July 3, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

Climate Change in SM

City Council approves local coastal program land use plan.

By Sam Catanzaro. 

The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recently released a special report that warns we have just 12 years to implement changes to the global energy infrastructure to keep the impacts of global warming at moderate levels. Santa Monica, which has many areas right at sea level, are among the areas that stand to be the most affected.

“There is no documented historic precedent,” said IPCC said in their report   “Some of the most affected areas are small islands, megacities, coastal regions and high mountain ranges.”

The IPCC report suggests that the impacts of climate change could come sooner, rather than later, due to a combination of higher sea levels and more intense rainfall, if carbon emission is not reduced within the next twelve years.

“Scientists have been warning us for years that we can expect to see more extreme weather with climate change. The heat waves, wildfires, and heavy rainfall events of recent months all over the world underscore these warnings,” said Hoesung Lee, chair of the IPCC.

The Santa Monica City Council took steps this week to address the impacts of climate change when at their regular meeting on Tuesday, October 9, unanimously approved the Local Coastal Program (LCP) Land Use Plan at last night’s meeting – the first update to the plan since its adoption in 1992.

According to the City, the update is an important step toward aligning the LCP with current City policies related to mobility, sustainability and adaptation to sea level rise, as required by Coastal Commission guidelines.

“We have been working for more than two years with Coastal Commission staff to ensure that our updated LCP Land Use Plan will support a coastal development permit process that aligns with our sustainability and mobility goals,” said David Martin, Director of Planning and Community Development. “In addition, our planning process utilized the Coastal Commission’s guidelines and the latest sea level rise science and modeling to develop policies to prepare Santa Monica for the advent of sea level rise. The Land Use Plan outlines policies for hazard zone properties as well as a roadmap for adaptation to make our City more resilient as measurable sea level rise occurs.”

The Land Use Plan consists of seven policy areas that address State Coastal Act requirements. Two of the most important policy areas address access to the beach and sea-level rise. The access policies ensure beach visitors have many options to access the coast, including management of shared parking resources and a comfortable pedestrian and active transportation environment. The sea level policies will prepare Santa Monica to plan strategically to protect beach infrastructure and coastal assets. Sections of the California coast are already experiencing destruction from wave run-up and storms. While Santa Monica has not yet experienced effects of sea level rise, adopting these policies now makes Santa Monica one of the first Southern California cities to begin this preparation.

The LCP Land Use Plan adoption follows two years of outreach and analysis. Residents may remember the OWL visualization tool on the Pier in late 2016 depicting the impacts of sea level rise. Community feedback from the OWL as well as from public meetings and other outreach tools informed the Final Draft LUP adopted by Council.

The LCP Land Use Plan will now move forward to the Coastal Commission for certification for conformance with the Coastal Act.The next step will be development of an Implementation Plan, including an update of the Low-Cost Lodging Mitigation Fee.Until full certification including the Implementation Plan, the Land Use Plan will serve as a basis for Coastal Commission’s review of Santa Monica’s Coastal Development Permits. The combined process in the future under City authority will integrate coastal sensitivity unique to Santa Monica and streamline the review process for projects in the Coastal Zone.

in News
<>Related Posts

Proposed Rebuilding Authority for Wildfire Recovery Sparks Local Control Debate

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Plan Aims to Streamline Rebuilding but Raises Questions Over Community Input A proposed “Resilient Rebuilding Authority” to oversee recovery from...

Pentagon Orders Troop Drawdown in LA: 150 National Guard Members Reassigned to Wildfire Duty

July 2, 2025

July 2, 2025

Federal Forces Begin Partial Withdrawal From Protest Response as California Leaders Push Back U.S. Northern Command announced Tuesday that 150 National Guard...

(Video) ‘World’s Strongest Man’ Champion Pulls Big Blue Bus for 30 feet

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

World-class strongman Martins Licis pulled a 34,680‑pound, 35-feet long, battery electric bus through the Pier to set off Pier 360...

California Highway Patrol Deploys for Independence Day Enforcement Surge

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

All Available Officers to Hit California Highways for Holiday Weekend As Californians gear up for Fourth of July festivities, the...

Court Postpones Arraignment for Driver in Malibu Crash That Killed Four Students

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Fraser Michael Bohm Faces Murder Charges in Fatal PCH Wreck  The arraignment for Fraser Michael Bohm, the 23-year-old man accused...

More Commercial Uses Could Be Coming to RAND Building

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

Amendment Unlocks New Opportunities, Secures $5.5 Million in Community Benefits The Santa Monica Planning Commission unanimously approved an amendment to...

People are Using Palisades for “Disaster Tours.” Local Officials Are Trying to Stop Them

July 1, 2025

July 1, 2025

A new motion introduced to City Council requests a coordinated strategy from LADOT, the Los Angeles Police Department, and the...

Santa Monica Favorite Esters Rebrands as Esters Wine Shop & Oyster Bar

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

New Concept Launches With French-Spanish Flair and Free Bubbles Esters Wine Shop, the fave Parisian-style wine bar in downtown Santa...

Letter to the Editor: Santa Monica’s Great Park: It’s Time to Deliver on 100 Years of Promise

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

Santa Monica stands at the edge of history. For nearly a century, residents have consistently supported turning the airport land...

Why Nordstrom Says It’s Closing Its Santa Monica Place Location

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

A Nordstrom spokesperson explained the closure as a strategic realignment Nordstrom confirmed its decision to close its Santa Monica store...

Three-Bed Palisades Highlands Townhouse Hits Market for $1.7M

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

The Mediterranean-style property, located at 1529 Michael Lane, is part of a 71-unit community A remodeled 1,919-square-foot townhouse in the...

Six-Bed Mar Vista Hilltop Home Under Construction Lists for $5.3M

June 30, 2025

June 30, 2025

The private backyard is complete with a pool, spa, fire pit, built-in BBQ, and areas for outdoor dining A stunning...

(Video) Getty Villa Reopens Six Months After Dodging Destruction of Palisades Wildfires

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

With the reopening also comes a new exhibit, “The Kingdom of Pylos” Getty Villa Reopens Six Months After Dodging Destruction...

Free Virtual Planetarium Shows Coming to SMC in July

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

The virtual format is in place as construction of the new SMC Planetarium and Observatory nears completion The Santa Monica...

Santa Monica Adopts $793.3M Budget for FY25-27, Prioritizing Housing and Safety

June 29, 2025

June 29, 2025

The budget preserves core services and invests in major projects, including over $1 billion in hotel investments The Santa Monica...