THE BUZZ — HOME BY THE SEA: The Coastal Commission has long held an almost revered status in state politics, the official manifestation of Californians' deeply-held belief that all 840-miles of the coast should be protected and publicly accessible.
But the commission’s power faces an unprecedented challenge as some lawmakers say its special status clashes with another California value: a desire to build more housing. At the center of the debate is Senate Bill 423, which would allow far more apartment and condo towers along the coastline. It could lead to urban areas of the coast looking more like Miami and Fort Lauderdale where high rises proliferate near the sea. The bill’s traction — despite intense pushback from local governments and environmental groups — has illustrated the growing clout of lawmakers aligned with the Yes-in-My-Backyard movement. The bill’s popularity with the wider public remains to be seen. State Sen. Scott Wiener and Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, Bay Area Democrats who each chair the housing committees in their respective chambers, are pushing the bill to streamline development of multi-family buildings in coastal communities where the state determines local governments haven’t built enough new housing. SB 423 would only apply to coastal urban areas zoned for multi-family housing. Property owners would still be required to maintain public access to beaches. The bill has faced a torrent of opposition from groups arguing it strips communities of local control and doesn’t put proper limits on construction in areas prone to sea-level rise or wildfires. They say SB 423 would primarily allow luxury towers in coastal areas, not affordable housing. The coastal zone — a few blocks wide in most urban areas to up to five miles inland in rural parts of the state — has long been exempt from housing streamlining rules. SB 423 would remove that exemption. The bill received a jolt of momentum this month. The coastal commission, which initially opposed the bill, said it would adopt a “neutral” status after Wiener agreed to an amendment to prevent construction in more areas vulnerable to sea-level rise. Wiener also mustered enough votes to get the bill out of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee in July. In the process, he rolled Chair Luz Rivas, a Democrat from Los Angeles who channeled the commission’s objections (a feat he pulled off with the help of three GOP lawmakers). Many Capitol insiders see the bill’s momentum as a bullish moment for the YIMBY movement. Rarely have lawmakers dared to interfere with the commission’s control over what gets built in the coastal zone, a power rooted in a 1972 initiative passed by voters. “It’s indicative of how dramatically housing politics have shifted over the last five, six years,” Wiener told Playbook. “Buffy and I are the tip of the iceberg. There are so many housing champions now in both houses.” HAPPY THURSDAY. Thanks for waking up with Playbook. PLAYBOOK TIP LINE — What are you keeping an eye on? What do you expect to be the fight of the next few weeks in the California legislature? Let us know. Now you can text us at 916-562-0685 — save it as “CA Playbook” in your contacts now. Or drop us a line at lkorte@politico.com and dgardiner@politico.com, or on Twitter — @DustinGardiner and @Lara_Korte | 
