The Truth About Sea Level Rise – Professor Gary Griggs

Professor Gary Griggs gave a presentation at the CPOA-SC Annual Meeting on 9/15/19. According to Professor Griggs the local sea level (San Francisco & Monterey tide gauge) has only risen about 1.6 inches in the last 20 years, and is expected to rise 0.6 to 1.4 feet by 2050, and 3.5 – 4.4 feet by 2100, based on moderately conservative forecasting models. However, the Coastal Commission is requesting coastal communities plan for a 10 foot rise in the sea level, which exceeds most forecasting models.

CPOA-SC Annual Meeting 9/15/19, 2-4 p.m. at Seascape Resort

You are invited to attend our CPOA-SCC Annual Meeting on September 15, 2019 from 2-4 p.m. at the Seascape Resort. Featured Speaker:  Professor Gary Griggs, who will speak about the past, recent and future sea level rise, impact on coastal erosion, stability of ocean...

Santa Cruz County’s New Wave of Climate Controversy

This article contains inaccurate information and mis-quotes.
The County of Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors is set to vote on a revised Local Coastal Program (LCP) on September 24, 2019. They will be one of the first jurisdiction to develop an LCP based on the Guidelines for Sea Level Rise published by the California Coastal Commission. According to this article shoreline protection (armoring, revetment rocks, and sea walls) may not be the best answer to protecting the shoreline for erosion due to sea level rise. Permits for shoreline protection and building in coastal hazardous zones of Santa Cruz will be altered. Property owners will be facing significant costs to continue to protect their oceanfront properties.

CA Senator Supports call for State, Federal Agencies to pay for Stabilization of Cliffs in Encintas

In response to 3 deaths from collapse of unstable cliffs in Encinitas, a California Senator is requesting the State and Federal agencies pay for stabilization of the cliffs in Encinitas. Property owners and State Parks have been requesting permits for shoreline protection for years, but had been turned down by the California Coastal Commission. The Encinitas Cliffs are unstable and likely to further erode causing injuries and a severe safety hazard to the public on the beaches below.

Collapsing California Cliff Claims 3 Lives Along Beach

Cliff bluff collapses near Encinitas Beach killing 3 people on the beach. This happened because the bluff was not properly maintained and the CCC had repeately denied coastal property owners the right to protect the bluffs from further coastal erosion. The CCC is at fault, but the property owners may be liable.

Supreme Court Gives Land Owners Freedom To Sue On Federal Level

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that property owners can go straight to federal court to fight claims that local or state government prevented them from using their land as they see fit. The decision overturned a long-held precedent that trapped property owners in what Chief Justice John Roberts described as a Catch-22.