CPOA Endorses Candidates for 2024 County Board of Supervisors Election

CPOA endorses Manu Koenig (District 1) and Kim De Serpa (District 2) who have committed to supporting “the rights of coastal property owners” to protect their structures and properties from coastal erosion, and to guarantee that CPOA will have a “seat at the table” in every step from the Vulnerability Study to the proposed revisions of the Local Coastal Plan – Safety Hazards for Coastal Beaches and Bluffs (Land Use and Implementation Plan). Please contribute to their campaigns.

CPOA to Investigate Funding Options in Support of 2024 County Elections

COA is investigating the feasibility of establishing a Political Action Committee and other funding alternatives to allow CPOA to raise funds and contribute to our chosen candidates for the County Board of Supervisors in our next election.

County Approves Submission of Grant Application to CCC for sea level rise vulnerability assessment and preparation of related Local Coastal Program General Plan

The County Board of Supervisor’s just approved the submission of a grant application to the Coastal Commission to fund $733,000 to fund a sea level rise vulnerability assessment and preparation of related Local Coastal Program General Plan, which is expected to be awarded by CCC this summer. Then the County will select a Coastal Engineering Consultant to complete the Vulnerability Study and begin work on revising the LCP this fall.

Recent Storm Damages in Aptos Rio Del Mar and Beach Dr.

The heaviest damages sustained in Santa Cruz County were in Aptos, Rio Del Mar, and along Beach Dr. Dozens of homes along a roughlymile stretch of road at Beach Drive in Rio Del Mar were badly damaged after rising seas and massive piles of debris tore apart concrete walls and rushed through front yards and living rooms. Five homes have been red- tagged, including one which was pushed off it’s foundation onto Beach Dr. 19 other homes sustained heavy flood damage and were yellow tagged according to the County Building inspector. The sidewalk and railing along the beach front was also damaged. Property owner’s have begun the tedious process of clean-up and repairs. Please help and support these property owner’s with any thing you can.

County Board of Supervisors to Delay Public Hearing on new Revisions to the LCP Section re Coastal Beaches and Bluffs to 12/12/2023

BOS item 57 (13633) on 12/6/22, to defer and set a Public Hearing for 12/12/2023 on the new proposed amendments to the Amendments to the LCP Safety Element 6.4 (Land Use Plan) for Coastal Beaches and Bluffs, and the Geological Hazards sections (Implementation Plan chapter 16.10). On October 14, 2022 the Coastal Commission denied a portion of the amendments addressing development on coastal bluffs and beaches. The
timeline for these updates is estimated to include most of 2023. Therefore, staff is
recommending this item be deferred to December 12, 2023.

CPOA’s Summary of the CCC Hearing on 10/14/22

The Commissioners voted (9:0) to reject the Santa Cruz County’s proposed LCP Amendments, and sided with the Surfriders, and recommendations on the CCC Staff Report. The CCC Staff report asserted that the LCP Amendments were poorly written, with many internal inconsistencies, were not consistent with the Coastal Act (1977), which generally prohibits any new shoreline armoring, and most existing armoring may need to be removed to allow managed retreat to preserve the public beaches as sea level rises.

County letter to CCC re LCP Amendments for Hearing on 10/14/22

The County staff is committed to pursuing the clearest and quickest route to getting an LCP amendment certified by the Coastal Commission which is reasonable and feasible for the County to implement to address sea level rise, and to continue to meet with CCC staff and major stakeholders to reach consensus where possible. It is imperative that the LCP amendment effort which has taken over 6 years to get to this point, not be abandoned.

Temporary fencing approved for debated Rio Del Mar patio walkway

After months of back and forth, a Santa Cruz Superior Court judge finalized his ruling this month in favor of securing Rio Del Mar private owners’ rights to a beachside walkway. Now, 27 defendants named in a civil case involving Rio Del Mar Beach Island Homeowners Association have been green-lighted to begin placing temporary 6-foot fencing at either end of the walkway abutting a row of patios on the beach side of 202-300 Beach Drive.

CPOA’s Comment Letter to CCC re the County’s Proposed LPC Amendments, for CCC Hearing on 10/14/22

CPOA’s letter to CCC outlines our position on the following topics as part of the County’s Proposed LCP Amendments, scheduled for a CCC Hearing on 10/14/22.
Major Differences between CCC’s Position vs. County Proposed LCP: CPOA’s Response to:
A. CCC’s definition of “existing structures” being those structures which were present prior to the Coastal Act (January 1, 1977).
B. No new armoring for existing structures or redevelopment in coastal hazard zones.
C. Existing Armoring (Revetment Rocks) along East Cliff Dr. between the Harbor and Soquel Point may need to be removed as the public beaches shrink due to sea level rise.
D. The requirement for all property owners with existing shoreline protection (seawalls or revetment rocks) to file a “Monitoring, Maintenance, and Repair Plan (MMRP)” and to routinely inspect, maintain, and repair the shoreline structures and prevent any seaward migration.
E. When necessary, managed retreat to move structures inland to preserve public access and beaches.
F. Shoreline Protection Exception Area (SPEA). The County had proposed a “Shoreline Protection Exception Area, extending approximately 1.4 miles from Soquel Point (APN # 028-304-72) to the Capitola City border.