Will Councilman Uranga Remain On Or Vanish From CA Coastal Comm'n? His Term Expires May 20; There Are No Term Limits; Choice By State Senate Rules Committee Has Historically Been Made Behind Closed Doors With No Confirmation Hearing/Public Input

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News Will Councilman Uranga Remain On Or Vanish From CA Coastal Comm'n? His Term Expires May 20; There Are No Term Limits; Choice By State Senate Rules Committee Has Historically Been Made Behind Closed Doors With No Confirmation Hearing/Public Input

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(May 5, 2021, 3:50 p.m.) - Will LB Councilman Roberto Uranga, whose term on the CA Coastal Commission expires on May 20, remain or go? His Coastal Commission term expires on May 20. It's not a term limited position meaning he could be reappointed by the state Senate Rules Committee. Historically, that Committee has made its decisions on Coastal Commission appointees behind closed doors with no public discussion.

Councilman Uranga couldn't be reached for comment.

Uranga was re-elected to his 7th district Council seat in 2018 and can legally seek a third Council term in 2022 but at this point hasn't filed paperwork to do so.

The Coastal Commission's 12 voting members aren't elected to their Coastal Commission positions; they're chosen by politicians, either by the Governor, the Assembly Speaker or the Senate Rules Committee. Each chooses four commissioners, two "public members" and two elected officials. Uranga's seat is among those occupied by local elected officials.

Uranga was appointed to the Coastal Commission effective March 18, 2015 after Robert Garcia -- who was appointed to the Coastal Commission in January 2013 when he was a voting LB Councilmember -- was surprised to learn he was legally precluded from remaining on the Commission when he became LB's non-voting Mayor in mid-July 2014.

An attempt was hastily made to change state law to let Garcia remain on the Coastal Commission using a "gut and amend" bill nominally carried by Assemblyman Anthony Rendon (D, Lakewood-Paramount) but its driving force was widely reported to be then-state Senator Ricardo Lara (D, Long Beach).

After news outlets (including LBREPORT.com) reported the Sacramento maneuver, the bill failed passage (LBREPORT.com coverage here..

Uranga was subsequently chosen in a closed door meeting of the state Senate Rules Committee. Reporters and the public were instructed to physically leave the Committee meeting room while it discussed and decided its choice.