Coastal Commission To Raise Fees Almost As Much As Coastline Is Going Up

The Cailfornia Coastal Commission is going to raise its fees …. almost 25 percent.

State law allows the commission fees to be raised every year to track inflation.

In fact … they are required to raise their fees.

But they haven’t done so for 11 years.

Inflation has gone up 24.9 percent since the fees were set.

An emergency permit or grading permit typical for Malibu wil go up from 1 thousand dollars to $1,249.

An after-the-fact permit goes from 5 thousand to just under 6 thousand dollars. 

Most Malibu homeowners do not have to buy Coastal Commission permits …. because the city has a Local Coastal Program that transfers responsibility for enforcing coastal laws to the city.

But the state fees are often used as a template for how much coastal cities like Malibu charge the public.

The new fee schedule goes before the Commission in 10 days … they meet in San Luis Obispo.

The Coastal Commission is also going to hold a day-long workshop on three pressing issues for Malibu and the rest of the coast.

Item one … short term rentals … the issue of vacation rentals … the balance of preserving residential neighborhoods versus coastal vacation access.

Item two … sea level rise … a review of how the coastal Commission will work with cities like Malibu on that        inevitable crisis.

And item three … how to amend Local Coastal Programs … those state-approved local zoning plans for beachfront areas.

That daylong session will have huge effect on Malibu … it will be Friday July 12th … up in San Luis Obispo.

One other item up at that meeting … of interest to Malibu.

It’s the battle royale between the Coastal Commission and the City of Newport Beach.

Homeowners along the beach have for decades planted grass and trees and iceplant in front of their homes … on the sand.

The Coastal Commission staff wants it ripped out … state law requires maximum beach access.

The city wants the private landscaping and patio furniture to stay.

Sound familiar?