Established in 1938, the Commission manages 4 million acres of tide and submerged lands and the beds of natural navigable rivers, streams, lakes, bays, estuaries, inlets, and straits. These lands, often referred to as sovereign or public trust lands, stretch from the Klamath River and Goose Lake in the north to the Tijuana Estuary in the south, the Colorado River in the east, and from the Pacific Coast three miles offshore to world-famous Lake Tahoe in the east, and includes California’s two longest rivers, the Sacramento and San Joaquin. The Commission, in its capacity as a landowner, protects and enhances these lands and natural resources by issuing leases for use, development, and environmental preservation, championing public access, and resolving boundaries between public and private lands.
The Commission oversees sovereign land granted in trust to about 70 local jurisdictions, which are predominantly prime waterfront lands, coastal waters, and the lands underlying California’s five major ports. Through its actions, the Commission secures and safeguards the public’s access rights to navigable waterways and the coastline and preserves irreplaceable natural habitats for wildlife, vegetation, and biological communities.
The Commission, through its two regulatory programs, protects state waters from marine invasive species introductions and prevents oil spills by regulating oil transfers at marine oil terminals. The Commission is a leader in the fight against climate change and transitioning away from fossil fuel to clean energy, managing a portfolio of renewable energy leases and working alongside the California Energy Commission and others to bring offshore wind energy to California.
