The California Coast’s land use is regulated by various Government Agencies some of which are included in this post with an accent on Santa Barbara with information plus links from the City of Santa Barbara’s website. Click “Read More” below for more information.

The CALIFORNIA COASTAL CONSERVANCY (CSCC, SCC) is a non-regulatory state agency in California established in 1976 to enhance coastal resources and public access to the coast. The CSCC is a department of the California Natural Resources Agency.^[1] The agency’s work is conducted along the entirety of the California coast, including the interior of San Francisco Bay, and is responsible for the planning and coordination of federal land sales to acquire state land as well as award grant funding for improvement projects.^[2] The Board of Directors for the agency is made up of seven members who are appointed by the Governor of California and approved by the California Legislature, members of the California State Assembly and California State Senate engage and provide oversight within their legislative capacity. Source: Wikipedia

The CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSION (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state’s 1,100 miles (1,800 km) coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is “to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline”.^[2][3]

Protection of coastal resources includes shoreline public access and recreation, lower-cost visitor accommodations, terrestrial and marine habitat protection, visual resources, and regulation of agricultural lands, commercial fisheries, and industrial infrastructure. By regulating land use within a defined coastal zone extending inland from 3,000 ft (910 m) up to 5 mi (8.0 km), it has the authority to control the construction of any type, including buildings, housing, roads, as well as fire and erosion abatement structures, and can issue fines for unapproved construction. It has been called the single most powerful land-use authority in the United States due to its purview over vast environmental assets and extremely valuable real estate.

Property rights activists and real estate developers say that the CCC has exceeded its mission, violated the property rights of citizens, and worsened California’s housing shortage by limiting the housing supply. Environmentalists, on the other hand, say that the Commission has protected open space, views, habitats, and public coastal access. Source: Wikipedia

CITY OF SANTA BARBARA LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM

SANTA BARABARA’S LOCAL COASTAL PROGRAM

The California Coastal Act of 1976 (Coastal Act) establishes goals and provisions for a designated Coastal Zone along the entire California coastline. Within the City of Santa Barbara, the Coastal Zone generally extends inland half a mile from the ocean and includes about six miles of the City’s shoreline. Approximately 70% of the City’s Coastal Zone is held in public ownership, including numerous beaches and parks, an extensive public waterfront, and a full working harbor.

Development in the Coastal Zone is reviewed for compliance with the City’s Local Coastal Program and the Coastal Act. For more information click the link below the image above.