CONTRA COSTA RESILIENT SHORELINE COMMITTEE
Meeting Date: April 13, 2026
Subject: RECEIVE Presentation on Contra Costa County Resilient Shoreline Plan Update
Submitted For: CONTRA COSTA RESILIENT SHORELINE COMMITTEE
Department: DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION & DEVELOPMENT
Presenter: Ryan Hernandez || Assistant Deputy Director | DCD
Contact: Ryan Hernandez | (925) 655-2919
Referral History:
Sea level rise is projected to accelerate over the next century. Without preparation and planning, increased sea levels will result in increased temporary and permanent inundation of the Contra Costa shoreline with no regard for jurisdictional boundaries. To address this cross-jurisdictional hazard, Contra Costa County will develop the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan (Plan) for the county’s entire unincorporated shoreline that will be developed in close coordination with all shoreline cities.
The Plan will:
• comply with the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s (BCDC) adopted Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP) Guidelines and incorporate the 2024 State of California Sea Level Rise (SLR) Guidance.
• include an update to the county’s existing vulnerability assessments.
• be built upon an extensive community participatory engagement and visioning campaign and shaped by robust input from local agencies and stakeholders through the Resilient Shoreline Coalition.
• include adaptation pathways and implementation actions at a more granular level than what has been developed previously through larger regional efforts, exploring natural and constructed infrastructure improvements.
• embody a community-driven vision for the future of Contra Costa’s shoreline centered on the values and priorities of environmental justice communities and chart an equitable path forward towards priority shoreline adaptation projects.
The development of the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan will build capacity and provide a strong foundation for Contra Costa County’s efforts to proactively prepare for and respond to the impacts of sea level rise.
Referral Update:
Since the last time the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Committee received an update on the Contra Costa County Resilient Shoreline Plan, the County has onboarded our consultant team and submitted its Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare a Subregional Shoreline Adaptation Plan to BCDC. The NOI was determined to be complete on March 25, 2026. The project team will meet with BCDC in April for an initial consultation.
Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):
RECEIVE presentation on the Contra Costa County Resilient Shoreline Plan and provide direction to staff as appropriate.
Fiscal Impact (if any):
The costs in staff time and materials for the Department of Conservation and Development’s work activities associated with the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Committee are funded by the Measure X - Climate Equity and Resilience Investment allocation administered by the Department. The Department continues to pursue opportunities for grant and other funding mechanisms to support this effort.