I.B. MAYOR WILL REPRESENT LOCAL COAST ON STATE PANEL

Paloma Aguirre will represent San Diego County on the California Coastal Commission with a focus on equitable access to the coast.

The Imperial Beach mayor will serve the remainder of former Commissioner Steve Padilla’s term, which expires May 2025. Padilla, a former Chula Vista council member, is now serving in the Legislature.

“I am honored to have been appointed to the commission, particularly as our state’s coast faces the impacts related to climate change,” she said in a statement.

State Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon appointed her to the role on Feb. 22.

“Mayor Aguirre’s commitment to environmental justice, educational experience in marine biodiversity, and her professional experience in environmental preservation will be a benefit to all Californians, and the health of our coastline. I am confident she will be a champion for our state’s coast,” Rendon said in a statement.

Aguirre had been serving as an alternate to Padilla, who was the commission’s chairperson. When joining as an alternate in 2021, she said she would focus on environmental justice.

That’s still a priority for her now as San Diego’s representative, she said.

“As the leader of a frontline community, which has been experiencing the existential threat of sewage pollution, sea level rise, and rapidly increasing cost of housing, I look forward to bringing an environmental and social justice lens to the decisions we make collectively at the commission,” Aguirre said in a statement. “Environmental sustainability and equitable coastal access will be a priority for me as we work to ensure all Californians can enjoy our coast and precious natural resources.”

Aguirre earned her master’s degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from UC San Diego. In 2016, she worked for U.S. Sen. Cory Booker in Washington, D.C., as a Sea Grant Knauss fellow with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, focusing on drafting and passing legislation aimed at reducing waste in oceans.

The 12-member panel, an independent and quasi-judicial state agency, plans and regulates the use of land and water along the state’s 1,100mile coastline. Commissioners receive $100 per meeting and $12.50 an hour in preparation which should not exceed eight hours.

tammy.murga@sduniontribune.com

Paloma Aguirre