How could climate change affect North County coastline? | UTSanDiego.com

On May 3, 2015 Barbara Henry reported in the San Diego Union Tribune reported on the meetings that Carlsbad, Del Mar, Oceanside, Solana Beach, and Encinita had to discuss the problems of rising sea levels in North San Diego County..

How could climate change affect North County coastline? | UTSanDiego.com

The Cities are trying to obtain Federal funds to study the problem of rising oceans and then start to think about mitigating the rising water. Two cities, Carlsbad and Del Mar have received grant money, but the other three cities are still trying to get funds. The studies are supposed to be completed by April 2017, although FEMA has a study which should be completed sooner.  Yes, each city does have unique situations that may require specialized solutions over the long haul.  But, it seem to me that any solution for Carlsbad and Del Mar would be almost directly applicable to similar portions of the other three cities.  All of the cities have lagoons, railroad bridges, beaches and cliffs.

It seems very inefficient for each city, or even small group of cities to try to plan for rising sea levels, which we know are happening. Whatever the Cities decide to do will need approval from the Coastal Commission. Each city will have to do it one at a time, involving immense amounts of legal expense.  Yes, the Commission, per its charter, must balance public access, protection of the environment, public recreation along with protection of public and private property along the coast.  However it certainly doesn't make sense to get each city's plan, or each property owner's plan approved using the current adversarial approach with the Commision.

The right answer is for the California Coastal Commission to step up to the task of defining an overall vision for what should be done to protect our coast and coastal assets. After they develop the vision, they should develop approved standards for design and construction that, if followed, can be automatically approved by the Commission. The Commission's standards should take into account coastal access, environmental protection as well as appearance, life-cycle-cost, and protection of property during 100 yr storms or floods.  As it is now, anyone who makes any attempt to protect their property will be forced to pay significant fees and file complex applications for "coastal permits."  As part of the process, each applicant will be treated as a perpetrator of a crime, guilty until proven innocent, and forced to pay some sort of "ransom" (for example a million dollars in sand mitigation fees) in order to gain permission to protect their property. If the Commission doesn't step up to the task, our State Legislature should pass a law tasking the Commission to do it.

Additional articles on the subject:

https://thecoastnews.com/blog/2014/12/subcommittee-will-look-at-effects-of-sea-level-rise-on-encinitas/

Below is the Encinitas Committee Information

SEA LEVEL RISE SUBCOMMITTEE
Appointed Council Members: Tony Kranz, Lisa Shaffer
The City Council Sea Level Rise Subcommittee is comprised of Council Members Lisa Shaffer, Tony Kranz , City Staff, representatives from the city's Environmental Commission as well as representatives from neighboring North County Coastal Cities. The purpose of the subcommittee is to consider challenges from sea level rise and to develop a comprehensive strategy for addressing the impacts of sea level rise and other environmental threats in Encintias, particularly in Cardiff where Coast highway 101 is especially vulnerable. Bluff Erosion and opportunities to coordinate with the San Elijo Lagoon Restoration Project will also be explored.
Meetings:

April 30, 2015, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Workshop
Agenda (PDF)
Summary Report
Flip Chart Notes