2 Bills Would Give Clout to Coastal Panel : Legislation: The state Senate passes and sends to the Assembly measures to provide enforcement power to stop illegal development.

The California Coastal Commission would receive broad new enforcement powers to stop illegal development along the coast under two bills approved earlier this week by the state Senate.

The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Herschel Rosenthal (D-Los Angeles), would give the commission authority to fine violators up to $10,000 per day and to issue cease-and-desist orders.

Commission officials have complained that they are virtually powerless to halt unauthorized building.

“We need to make the cost high enough that people have second thoughts about illegal building on the coastline,” Rosenthal said.

The legislation will now go to the Assembly for consideration. If the Assembly passes the bill, it faces an uncertain future before Gov. George Deukmejian. Although the governor has not yet taken a stand on the bills, he vetoed a less punitive version of coastal protection legislation introduced last year by state Sen. Ed Davis (R-Valencia).

The Coastal Commission is pursuing more than 600 violations of the coastal protection laws--more than half in Orange and Los Angeles counties. However, commission officials have said they are not equipped to punish violators.

The commission has just one enforcement officer and must rely largely on neighbors’ reports to discover illegal development.

When it does find such development, the panel’s only recourse is to sue the offenders in often-lengthy court proceedings. Unlike other state agencies, it does not have the power to levy punishment.

One of Rosenthal’s bills, approved in a 21-12 vote, would require the panel to implement a “comprehensive enforcement plan” to stop illegal development. The other measure--passed, 23-8--would allow the commission to levy fines against violators and issue cease-and-desist orders.