AB 976 California Coastal Commission: Bill Allowing CCC to Fine Violators

Update: 9/10 - The Assembly failed to concur with amendments added by the Senate. Despite a majority voting for the bill, it failed by 6 votes. Assemblywoman Toni Atkins has requested reconsideration of the bill which would allow for one additional vote. Information and history of the bill is found here. The bill as proposed is found here. How the Assembly members voted is found below. (Note: 10 members did not vote, also listed below.)

AYES
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Ammiano Atkins Bloom Bonilla
Bonta Bradford Ian Calderon Campos
Chau Chesbro Dickinson Fong
Gatto Gomez Gonzalez Gordon
Hall Holden Jones-Sawyer Lowenthal
Medina Mitchell Mullin Muratsuchi
Nazarian Pan Quirk Rendon
Skinner Stone Ting Weber
Wieckowski Williams Yamada John A. Pérez


NOES
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Allen Bigelow Chávez Conway
Cooley Dahle Daly Donnelly
Beth Gaines Gorell Gray Grove
Hagman Harkey Roger Hernández Jones
Linder Logue Maienschein Mansoor
Melendez Morrell Nestande Olsen
Patterson Perea V. Manuel Pérez Quirk-Silva
Salas Wagner Waldron Wilk


ABSENT, ABSTAINING, OR NOT VOTING
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Achadjian Alejo Bocanegra Brown
Buchanan Eggman Fox Frazier
Garcia Levine Vacancy Vacancy

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The Los Angeles Business Journal has reported that the California Senate has passed a bill which will give the California Coastal Commission the authority to impose administrative civil penalties on companies who intentionally violate the Coastal Act, the law that was passed in 1976 to protect the state's 1,100-mile coast, regulate development along it and ensure public access to it.

Drakes Bay Oyster Company is a classic example of a company found to be in violation of regulations, who despite having agreed to past Cease and Desist orders and not acting on them, has been able to simply draw out the process and continue to profit without resolving the violations.

The passage of this bill may be why they have, once again, agreed to pursue negotiating a settlement with the CCC instead of continuing their costly court battle. Then again, it may simply be a tactic to try and stall further their having to act. At least with passage of the bill the CCC will be able to fine them.