The California Coastal Commission (CCC) is a state agency within the California Natural Resources Agency with quasi-judicial control of land and public access along the state's coastline. Its mission as defined in the California Coastal Act is "to protect, conserve, restore, and enhance the environment of the California coastline". Protection of coastal resources includes shoreline public access and recreation, lower cost visitor accommodations, terrestrial and marine habitat protection, visual resources, and regulation of agricultural lands, commercial fisheries, and industrial infrastructure. By regulating land use within a defined coastal zone extending inland from up to , it has the authority to control construction of any type, including buildings, housing, roads, as well as fire and erosion abatement structures, and can issue fines for unapproved construction. It has been called the single most powerful land-use authority in the United States due to its purview over vast environmental assets and extremely valuable real estate. Property rights activists and real estate developers say that the CCC has exceeded its mission, violated property rights of citizens, and worsened California's housing shortage by limiting housing supply. Environmentalists, on the other hand, say that the Commission has protected open space, views, habitats, and public coastal access. Composition The commission is composed of 12 voting members, 6 chosen from the general public, and 6 appointed elected officials. Being on the commission can carry responsibilities which are highly politicized. The 12 appointed commissioners control zoning, compel property alterations, impose fines, bestow construction approvals or vetoes, and require public thoroughfares on private property. Separate from the appointed Commissioners are the commission's employed staff, numbering some 164 people during 2021–22. Jonathan Zasloff, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles stated that “The commission is the single most powerful land use authority in the United States given the high values of its jurisdiction and its high environmental assets.” and that, because its members are appointed by the governor and the State Senate and Assembly leaders (which have generally been Democrats), “The commission reflects a constituency that is important to Democrats." Authority Development activities are broadly defined by the Coastal Act to include (among others) construction of buildings, divisions of land, and activities that change the intensity of use of land or public access to coastal waters. Development usually requires a Coastal Development Permit from either the Coastal Commission or the local government if such development would occur within the