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California Coastal Commission loses bid to ban vehicles on the Oceano Dunes

July 10, 2025

BY KAREN VELIE

The California Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to hear the California Coastal Commission’s appeal regarding its attempt to ban off-road vehicle use at the Oceano Dunes. The is a victory for Friends of the Oceano Dunes who have battled for years to allow vehicle recreation and camping on the dunes.

In March 2021, the Coastal Commission voted unanimously to phase out off-road vehicle usage at the Oceano Dunes over three years and to close the Pier Avenue entrance by July 1, 2022. Their plan was to deny California State Park’s renewal of its coastal development permit and close the dunes to vehicles.

At the time, commissioners argued vehicle usage at the dunes harms the environment and does not comply with the California Coastal Act. The commissioners also cited environmental justice as a justification for closing the park to vehicles.

Friends of Oceano Dunes, a nonprofit that represents approximately 28,000 supporters of off-road recreation, challenged the Coastal Commission in a series of petitions for writ of mandate, alleging the Coastal Commission had no authority to close the dunes. They also alleged that the commission violated the Coastal Act and the California Environmental Quality Act when closing the entrance.

San Luis Obispo Superior Court Judge Tana Coates ruled on July 19, 2023 that the California Coastal Commission overstepped its authority when it attempted to ban off-road vehicle usage at the Oceano Dunes.

Shortly afterwards, the California Coastal Commission appealed Coates’ ruling.

In its appeal, the Coastal Commission argued the trial court erred in finding that it does not have the authority to ban off-road vehicle use at Oceano Dunes through denial of the coastal development permit and that it did not violate environmental laws when it closed the Pier Avenue entrance.

On March 24, 2025, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the California Coastal Commission overstepped its authority when it attempted to ban off-road vehicle usage at the Oceano Dunes. The court also ruled the Coastal Commission violated the law when it shut down the Pier Avenue entrance to the Oceano Dunes State Recreational Area.

After the Coastal Commission certified San Luis Obispo County’s local coastal plan in the 1980s, the county had the authority to amend the plan, not the Coastal Commission, according to the appellate court ruling.

The Coastal Commission then appealed its case to the California Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the case affirms Judge Coates’ July 19, 2023 ruling. Friends’ victory stops the Coastal Commission  from banning off-road vehicle recreation at the Oceano Dunes.

A recent study showed that Oceano Dunes’ visitors from outside San Luis Obispo County generate more than $500 million in economic impact annually.

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If we left things up to an unelected coastal commision the state would be boring and not fun… wait till the fire victims in Santa Monica get a taste of this unconstitutional commision….


15

Sad. I want nothing more than for these dunes to be shut down. It attracts Valley-trash who don’t respect the land or the locals. Walk around Oceano and you’ll still see leftovers from the fireworks they never clean up. What good is the money that it brings in if it’s wasted on chaperoning these deplorables and cleaning up their messes?


-79

The only wall that needs to be built is one between here and the central valley.


-21

$500 million ????


7

Hahaha! I agree!


-1

I have a feeling all these downvotes are from people who don’t actually live here


-2

Good. Now get rid of the ground squirrels (along with the C3) that erode the bluffs. Yet one more C3 Eco religion that puts animals/enviro before people.


32

Can’t shoot them, thanks to the enviroweenie’s Condors. Can’t use Compound 1080, thanks to lies from the enviroweenies. Can’t use kill traps, because they don’t work. And, can’t use live traps, because you have to then let them go, which creates another infestation elsewhere. Can’t use poison smokers (think of the chillllldren). They could use highway flares (used those for many decades on the ranch, when we weren’t shooting them), but I’m sure Caltrans and Cal Fire would have a tizzy.


Best way these days, is to deep disc, which destroys nests, broods, and food source. But, we ALL know what high level the screaming would be, if they plowed the “scenic overlooks”.


7

What will poor little Jimmy Paulding do now that he can’t pander to the people in Trilogy anymore. And what will Bruce Gibson do now that he can’t try to control it from the board of supervisors, or the APCD? I wonder how they will accept their defeat? Will they admit that they were wrong all along and wasted millions and millions of taxpayer dollars?


74

Great news!! Judge Coates made the right ruling from the beginning. Huge waste of taxpayer money. The unelected Coastal Commissioners and staff should be dissolved.


85

the entire CA gov’t, along with the whole of the CA Constitution is in default of the US Constitution.


see newcaliforniastate.com


4

So happy to see the Coastal Commission, including its enabling staff, put in its place—the dunce corner. Now, how much of our public dollars do they have to shell out for their hubris? If it was their dime, they would keep their condescending, hypocritical edicts to themselves. They should pay!


64

The California Coastal Commision needs to be dissolved.


79

And fined, for their reckless and expensive mistakes.


46