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Public access to the beach is so deeply tied to who we are as Californians that it’s hard to imagine a time when it wasn’t guaranteed. When developers once tried to fence off parts of the coast, Californians pushed back and built the strongest coastal protections in the nation.
Proposition 20—the “People’s Initiative” of 1972, which created the California Coastal Commission—was a defining moment in shaping how we protect our coastline. It cemented California’s identity as a state that values open beaches, thriving wildlife and responsible development. Keeping our coast accessible to everyone while balancing preservation and progress remains one of our greatest challenges.
Before my appointment to the Coastal Commission, I had no idea how much work went into defending those protections every single day. As a city official in a beach town, I often heard people grumble about the commission. But after seeing the work up close, I have realized that most frustrations come from not fully understanding what the agency actually does.
LOCAL CONTROL MATTERS
The Coastal Commission is not a faraway bureaucracy calling all the shots. About 80% of coastal development permits are handled locally by cities and counties that know their communities best. The process can feel slow (we’re always looking for efficiencies), but that is what ensures decisions are fair, transparent and consistent up and down the coast.
PUBLIC ACCESS IS EVERYTHING
Having grown up in Florida, I have seen how quickly beaches can become off-limits once private interests move in. In California, the commission’s enforcement team works tirelessly to keep our beaches open to all. It investigates complaints, takes legal action when needed and protects everyone’s right to enjoy the ocean, especially people from inland communities who might otherwise be left out.

COASTAL EROSION IS REAL

Anyone who spends time on the coast can see it: Our beaches are shrinking. Through sand replenishment, dune restoration and other nature-based projects, the commission helps local governments slow erosion and plan ahead. Millions of dollars in grants support research on where shoreline armoring makes sense and where retreat might allow beaches to move inland as sea levels rise.

These efforts are not just about policy; they are about protecting what makes California, California. Our ocean-based economy brings in more than $40 billion a year, and that success did not happen by accident. It is the result of generations who believed our coastline should remain public and protected.

Serving on the Coastal Commission has given me a new appreciation for that legacy. Protecting our coast is not just environmental policy; it is a promise to future generations. In California, the beach belongs to everyone. Keeping it that way will always be worth the effort.

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The Trump administration announced an immediate pause on the leases for five large-scale offshore wind farms off the East Coast. The Interior Department provided few details, but said the Pentagon believed the turbines could obscure and confuse radar signals. It's the latest move by the White House taking aim at wind power. Science correspondent Miles O’Brien has been tracking these projects.
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Local naturalist Rob Fowler caught a pretty spectacular sight on Humboldt Bay this afternoon. He was able to grab some video of it, and he was kind enough to share that video with us.
Here, let him tell the story:
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And a quick update: Rob Fowler, local naturalist and orca-sighter, forwards us some correspondence he had with Alisa Schulman-Janiger of the California Killer Whale Project over the weekend, in which Schulman-Janiger puts names to dorsal fins.

The highest King Tides of the year arrived in Humboldt County this week, offering both a spectacle and a warning.
Unlike waves or swell, which are wind-driven, tides are the daily rise and fall of the ocean, created by the gravitational pull of the moon and sun. They become “King” tides when the sun, moon, and Earth align as the moon reaches its closest point to Earth. This amplifies gravitational pull, creating extra-high high tides and extra-low low tides.
But this week’s King Tides are not just a meteorological phenomenon. They flood roadways and beaches in real time and offer a preview of the new normal as sea level rises. Think of them as a weather forecast — telling us what’s happening today and what we can expect a decade from now, or sooner. That’s why the California King Tides Project exists, to document what the future will bring. You can still participate during next month’s King Tides on Jan. 2 and Jan. 3.This watery future will affect everyone with a connection to the coast. Surfers. People who find restoration in a beach stroll, maybe with their dog cavorting alongside. People whose ancestors stretch back to time immemorial and people who arrived during the COVID boom. Anyone who drives U.S. Highway 101 or State Route 255 or Old Navy Base Road. Residents of King Salmon, Fields Landing, the Eel River Valley, or anywhere at or below sea level. People who visit pocket beaches like Luffenholz or Guthrie Creek, tide pool at Baker Beach, hike the Lost Coast, post up at Shelter Cove. Anyone who likes to drink clean water, catch fish Humboldt Bay, eat local oysters. And, of course, city and county Public Works staff, elected officials, tourism promoters, coastal developers, state regulators, transportation planners. As a coastal county, our fortunes are inextricably tied to the future of our coast.
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At the United Nations climate summit in Brazil, Gov. Gavin Newsom emphasized California’s role as the world’s fourth-largest economy and touted the state’s leadership in artificial intelligence, saying the state “dominates” in AI while stressing that he is “deeply mindful” of the energy and water implications of technological innovation and entrepreneurial growth.
But his record tells a more complicated story when it comes to addressing the environmental effects of AI expansion.
Just last month, Assembly Bill 93, which would have required data centers to report both projected and actual annual water use to their local water suppliers, was passed by the Legislature but vetoed by Newsom, who at the time said he was “reluctant to impose rigid reporting requirements about operational details ... without understanding the full impact on the businesses and the consumers of their technology.”
Sean Bothwell, executive director of California Coastkeeper Alliance, who worked closely with Assemblymember Diane Papan, D–San Mateo, on drafting the bill, said he was “incredibly surprised” by the veto, calling it a missed opportunity for California to get ahead of the growing water demands of AI infrastructure.
“That bill was really a transparency bill. There weren’t a lot of onerous requirements, and it was really just to lay the foundation so we knew the water demand that AI centers were using,” Bothwell said.
“It just confirmed my concerns throughout his governorship — that the image of being pro-tech is more important than preserving our water supply.”
In a recent study conducted by researchers at UC Riverside, the authors found that in just the past few years, data centers in California have seen sharp increases in resource use, with electricity consumption rising by about 95%, carbon emissions nearly doubling and water use climbing roughly 96% — from 25.42 billion liters to 49.91 billion liters — between 2019 and 2023. As demand continues to grow, the researchers warn that the resulting strain on the grid could drive up additional air pollution and related health consequences, especially when fossil fuel plants are needed to meet peak power needs.
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More Articles …

  1. ‘King tides’ to impact the North Coast this week
  2. Local Environmental Groups Urge Community to ‘Fight Like Hell’ Against Trump’s Plan to Expand Offshore Oil Drilling to West Coast
  3. Throwback Thursday: How the North Coast fought feds’ offshore plans
  4. Shoreline encroachment and upcoming king tides threaten Coast Guard Station's water line; Water district starts emergency pipeline relocation

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