The same administration that is slashing funding for climate research and the Environmental Protection Agency, propping up the coal industry, gutting the Endangered Species Act and planning to open the entire California coast to offshore oil drilling is now taking aim at the California Coastal Commission.
In 2016, Donald Trump began a decade-long fight with the Coastal Commission, set off when they told him to follow the law by getting a permit and paying a fee after illegally installing a 70-foot flagpole at his Palos Verdes golf course.
In 2025, the Trump administration floated the idea of defunding the Coastal Commission as he held hostage $40 billion in wildfire disaster aid for California.
This May, Trump’s Commerce Department initiated a review of the California Coastal Management Program’s federal certification and funding, claiming that it is a hotbed of “obstructionist policies,” “unfounded objections,” “environmental extremism,” and “bad faith.”
Over the last 50 years, every federal review affirmed California’s coastal program is doing a good job.
The federal review directive “specifically singles out California over Florida, Texas, and Virginia, citing California’s objections to spaceports for SpaceX,” notes Sierra Club Campaign Manager Caty Wagner. “The attacks on states that don’t fold to the current federal administration are petty and embarrassing. This is another example of a tyrant’s temper tantrum—there is no logical reason to attack the program other than greed and to put corporate interests over the public.”
A little background: The federal law called the Coastal Zone Management Act gives coastal states the ability to create coastal management programs. California’s program protects coastal resources and marine life, public access to coastal areas, and gives California the authority to review federal decisions to ensure they align with state Coastal policies. The Coastal Commission and the Coastal Conservancy are the state agencies that administer this program. Federal reviews of state coastal management programs normally happen every five to 10 years. California’s program was last reviewed in 2024. That clock did not restart when Donald Trump was elected.
Over the last 50 years, every federal review affirmed that California’s coastal program is doing a good job. The Trump administration made it clear this premature review is retaliation for the Coastal Commission trying to protect the coast from the impacts of Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket launches and Sable Offshore’s resurrected oil pipeline
The directive charges that the Coastal Commission “unfoundedly obstructed spaceport development” at the SpaceX project at Vandenberg Space Force Base. But the commission’s actions were not unfounded, nor did they obstruct spaceport development. The commission simply pointed out that SpaceX is not the federal government so it is not exempt from state law and must get a state coastal development permit for its commercial satellite launch program. The commission also noted the lack of data on potential impacts to the adjacent watershed and marine reserve from the steep increase in launches. Hence, the project was deemed inconsistent with the California Coastal Management Program. The federal government disagreed, and the project proceeded.
The federal directive scolds California’s program for impeding offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, undersea cables, etc. First of all, that’s not true. As Surfrider has noted, the program “approves the vast majority of projects it reviews, while catching the rare ones that pose real harm.” But even more importantly, Congress created the Coastal Zone Management Act precisely because, “The increasing and competing demands upon the lands and waters of our coastal zone occasioned by population growth and economic development … have resulted in the loss of living marine resources, wildlife, nutrient-rich areas, permanent and adverse changes to ecological systems, decreasing open space for public use, and shoreline erosion.”
“The Trump administration is displaying yet another overreach by attacking California coasts and oceans for private industries,” Wagner said. “Trump is attempting to cut funding and effectively dismantle California’s Coastal Management Program.” The damage this will do to our coast and ocean and marine wildlife “cannot be undone after he is gone.”
But this is also an attack on local communities’ power to influence governmental decisions. The coastal program requires notification of development proposals, public comment opportunities, and the right to appeal when local governments make decisions that violate coastal protection and public access policies. Essentially, Trump is threatening your ability to have a say in coastal management.
It’s time to make it clear that California’s Coastal Management Program must remain federally certified and that the 2024 review already determined the program is fully compliant with federal law. We will not stand by while the Trump administration attacks our right to protect our coastal ecosystems and communities. Whether you live near, work on, visit, or enjoy our coast in any way, this is the time to share why it matters to you. m
Gianna Patchen is chapter coordinator for the Santa Lucia Chapter of the Sierra Club. Andrew Christie served as chapter director from 2004 to 2023. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in August 27 – September 3, 2026.
