Enforcing the Coastal Act

Enforcing the Coastal Act
Speaker:  Ellie Oliver, Northern California Enforcement Supervisor, California Coastal Commission
Thursday, December 11, 2025
6:00pm to 7:30pm Pacific Time
In-person event 
Morse Building, room B105
426 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA 93940

About the Topic

This talk will briefly cover the history of the Coastal Act and the Coastal Commission, then dive into what it is like to work to enforce the Coastal Act, with examples of cases big and small from the Central Coast District.

About the Speaker

Ellie Oliver is the enforcement supervisor for Northern California at the California Coastal Commission. Ellie earned a BS degree in Biology from Chico State, and then spent a few years teaching science and health both domestically and abroad as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mozambique. When one of her students refused to participate in a class activity to make musical instruments out of plastic straws on environmental grounds, Ellie was surprised to realize that her passion for the environment had been dulled with time and the stress of teaching seventh graders. To rekindle that spark, and find a career that didn’t make her cry, Ellie attended MIIS as an IEP student with an NRPM focus. Ellie learned about the Coastal Commission through a class at MIIS, applied, and was hired in August of 2021 as the district enforcement officer in the Central Coast District. She now supervises district enforcement from the Oregon border through SLO county, working address and resolve violations of the Coastal Act and is extremely happy to be working to protect California’s coast and public access.

Recommended Reading

• Coastal Commission Staff and Cemex reach proposed settlement to close sand mining operations, a Coastal Commission issued statement
• Rio Del Mar HOA’s fence spar over public walkway expected to go to trial later this year, by Christopher Neely in Lookout Santa Cruz, April 28, 2025

Location:  Morse Building, Room B105

The Morse Building is located at 426 Van Buren Street, Monterey, CA, 93940, on the campus of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. The Morse building usually has flags hanging from it, and is located next to the MIIS Our Green Thumb garden.  B105 is located toward the back of the building on the first floor.  There is a wheelchair lift in the Holland courtyard, and stairs can be avoided by circling the back of the Holland Center and back to Morse.   Restrooms are located in the Holland Center.  View the campus map.

Parking

Parking is available in any Middlebury Institute campus lot after 5 p.m., no parking permit required, no fee.  View the campus map. (be sure to not confuse city lots with campus lots—city lots do charge a fee).   Free parking is also available on the street (time limits on surrounding streets end at 6 p.m.).

About the Host

The Center for the Blue Economy is a research center at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, that provides economic and policy analysis to support the development of a robust and equitable blue economy for the 21^st century. The Center uses the World Bank’s definition of the Blue Economy: the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improved livelihoods and jobs, and ocean ecosystem health.   We must maintain ocean health to maintain human health, economic health, and the health of the planet.  Climate change is linked, inextricably, to a healthy ocean.  Consider joining our movement for Ocean Climate Action Now.    Consider joining our Center for the Blue Economy Newsletter List (3-4x per year by email).

Gratitude to Our Sponsors

We thank the Loker Hicks Foundation and the Nancy Eccles and Homer M. Hayward Family Foundation our sponsors.  

Questions

Contact Rachel Christopherson at the Center for the Blue Economy at cbe@miis.edu or (831) 647-4183.

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The Environmental Justice and Sustainability Speaker Series