California Bills Aim to Bypass Coastal Act to Spur Housing Projects

In the midst of a so-called housing crisis, California lawmakers are looking to incentivize new housing, with a handful of bills introduced in 2024 that call for bypassing decades-old coastal protections. In 1972 California voters passed the Coastal Conservation Initiative, also known as Prop. 20, which established the California Coastal Commission to regulate developments near the state’s coastline. The commission was codified in 1976 when the Legislature passed the Coastal Act, which made the commission a permanent agency and gave it “broad authority” in its regulations, according to the agency’s website. But as the state continues to push for more housing, which many argue would help solve some of California’s housing affordability issues, some lawmakers have proposed new laws that could override some of the commission’s authority for certain projects....