In recent years, the California Legislature has adopted a variety of new policies to encourage more affordable homes, reduce residential segregation, and fight climate change. Unfortunately, the California Coastal Commission has often undermined or ignored the adopted policy direction of the Legislature, and it needs reform.
This report documents numerous examples where the Coastal Commission has resisted, opposed, and delayed the construction of deed-restricted affordable homes that use programs like Density Bonus Law. This is even true for projects on land that is already zoned for multi-family housing, in plans already approved by the Coastal Commission itself.
This report recommends the following reforms for the Coastal Commission:
- Amend Density Bonus Law to require its implementation by the Coastal Commission, as proposed in AB 2560 (2024).
- Remove or narrow the special exemptions that keep housing reforms from applying to the coast.
- Mandate procedural reforms at the Coastal Commission.
- Apply transportation and climate policy to the Coastal Zone.
- Avoid creating, or narrowly draw, coastal exemptions to new housing legislation.
- Look skeptically on Coastal Commission requests for more authority.
Thank you to our Lunch and Learn Co-Sponsors: Abundant Housing LA, Bay Area Council, and SPUR.
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