Coastal Act Protectors v. City of Los Angeles

INTRODUCTION

The California Coastal Act of 1976 (Pub. Resources Code, § 30000 et seq.; Coastal Act) provides a “comprehensive scheme to govern land use planning for the entire coastal zone of California.” (Pacific Palisades Bowl Mobile Estates, LLC v. City of Los Angeles (2012) 55 Cal.4th 783, 793.) One of its goals is to “[m]aximize public access to” the beach. (Pub. Resources Code, § 30001.5, subd. (c).) To that end, the Coastal Act requires a coastal development permit (CDP) for any “development” resulting in a change in the intensity of use of, or access to, land or water in a coastal zone. (Id., §§ 30600, subd. (a), 30106.) On December 11, 2018, the City of Los Angeles (the City) adopted the Home Sharing Ordinance No. 185,931 (Ordinance), which imposes certain restrictions on short-term vacation rentals, and provides mechanisms to enforce those restrictions. In February 2020, appellant Coastal Act Protectors (CAP) sought a writ of mandate to enjoin enforcement of the Ordinance in the Venice coastal zone until the City obtains a CDP. CAP claims the Ordinance constituted a “development” under the Coastal Act; therefore, CAP contends, the City acted illegally in failing to…