A California Chamber of Commerce-opposed bill that bans business from communicating with members of the Coastal Commission on issues before the Commission passed the Senate this week. SB 1190 (Jackson; D-Santa Barbara) also severely limits the ability of commissioners to communicate with their staff. Background The California Coastal Commission is responsible for land use and permitting decisions along the 1,100-mile California coastline. Among other things, the Commission has authority to issue coastal development permits in areas without local coastal programs (LCPs) and act on appeals from areas with LCPs on matters ranging from small issues such as constructing or remodeling single family residences, to major public works projects, as well as enforcement issues, cease and desist orders, and matters in litigation. Current Law/Practice Before the early 1990s, the law was silent on ex parte communications at the Coastal Commission. The Coastal Act was then amended to explicitly allow commissioners to engage in ex parte communications as long as commissioners disclose the communications and pass along to staff any written materials provided. Commissioners are free to speak with anyone on any side of an issue and they often do. Additionally, applicants are required to provide written disclosures to the Commission of [...]
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