Meeting Overview
The Coastal Commission met in Pismo Beach from July 9-11. Highlights focused primarily on public comment, enforcement, and restoration opportunities. One voting chart item involved the Commission approving the removal of unpermitted bluff development at a blufftop home in Carlsbad.
Issues voted on at this meeting:
Commission requires Carlsbad beachfront homeowner to remove unpermitted retaining walls and grading in their blufftop, beach-facing backyard.
Other Discussions
Sable Offshore enforcement
Public comment on Wednesday, July 9 centered on Sable Offshore’s unpermitted pipeline work off Santa Barbara County. Despite a prior $18 million fine and cease-and-desist order issued in April, Sable continued maintenance activities without a Coastal Development Permit. Commissioners reaffirmed that no restart of the pipeline can occur without a full permit process and environmental review, citing both ecological and public safety risks. Public testimony overwhelmingly opposed Sable’s efforts, urging the Commission to enforce strict accountability.
Asilomar Dunes enforcement and restoration
One of the standout moments from the July meeting took place during the Enforcement report. Staff relayed success stories related to dune habitat protection in the Asilomar Dune Complex located in Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach, Monterey County. Property owners had been required (by their earlier Coastal Development Permits) to maintain or restore native dune vegetation. But in many cases, those conditions were ignored. In Pacific Grove, invasive ice plant spread across lots that should have been restored; in Pebble Beach, a home parcel once turned into a small golf course overtook dune habitat.
After notices of violation and enforcement pressure, owners began removing ice plant and replanting with native species including daisies, lupins, and buckwheat. Some land that had been heavily overrun has been cleaned up. Seedbanks of native plants are reactivating once the invasive cover is removed.
The Monterey Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) submitted public comments applauding the restoration and emphasizing how the dune ecosystems there support extremely rare plants and are visually and biologically special.
Surfrider Foundation’s Santa Cruz Chapter likewise supported the enforcement and restoration, especially applauding the reinstatement of public access at Five-Mile/Piggy Beach, and stressing that coastal dunes, wetlands, and bluffs are frontline defenses in climate resilience.
Dune ecosystems do more than just look beautiful. They provide unique habitat (including for endangered species, such as the Smith’s blue butterfly, black-legless lizards, and other incredible creatures.), buffer against storm surge and erosion, help with sand supply, and are crucial in the face of sea level rise. When permits include conditions for restoration, ignoring them can degrade not just one lot, but the whole dune complex. This effort by Coastal Commission staff rewards all California residents and visitors with enhanced access and greater resilience to sea level rise.