Justin Cummings has shored up unparalleled support for a Coastal Commission reappointment. Will it be enough?

The next Central Coast politician to serve on the powerful California Coastal Commission will solely be the preference of California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas. However, were it a popularity contest, Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings would have a strong argument. 

Cummings’ interim term on the Coastal Commission, where he currently serves as chair, expires on May 20. In early March, Rivas, whose District 29 reaches into Watsonville, announced he would forgo reappointment and host an open process, in which the three Central Coast counties — Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Mateo — would nominate local elected officials for the influential post. Often, the instinct for the nominating bodies — the county boards of supervisors and a committee composed of all the mayors within a county — is to choose their own elected officials, so as to have entree with the commission.

The nominee lists have been submitted to Rivas, and Cummings is the only person nominated by all three counties, receiving unanimous support from the boards of supervisors in each, as well as the city selection committee in Santa Cruz County. The other nominees include Santa Cruz County Supervisor Manu Koenig, Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez, Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Debbie Ruddock and Monterey Mayor Tyller Williamson. 

Cummings, a former Santa Cruz mayor with a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz, has also earned support from Rep. Jimmy Pannetta, former congressman Sam Farr, state Sen. John Laird and Assemblymembers Gail Pellerin and Dawn Addis, as well as environmental groups from Humboldt County to San Diego. In December, Cummings was appointed as chair to lead the commission — just in time for the start of the second Trump administration and heightened scrutiny from both conservatives and Gov. Gavin Newsom over the agency’s work. 

On Wednesday, Cummings, who was just finishing a tour around Santa Cruz County with the California Coastal Conservancy (Cummings’ chairship of the Coastal Commission also puts him on the state conservancy’s board), told Lookout the broad support for his reappointment was a product of the work he’s done during his two-year stint on the commission. He was appointed in March 2023 by then-speaker Anthony Rendon to fill a vacancy. 

“During my time on the commission, I’ve tried to make myself available to local elected officials when they call me and, as a result, I think people see me as someone who is in this job to do the work and really represent the district as best I can,” Cummings said. “At this point, I think I’ve done everything I could do to demonstrate my interest in the seat.” 

The choice ultimately sits with Rivas, who has not yet publicly signaled a preference. Many took his decision to hold an open nomination process as indication he wanted someone else in the seat. One narrative making its way through Central Coast political circles puts Monterey County’s Lopez as the favorite, largely as a political calculation for Rivas. Lopez represents much of the Salinas Valley, which makes up a significant swath of Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s congressional district. Rivas is said to be interested in that seat as Lofgren nears retirement, and the thinking goes that Lopez could be an important ally for Rivas in garnering Salinas Valley support. 

Yet, the heart of Lopez’s district sits more than 1½ hours from the nearest coastline, and many have resisted the notion of an inland elected official making decisions on an influential coastal land-use agency, particularly Lopez. 

“Chris Lopez has a terrible environmental record,” Mike DeLapa, executive director of the climate-focused nonprofit LandWatch Monterey County. DeLapa’s organization has since gone all-in on its support for Cummings. In an April 4 letter to Rivas, DeLapa called the Santa Cruz County supervisor “one of the most qualified and committed Coastal Commissioners in the history of the Commission.” 

Last week, Lopez told Monterey County Weekly the notion that only coastal officials should serve on the commission was “the very reason” why he put his hat in the ring. “I disagree with that assumption and I think that is harmful to California where we share resources, we share the coast,” he told the news outlet. 

Monterey County Supervisor Luis Alejo, who represents Salinas, praised Cummings during a March 25 supervisors meeting as “very approachable and reasonable on issues that matter to the Monterey Bay area,” and said “he would continue to serve us very well.” While he voted to nominate Cummings, Alejo also acknowledged that Rivas’ decision to not simply reappoint him clearly signaled the speaker “wanted to see other options.”

“The perspective of [Lopez’s] constituents, more inland, are also important at the Coastal Commission, because that’s the Coastal Commission’s job, to ensure public access,” Alejo said during the meeting last month. “Not only looking at development and environmental protection, but public access to the poorest people in our state that often don’t have the greatest access because they live more inland because it’s cheaper to live there.” 

Last week, Cummings also received unanimous support from the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors. During an April 10 meeting, Supervisor Noelia Corzo said the Coastal Commission has “worked more effectively and collaboratively with other jurisdictions” under Cummings’ leadership, and cited his support for “responsible housing development,” coastal adaptation and resiliency.

“He is a renter, an environmental scientist, and has been a really strong leader in Santa Cruz and in our state,” Corzo said. 

There is no firm deadline for Rivas to make the appointment, but expect one before Cummings’ term expires on May 20.

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