Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is demanding that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) uphold California’s federally approved authority to protect its coastline and weigh in on activities that could threaten its coastal resources, including offshore oil and gas development. Mayor Bass submitted a letter to NOAA opposing any effort to revoke California’s program approval, emphasizing the state’s critical role in state-federal cooperation for decades.
The Mayor’s letter highlighted that Los Angeles’ beaches and coastal communities generate billions in economic activity, sustain local businesses and jobs, and offer essential public spaces. She underscored the Pacific coastline as a defining civic asset and a crucial measure of the city’s environmental and economic vitality, stating that protecting these resources is fundamental to long-term prosperity.
Bass argued that the drastic industrialization of California’s coastline would harm not only Los Angeles and California but the entire country. She stressed that urgent coastal protection is a matter of economic security, public health, climate resilience, and environmental justice, especially as climate change accelerates extreme weather and marine ecosystem degradation.
Refuting claims of "environmental extremism," Mayor Bass pointed out that the California Coastal Commission has aligned with 96% of over 3,700 federal actions reviewed since the 1970s. She warned that decertification would disregard decades of successful partnership, undermine residents' voices, and jeopardize progress, impacting every coastal state. Mayor Bass affirmed readiness to work with federal and state partners to preserve California’s extraordinary coastline.