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Trump wants to strip California of coastal protections unless state yields to list of demands

In what one environmental law expert described as “a dangerous ultimatum,” the Trump administration said it would strip California of its authority to protect its coastline unless state regulators agreed to more than a dozen “corrective actions” that would benefit close allies of the White House, according to the draft findings of a controversial federal review.

Citing “a pattern of jurisdictional and regulatory overreach,” the 92-page review said California coastal authorities have demonstrated “unjustified hostility and political bias against offshore drilling opportunities, oil and gas projects broadly, and SpaceX’s launch activities.”

The document, which The Times obtained through a public records request, said future federal funding for the state’s coastal management program has been suspended “unless and until the identified deficiencies are satisfactorily addressed.”

At the top of the list of corrective actions are demands that the California Coastal Commission meet with SpaceX and “discuss any outstanding concerns about political bias and ... productive next steps moving forward.” It also directed coastal authorities to discuss “any outstanding concerns about regulatory burden and overreach” with Sable Offshore Corp., a Texas-based oil company that has sought President Trump’s influence to bypass state oversight and restart a once-dormant offshore operation off the Santa Barbara coast.

The state’s leading coastal agency must also issue an official statement by January pledging that California “will not categorically oppose initiatives led by certain entities, or relating to certain industries, such as oil and gas, or involving certain activities, such as offshore drilling,” according to the preliminary findings by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office for Coastal Management.

Legal experts who reviewed the draft document said they were troubled by the Trump administration’s politicized use of a longstanding federal law known as the Coastal Zone Management Act, or CZMA.

Never before, they said, has the federal government attempted to strip a coastal state of its rights in this way, and the consequences could be far-reaching if the draft findings become final. The action also comes as the president has sought to dismantle clean air policies, endangered species protections and other landmark environmental regulations that have long drawn the ire of industry and fossil fuel producers.

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Wind‑driven waves hit Humboldt Bay Trail, raising winter concerns

Strong winds sent waves crashing into the edge of the Humboldt Bay Trail on Saturday, splashing water across the trail into the newly built overwash zone beyond the path. The surge caught cyclists off guard and offered an early look at how the corridor may perform heading into a winter expected to bring King Tides, El Niño conditions, and elevated sea levels.

The trail, completed this year, was designed to withstand occasional flooding. But the waves that rolled across the pavement Saturday were forceful enough to send cyclists hugging the inland edge of the path, trying to maneuver around spray and sheets of water washing over it.

Jen Kalt, executive director of Humboldt Waterkeeper, happened to be driving southbound on 101 when she witnessed the waves splashing over the barrier toward the trail.

“When I saw it, I was driving by, and I was like, ‘Whoa!’ And I saw some people on bikes dodging the waves and stuff. I mean, it was in multiple spots too,” said Kalt. “It was really windy, and the wind was blowing the waves straight against the shoreline there.”

Humboldt County Public Works Deputy Director Hank Seemann said the trail’s raised elevation has already prevented flooding during major tide events.

“Part of the design of the Bay Trail was to account for that and to build in more resilience and flood protection, and so the Bay Trail, the ground was raised along the railroad corridor, in some cases up to one or two feet,” said Seeman. “That’s a big reason why, (with) the floods we had last January, which was the new high tide of record for the bay, that event did not flood 101 because of the new protection that we got from the Bay Trail.”

Seemann said the shoreline remains vulnerable because only remnant patches of salt marsh remain, leaving long stretches of exposed mudflat that allow wind waves to build across the bay. The county reinforced the shoreline with new rock slope protection during trail construction, but the corridor still sits directly in the path of wind‑driven waves.

“El Niño presents some new challenges this winter because, especially when we get to the king tides that are going to happen on Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Seeman. “If we had a convergence of those high tides, plus the effects of El Niño from the Kelvin wave, plus storm surge-like effects if there are storms over the ocean that are kind of pushing water north, plus, if we have local wind events that are generating local winds, then all that could stack up to increase water levels and create those wind waves.”

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Is the Humboldt County coast ready for king tides, storm surge, and super El Niño this winter?

With water already running about a foot higher than usual in Humboldt Bay and a powerful El Niño strengthening offshore, North Coast residents could see a winter where several coastal threats may arrive at once. Forecasters say king tides, Kelvin waves, unusually warm ocean waters, and stronger storm systems could combine, leading to flooding and erosion in low‑lying neighborhoods such as King Salmon and Fields Landing.

In two months, the California coastline will be impacted by king tides, higher waves that usually arrive around the end of the year. The Times-Standard reached out to several government agencies to see how they are preparing for the next potentially catastrophic event.

Gov. Gavin Newsom last week declared a statewide emergency ahead of what forecasters say could become a “super” El Niño, a pattern known for driving stronger storms, heavier rainfall and elevated coastal water levels. The declaration comes as king tides, Kelvin waves and chronic flooding in King Salmon are expected to overlap through early 2027, raising concerns about erosion, inundation and storm‑surge impacts along the North Coast.

National Weather Service meteorologist Ryan Aylward said El Niño is already underway and strengthening. He said the atmospheric impacts typically arrive in late fall and continue through winter, bringing heavier storms and higher water levels along the North Coast.

“El Niño is ongoing right now,” said Aylward. “The impacts really happen as we go into the fall and winter, and that’s what we’re preparing for. We’re starting at a higher level this year, and the tide chart is off by a foot in Humboldt Bay. If a storm hits at the same time as a king tide, you can suddenly have big impacts.”

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Planning for Sea Level Rise Splits County Planning Commission

While workshopping policies that will shape the future of Humboldt Bay, the county’s Planning Commission couldn’t reach consensus on how to address sea level rise.

At its Sept. 3 meeting, the commission held its third workshop on the draft Humboldt Bay Area Plan, reviewing five sea level rise scenarios.

There’s uncertainty on how to plan for it as it hinges on a variety of factors, including future degree of emissions reduction.

A “high” risk scenario was in a previous draft of the plan but the categorization is brought down a notch in the current draft, to “intermediate high.”

“The reason we went away from high is because there’s a 0.1 percent chance that it would ever be exceeded and so that is maybe an unrealistic chance that it would happen,” said Planning Director John Ford when asked about it. “Intermediate high itself has a fairly low chance of ever being exceeded, as I recall that’s at 20 percent.”

He described intermediate high as “still a very conservative projection.”

But some commissioners are concerned about planning for uncertain outcomes.

“The higher the scenario, the more cost associated with building that adaptation,” said Commissioner Lorna McFarlane, adding, “You’re potentially adding, in some cases, millions of dollars to a project for some threat that may or may not be realized.”

While some commissioners supported going with the higher scenario, they acknowledged the challenges of forecasting.

“That may be part of the problem,” said Commissioner Todd Fulton. “I personally don’t think that the science is there for the intermediate high. I’m more comfortable around the medium area not only for the cost basis but I personally don’t see the science that justifies the intermediate high.”

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Prop. 45 puts clean water and more at risk: Vote no.

Ballots will be landing in Humboldt County mailboxes soon, ahead of the November election. This fall’s ballot is particularly long and involved, with fourteen statewide measures up for consideration. Prop. 45 will be buried at the end of that list, but voters shouldn’t ignore it. This measure could do tremendous damage to our region and our state if it passes.

The California Environmental Quality Act is fundamental to protecting California’s environment by providing opportunities for citizens to engage with projects impacting their communities. Prop. 45 would fast-track the approval of a long list of polluting projects, putting our local air, water quality, and even our electricity rates at risk. Just as we are seeing the rapid and aggressive rollback of federal protections for clean air, clean water, and public health under the Trump administration, Prop. 45 invites Californians to hand even more power to corporate polluters.

This 41-page ballot measure would reduce public oversight over everything from forest clearcutting and dam building to the development of warehouses, CO2 and methane gas pipelines, landfill gas facilities, data centers, and more. If Prop. 45 passes, it will be harder to secure critical protections for communities and natural resources through the environmental review process.

Data centers are front of mind for many voters. Efforts in recent years to expand broadband throughout this region have been essential to supporting local economic prosperity. But the success of these efforts also means Humboldt County is increasingly likely to see data center developers knocking on our door. The recent move by the Eureka and Arcata City Councils to enact a temporary moratorium on data center development makes it clear our local leaders understand this area is fair game for deep-pocketed developers looking to expand their reach. Legal experts agree that fast-tracked approval of data centers is more likely if Prop. 45 passes.

Prop. 45 would place a new strain on local governments to approve projects according to artificial tight timelines, or else they would risk new litigation from developers. Unlike large urban jurisdictions, rural counties like ours rely on the California Environmental Quality Act to ensure that projects are well designed to minimize and mitigate effects to the environment. New, tight deadlines come at the expense of meaningful public engagement and risks rushed judgments and sloppy work. And the cost: Legislative Analyst’s Office estimates that just implementing Prop. 45 would likely cost state and local public agencies $100 million or more annually.

Who stands to benefit? Let’s look at the money. The campaign to pass Prop. 45 is being funded by the likes of PG&E and other for-profit utilities, data center and warehouse developers, and the oil and gas industry. Big corporations are investing tens of millions of dollars to pass this measure because they know Prop. 45 will make it easier for them to build polluting projects. Voters should understand that nothing in this ballot measure requires developers to lower housing prices, lower utility bills, or bring down costs for consumers.

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