California Coastal Commission elects new leaders after shake-up
SACRAMENTO, California — Members of the California Coastal Commission elected Meagan Harmon as chair and Caryl Hart as vice chair to lead the high-stakes coastal development agency Wednesday.
What happened: The 12-member board picked Harmon, a Santa Barbara City Council member and real estate lawyer appointed to the coastal agency by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, to oversee their meetings after Speaker Robert Rivas replaced the former chair, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings, with a new appointment last month. Hart, a former Sonoma County parks director first appointed to the commission by former Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon in 2019, previously served as chair last year.
Why this matters: Hart acknowledged Wednesday that 'this is a challenging time' for the Coastal Commission, which both President Donald Trump and Newsom have criticized in recent months over its decision to reject SpaceX's plan for increased rocket launches off the coast. The panel has also come under scrutiny in the wake of the Los Angeles fires for its role in permitting coastal housing that some say is hindering the rebuilding effort.
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Newsom issued several executive orders in the wake of the fires to suspend the Coastal Act — the 1976 law that established the California Coastal Commission — and the California Environmental Quality Act in an effort to fast-track homes, businesses and other structures that residents plan to rebuild.
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