Articles

Coastal Commission "penalties" bill resurrected in Assembly

May 22, 2014 | By PAUL BEARD

Last September, we reported that the California Assembly had killed Toni Atkins’ AB 976, which would have given the California Coastal Commission the power to levy hefty fines on property owners for alleged violations of the Coastal Act—without having to go to court to prove its case, as it must today.  My colleague, Jennifer Fry Th ...

Articles

Should the Coastal Commission be given more power to control private property?

August 23, 2013 | By JENNIFER THOMPSON

That is the heart of the question surrounding Assembly Bill 976, which would grant the Commission authority to level civil penalties against property owners without having to go to court.  As we’ve previously reported, giving additional power to an agency with a documented and lengthy history of violating property owner’s constitutiona ...