Williams, Harmon Nominated for Coastal Commission

First District Supervisor Das Williams and Santa Barbara City Councilmember Meagan Harmon were both nominated on Tuesday by the Board of Supervisors to be the South Central Coast region representative on the California Coastal Commission.

“I love our coast. It is a resource that is essential in my life and essential in my daughter’s life and in the life of every Californian,” Harmon said. “I also know well and have a deep appreciation for the Coastal Act. It’s one of the most important laws ever written on coastal protection.”

The Coastal Commission aims to protect and enhance California’s coast and is made up of 12 voting members and three non-voting members. Six of the voting members are public members, and the other six are local elected officials who come from specific coastal districts. From those that are nominated by the supervisors, the governor, state committee on rules, or the Speaker of the Assembly will appoint a commissioner. 

The selection will not just be between Harmon and Williams. San Luis Obispo County is scheduled to make its nomination on Tuesday, and Ventura County already nominated its Supervisor Linda Parks and Oxnard councilmembers Gabriela Basua and Vianey Lopez and Port Hueneme Councilmember Laura Hernandez. Harmon was also nominated by the Ventura Mayor’s Committee in addition to her nomination by the Santa Barbara County Supervisors. If appointed, the elected official will maintain their position in office in addition to their new role on the Coastal Commission.

Guadalupe City Councilmember Antonio Ramirez also threw his hat in the ring, but because he was less known and had a shorter track record on coastal issues, he was not selected by the supervisors as a Coastal Commission nominee.

“I have spent my entire life enormously passionate about the coast, passionate about its preservation, passionate about our beaches and oceans,” Williams said about his nomination.