SANTA CRUZ — Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings has been named chair of the California Coastal Fee, one of the highly effective regulatory our bodies within the state.
Cummings, appointed to the fee in 2023 by then-state Meeting Speaker Anthony Rendon, was unanimously chosen for the position by the 15-member group of coverage makers and will probably be supported by Imperial Seaside Mayor Paloma Aguirre as vice chair.
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Justin Cummings (Contributed – Annie Okay. Rowland)
“I am honored to take on the role of Chair and thankful to my colleagues for their support and faith in me as a leader,” mentioned Cummings in a launch from his workplace. “I believe access to California’s exceptional coastal beauty is a right enshrined in law by the people of California by the passage of Prop 20 in 1972. It is our responsibility as Commissioners and citizens to protect access and natural resources we cherish so that future generations can continue to enjoy them. The California Coastal Act is a crucial law safeguarding equitable access to our state’s incredible coast. I look forward to working with my colleagues and communities up and down the state to foster opportunities for collaboration and communication.”
His time period as chair will final one 12 months and consists of key obligations of serving to to facilitate and set the agenda for the conferences which might be usually scheduled for 3 straight days every month. The appointment may also include a seat on the state’s Coastal Conservancy and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy board of administrators as they work to bolster coastal sources for the general public, in accordance with a spokesperson from his workplace.
Aguirre shared within the launch that she sees the position of vice chair as an “opportunity to elevate the voices of those most impacted by coastal and environmental challenges — especially underrepresented and frontline communities — and to advance bold, equitable solutions.”
The position additionally comes with the unofficial title of chief spokesperson for the fee, as Cummings will probably be anticipated to seem at state hearings when the subject material touches on the fee’s mandate or overlaps with work the Legislature is engaged in.
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The fee oversees about 1.5 million acres of land alongside the California shoreline from Oregon to Mexico and develops coverage impacting tens of millions of California residents. It regulates land and water use within the coastal zone and wields energy to approve or deny housing or development initiatives inside the huge territory it oversees whereas additionally working to protect entry to the shoreline.
One excessive profile native instance might be seen within the bitter dispute the fee has been locked in for years with a bunch of beachfront owners in Rio Del Mar about whether or not a stretch of paved land on the coastal aspect of the properties was meant for public or personal use. The battle, which has included a number of public shows of disagreement, stretches again a number of years and has spilled into the courts.
Final December, Cummings supported a unanimous determination by the fee to high-quality the owners greater than $4.7 million for, amongst different issues, blocking public entry to the pathway. In response, the owners filed a lawsuit towards the fee and propped up extra everlasting fencing that partitioned off every finish of the disputed territory.
Cummings holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz, and his subsequent work has targeted on local weather change impacts on the Florida Everglades, invasive species administration, forest restoration and fisheries conservation. Along with his environmental experience, the discharge from Cummings’ workplace additionally said that he goals to convey to the dais a particular deal with growing reasonably priced housing inside the coastal zone.
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Cummings was chosen final 12 months to signify the Central Coast space on the fee, which extends from Large Sur to the northern San Mateo County line. He beforehand mentioned he’s the primary Santa Cruz County consultant to serve on the fee since former Supervisor and Assemblymember Mark Stone held a seat from 2009 to 2012.
Cummings can also be two years into his first time period representing the county’s third District, which incorporates components of Santa Cruz, many of the North Coast and components of the San Lorenzo Valley. He’s the primary Black supervisor within the county’s 174-year historical past.
Initially Printed: December 13, 2024 at 5:57 AM PST
