I’ll say it: government agencies are cool. They do the unglamorous job of trudging through the tedious tasks required to implement and manage decisions by local, state, and federal policy makers, all amidst an ever shifting political environment and American society. What’s more, government work requires workers with an unwavering dedication to engaging in good faith with the American public, many of whom don’t exactly feel the same way in return, and some of whom are not even afraid of voicing their radical violent anti-government sentiments as of late.

Despite their thankless contributions to American society over the years, at this moment, government workers across the United States are being unceremoniously and unsystematically chainsawed by the unelected characters in the Trump Administration’s growing cast of capitalist clowns. While the eye of Saur-orange has been principally directed at federal agencies, a state agency, one that is near and dear to my heart, has recently caught its gaze: the California Coastal Commission.

Source: California Coastal Commission

The California Coastal Commission (aka the CCC) was first established in 1972 following the passage of Proposition 20, which granted what they first called the ’California Coastal Zone Conservation Commission’ the authority to oversee all development and economic activity along California’s over 840 miles of coastline for four years.

In 1976, the California Coastal Act established the California Coastal Commission as a permanent state agency with broad authority to protect California’s coasts by regulating all land and water use and ensuring public access across California’s coastal zone. Over the following four decades, the CCC evolved into one of the most powerful government bodies in California, and has largely grown to be seen as a fierce advocate for coastal preservation and environmental protections. Which, you know, used to be considered cool.

Source: California Coastal Commission

My crush on the California Coastal Commission began for real last December, when I attended my first ever meeting of the CCC to give my first ever public comment. Was I there because it was required for a graduate school assignment? Maybe! Was I excited to go anyway? Also maybe!

Regardless of my ambiguous motivations for joining, I was excited to express my genuine support for the permanent closure of the Great Highway to create a new coastal park in San Francisco. The measure, to me, seemed like a no-brainer and a win for the environment, residents, and tourists alike. Who doesn’t love a new public park, especially such an epic beach park in the center of a major American city? I tuned in expecting a non-stop back patting marathon from a variety of elderly people, environmental nerds, and tech-bros-turned-social-justice-warriors. I was WRONG!

Source: SPUR

During this marathon of public sentiment, comments revealed much consternation over the park including the impact it would have on traffic, parking, local birds, and a million other things I never imagined people could care this much about. After watching hours of intense public comments, I couldn’t help but look upon the commissioners faces and wonder, what in god could compel you to sign up for this job? How do you summon the will to perform with the unwavering professionalism and attention to detail needed to survive while managing the gauntlet of direct and intense feedback from the public??? Besides the lingering thrill at having my voice (briefly) heard directly by decision makers (which you can feel too 😉), I walked away with newfound respect for the CCC and the role they play in sifting through conflicting opinions for how to protect California’s coastlines for future generations. It’s not a glamorous job, but at a time when almost 40% of America’s population lives in coastal counties and within the evergreen churn of capitalist development in America, literally, someones gotta do it. When I think about the extreme coastline development parts of my home state, Florida, I’m struck with a sense of gratitude that I now live in a state that has an agency dedicated to leveling playing field and allowing people the ability to participate and have a say in what happens to their coastlines.

Source: KQED

That’s why when I read the recent news that Richard Grenelll, Trump advisor-slash-future Republican California gubernatorial candidate, is calling on the California Coastal Commission to be abolished as a condition on federal disaster relief following Southern California’s wildfires, I was mad. Pissed. Of all the things I had on my chaos-of-second-term-Trump bingo card, attempting to blackmail the state of California by withholding wildfire relief funds to get rid of a state agency within his first three months in office is not what I had in mind.

Now, the CCC isn’t exactly new to being threatened by politicians. A cursory search reveals a past where nearly every Governor of California has either tried to kill (or control) the CCC, all to differing results. What feels a wee bit different now is that the President of the United States is trying to target a state agency, highly likely at the urging of his billionaire friend, whose project was recently rejected by the CCC.

And why is Elon Musk mad at the CCC? Because they won’t let him launch more rockets off California’s coast. Last October, the CCC, using their power to approve or deny permits from private companies conducting activities that impact California’s coastline, denied the Vandenberg Space Force Base’s request to increase the number of SpaceX launches. This week, Musk responded positively to the new push to abolish the CCC and support of Representative Kiley’s new bill to rein in the agency’s power.

Source: Inside Climate News

So yeah, Elon Musk, aka the least charismatic man in America (at least after Mark Zuckerberg), is mad at the CCC, and now is the commander-in-chief. If you’ve read this far, I’m guessing you aren’t in the 11% of American adults who have a very favorable view of Elon. Hell, maybe you’re even in the 36% who have a very unfavorable rating of Musk. If you are, like me, I implore you to throw your support behind the California Coastal Commission. Nothing will troll the trolls more than using your voice about what happens on our coasts, and defending the institution that allows that input to be heard. Attend a meeting! Find and contact your elected officials and let them know how you feel about new efforts to abolish the CCC! Together, we can help keep the #CCCool, because the future of our iconic coasts depends on it.

Written by Ann Madden, MBC class of 2025