OPC Steering Committee
The Ocean Protection Council Steering Committee (Committee) is composed of senior representatives of state departments, boards, and commissions with ocean and coastal protection responsibilities.
Purpose
The Committee plays an essential role in advancing multi-agency approaches to addressing key ocean and coastal resource management issues that span California state agencies. These include: climate change adaptation, marine spatial planning, implementing marine protected areas, and improving coastal water quality.
Objectives
The Committee works as a whole, or via sub-committees to:
- Assist the OPC in identifying priorities for each fiscal year
- Identify strategies, projects, and programmatic approaches within and across agencies to address these top priorities
- Assess the capabilities of agencies to carry out their ocean and coastal protection responsibilities
- Identify necessary funding for priority actions—either through redeploying existing funds, developing cross-cutting budgets, or identifying new funding
- Recommend necessary legislative action or regulatory changes to implement priority actions and strategies
Steering Committee Members
Lucia Becerra—Acting Director, Department of Boating and Waterways
Chuck Bonham —Director, Department of Fish and Game
Mark Nechodom – Director, Department of Conservation
Ruth Coleman—Director, California State Parks
Mark Cowin—Director, Department of Water Resources
Curtis Fossum—Executive Director, State Lands Commission
Robert Oglesby – Executive Director, California Energy Commission
Caroll Mortenson – Director, CalRecycle
Charles Lester—Executive Director, California Coastal Commission
Sonke Mastrup—Executive Director, Fish and Game Commission
Deborah Raphael—Director, Department of Toxic Substance Control
Sam Schuchat—Executive Officer, State Coastal Conservancy
Fran Spivy-Weber—Vice Chair, State Water Resources Control Board
Steve Goldbeck— Acting Executive Director, SF Bay Conservation and Development Commission
