Countywide : Coast Agency Office May Come to Area

The California Coastal Commission may move its Santa Barbara office to Ventura County because the workload has shifted more to this area, a commission official said.

The South Central Coast office of the Coastal Commission currently serves Santa Barbara, Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties and the northern half of Los Angeles County, said area manager James Johnson.

“The creation of the city of Malibu and the preparation of a coastal plan means a workload shift to the south,” Johnson said.

The state Coastal Commission was established in 1976.

It helps local governments along the coast bring their coastal plans into conformity with state policies. It also assists cities in regulating development along coastal waters and reviews oil and gas exploration.

Oxnard Councilwoman Dorothy S. Maron, who is serving as chairwoman of BEACON, a public agency that monitors beach erosion, said the move would benefit the county.

“With the agency being right here,” Maron said, “we will be able to show them things that might be happening they would not know otherwise.”

The Coastal Commission will consider the proposal Wednesday, during its five-day meeting in Montecito. If the commission approves the move, the Santa Barbara office probably would be closed this summer.

Johnson said there are no specifics yet on where the agency might be moved, but added that it should be located close to other governmental agencies.