her presentation on the ActCoastal YouTube channel, here.