Laguna Beach officials explain how Coastal Act governs beach access, parking and resource protections

City Manager Dave Kiff and City Attorney Megan Garibaldi described how the California Coastal Act and the California Coastal Commission affect Laguna Beach, saying almost the entire city is in the state coastal zone and is therefore subject to commission regulations.

The Coastal Act, passed in 1976, establishes a coastal zone that runs from Oregon to Mexico and obliges public access to the shore, Garibaldi said. “The California Coastal Act says that the California coast is open and available to all Californians. The California Constitution says this too. It's open to every member of the public. It's not any city's beach or their resident's beach. It's California's beach,” Garibaldi said.

Kiff and Garibaldi said the commission’s authority touches local policies on parking, beach access and resource protection. Because much of Laguna Beach lies coastward of the coastal zone line, properties there are generally subject to regulation by the Coastal Commission, they said. Kiff noted that the only area of the city outside the coastal zone is near El Toro Road.

The officials said the local coastal program limits Laguna Beach’s ability to adopt residential parking zones. “We can't. It's expressly prohibited by our local coastal program,” Kiff said. Garibaldi added that the Coastal Commission also reviews and approves parking rates and generally does so on a five-year cycle: “The Coastal Commission approves all of our rates, generally on a 5 year cycle. In other words, we can't just charge as much as the market will bear.”

Both officials described the city’s transit measures as part of its response to access and crowding concerns. Kiff said Laguna Beach has developed substantial transit programs, including trolleys and a newly launched micro transit program, to let visitors park farther away and still reach the shore “in a cost effective way.”

On resource protection, Garibaldi said the Coastal Act’s environmental provisions require the city to balance public access with protection for tide pools and other sensitive marine habitats. She said any proposal to limit visitation for resource reasons would need solid research and data to show how visitor impacts harm marine resources and that any limits would apply to everyone, residents and nonresidents alike.

The officials also reminded property owners and the public that the Coastal Act prohibits privatizing the beach. Private owners cannot rope off portions of the shore or erect barriers or signs intended to block access, Garibaldi said.

No formal actions or votes were recorded during the briefing. The remarks were presented as an explanation of the city’s relationship with the Coastal Commission and how state law constrains local parking, access and resource-protection options.