Addis Calls on Coastal Commission to Uphold Public Trust and Strengthen Diablo Canyon Oversight

SACRAMENTO - Assemblymember Dawn Addis (D-Morro Bay) urged the California Coastal Commission (CCC) to reject its staff recommendation to approve Pacific Gas & Electric Company's application for permitting at Diablo Canyon Power Plant:

October 30, 2025
California Coastal Commission
455 Market Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94105

RE: Request for Strengthened Mitigation Measures; Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) Application for Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP); November 6 Hearing Items Th8a and Th9a

Dear Chair Harmon and Commissioners:

As the Assemblymember representing California's 30th Assembly District, the only State Legislator living within one of the twelve evacuation/shelter-in-place zones surrounding Diablo Canyon Power Plant (DCPP), and a former Morro Bay City Councilmember, I write to you with first-hand experience of both the policy issues and daily realities of this nuclear plant's continued operation. As Co-Chair of the California Legislative Central Coast Caucus, I know how any decision about DCPP intersects with the safety, welfare, and livelihoods of people across the Central Coast. This is why, with great respect for the work of the California Coastal Commission ("Commission"), I must express serious concerns about inadequacies in the Commission's staff report regarding Pacific Gas and Electric Company's (PG&E) application to extend operations at DCPP. I urge the Commission to reject its staff's recommendation and to proceed with approval of a Coastal Development Permit (CDP) only when the CDP contains strong mitigation measures, including those acknowledged by Commission staff.

In 2018, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) approved PG&E's plan to retire DCPP and cease operations. At that time, SB 1090 (Monning, Chapter 561, Statutes of 2018), set the framework for DCPP's retirement and created essential transition resources. That policy was successfully reflected and implemented the value of high-quality mitigation to the well-being of local jurisdictions and the people they serve.

In 2022, SB 846 (Dodd, Chapter 239, Statutes of 2022) extended operation of DCPP. This bill provided PG&E with a $1.4 billion state loan without a clear pathway for payback, granted a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) categorical exemption, extended the plant retirement to 2030, and retained the Commission's authority for environmental mitigation. The rushed negotiations of SB 846, in the last moments of the legislative session, were a worry for many who feared San Luis Obispo County communities would lose out on the full and fair mitigation they needed.

Our local communities, and all Californians who look to the Commission for leadership, cannot afford for the CDP to require anything less than the highest level of accountability. Therefore, I strongly urge mitigation within the Commission's purview that includes: 1) the transfer of the underlying fee title for Wild Cherry Canyon (for which I helped allocate $40 million in 2024) to State Parks or a non-profit conservation group; 2) the full establishment of conservation easements across the entire North and South Ranches; and 3) the endowment and management of public access trails for all Diablo Canyon lands. Furthermore, until the promises of SB 846 are fulfilled, the public trust is restored, and there is an established need for DCPP within California's energy grid beyond 2030, there should be no assumption of extending DCPP operation after its 2030 expiration date.

We govern in a time when both environmental protections and public trust are under unprecedented attack. As stewards of the public good, we have a duty to our local communities to ensure that every next step is grounded in promises not only made, but kept. Therefore, I respectfully urge the Coastal Commission to revisit its review of PG&E's application and to require mitigation measures that truly reflect the values and needs not only of the Central Coast, but of all Californians who depend on our coastal regions for environmental health, biodiversity, and economic vitality.

Sincerely,

Dawn Addis Assemblymember, 30th District

Dawn Addis was elected to the California State Assembly in 2022 to represent the coastal 30th Assembly District, which includes San Luis Obispo, Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties. She is the Chair of the Assembly Budget Subcommittee 1 on Health.

CONTACT: Alexis Garcia-Arrazola, (831) 649-2832