HomeMy WebLinkAboutAB 2373 (Dixon) Neighborhood-Scale Adaption Approach for Coastal Planning - City of SLO - SUPPORTCity of San Luis Obispo, Office of the City Council, 990 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA, 93401-3249, 805.781.7114,
slocity.org
April 21, 2026
The Honorable Diane Dixon
Member, California State Assembly
1021 O Street, Suite 5330
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: AB 2373 (Dixon) Neighborhood-Scale Adaption Approach for Coastal Planning.
Notice of SUPPORT (As Introduced on February 20, 2026)
Dear Assemblymember Dixon,
The City of San Luis Obispo is pleased to support AB 2373 (Dixon), which would allow coastal cities
and counties to use the neighborhood-scale adaptation approach when updating Local Coastal
Programs (LCPs). This approach would support more effective and implementable coastal adaptation
planning in response to sea level rise, coastal flooding, and erosion that is impacting California’s
coastline.
While the City of San Luis Obispo is not itself a coastal jurisdiction, it is deeply connected to and
economically, environmentally, and socially reliant upon the health and resilience of the broader
Central Coast. Our community shares transportation networks, resources, and economic ties,
including tourism and workforce connections, with nearby coastal communities. As such, the impacts
of sea level rise, coastal flooding, and shoreline change extend beyond jurisdictional boundaries and
directly affect inland communities like ours.
Under the Coastal Act, LCPs are critically important planning tools that balance coastal resource
protection with community development and public access. However, updating LCPs can be
challenging for coastal cities and counties due to limited local capacity, the complexity of managing
a changing coastal environment with a variety of hazards, and the need for consistency expectations
for LCP certification and approval by the state. These challenges are compounded by the increasing
impacts of climate change, including sea level rise and stronger storm surge events, which require
both near-term planning decisions and long-term adaptation strategies.
AB 2373 would help address these challenges by authorizing coastal local governments to use a
neighborhood-scale adaptation approach when developing land use policies and implementation
measures within their LCPs. This bill would define neighborhood-scale adaptation approach in statute
to help local governments identify specific areas or assets of coastline with shared characteristics and
apply adaptation strategies based on the geophysical conditions and land use patterns of the defined
areas or assets. By supporting cities and counties with their LCP updates on a more manageable scale,
the bill would improve local planning and provide greater certainty while ensuring continued
consistency with the Coastal Act.
For these reasons, the City of San Luis Obispo supports AB 2373 (Dixon).
Sincerely,
Erica A. Stewart
Mayor
City of San Luis Obispo
cc: Members of the San Luis Obispo City Council
Senator John Laird
Assemblymember Dawn Addis
Dave Mullinax, League of California Cities
League of California Cities, cityletters@cacities.org