Trump Admin Launches Crackdown on California Coastal Commission

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick sent a letter to Kevin Hassett, Director of the White House National Economic Council under President Donald Trump, directing the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to “evaluate” the California Coastal Commission, over their efforts to bar energy production with restarting an offshore oil project in Santa Barbara, as well as preventing Elon Musk’s SpaceX from launching from Vandenberg Space Force Base.

The California Coastal Commission is an unelected commission of political appointees that lords over locally elected city councils in cities and counties on the California coast, acting as the department of business prevention.

The letter from the Trump administration puts the California’s Coastal Commission environmental zealots under long overdue federal scrutiny.

The letter criticizes the Coastal Commission’s management as “woefully inadequate at best” particularly during the Biden administration. It accuses California and the Coastal Commission of a “long record of obstructing technological innovation and economic development,” prioritizing “environmental extremism.” 

NOAA is holding public meetings Aug. 10, 2026, in Santa Monica in person, and virtual meetings on Aug. 11–12, and is accepting comments through Aug. 22, 2026, to assess alignment with federal priorities, according to the letter. 

“These meetings are intended to provide the public with the opportunity to add to the input obtained from the previous public meeting held in August 2024. In particular, NOAA seeks any new input from relevant stakeholders regarding spaceport infrastructure, offshore oil production, pipeline maintenance, desalination projects, and undersea cables,” the letter says.

The California Coastal Commission lives up to its well-deserved dodgy reputation, and has even been sued by Elon Musk, the world’s richest entrepreneur, when the commission voted to shut down SpaceX launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, because of Space X founder Elon Musk’s comments on X and his political activities. Really. 

“Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” said Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (not related to Gavin Newsom), the Globe reported. “It appears that rather than prioritizing the welfare of SpaceX employees and the environment, the focus has been on profit maximization.”

Commission chairwoman Caryl Hart added, “You could argue that it’s bringing in politics, but this is a political matter to some extent because it involves the US government, it involves the Coastal Commission. We are dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race.”

“In the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Musk’s SpaceX accuses the commission of ‘unconstitutional overreach’ after members criticized his political leanings during a meeting about whether to approve more frequent SpaceX launches off the California coastline,” Business Insider reported.

The agency, notoriously powerful but abusive, regulates coastal development while “protecting” California’s coastline. They have had serious clashes with the Trump administration over drilling for offshore oil, the Vandenberg SpaceX launches, oil pipelines, desalination plants, and anyone who wants to build a coastal home. 

NEC Director Kevin Hassett’s efforts to push back against the state’s coastal board could and should lead to funding cuts or limits on the Coastal Commission’s authority. The CCC defended itself, stating it has approved most qualifying oil and space projects while protecting habitats and public access, the Sacbee.com reported. But only after the commission got caught.

Hassett, a prominent economist who previously chaired the Council of Economic Advisers during President Trump’s first term, has the NEC involved in administration priorities that cross over with regulatory issues.

The California Coastal Commission’s environmental zealots have decades of regulatory activism, and are notorious for running roughshod over Californians’ property rights. The Pacific Legal Foundation has spent as many decades suing the Coastal Commission over gross violations of California property owners’ rights.

Editor’s note: If you want your blood to boil, read PLF’s big win in Nollan v. California Coastal Commission in which the Coastal Commission agreed to grant the Nollans’ building permit—but only if the Nollans consented to give away one-third of their property to the state.