SANTA CRUZ >> Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings’ tenure on the powerful California Coastal Commission will be short-lived after California Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas selected Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez to fill his seat when a fresh term begins next week.

Rivas, who wields sole authority for the appointment, announced Friday that Lopez will assume the Central Coast seat on the 12-voting member statewide commission for the coming four-year term. His tenure begins Wednesday.

Rivas, raised in Paicines near Hollister, noted in the release that it was especially important to him that farm and agricultural workers living and recreating along the Central Coast have a seat at the table when it comes to the immensely impactful decisions that often come before the commission.

“California’s coast is a national treasure, and we must protect this iconic landscape thoughtfully for the future,” Rivas said in the release from his office. “It belongs to all of us, and should be open to more of us as a place to live and work. Agricultural communities and farmworkers are the economy’s backbone all along our Central Coast, and their voices must be at the center of decisions about the coast’s stewardship. Supervisor Lopez has spent his career serving the Monterey region, he deeply understands this part of our great state, and he has the experience, vision, and perspective that’s long overdue on the Coastal Commission. I’m proud to appoint him to this critical role.”Cummings, the commission’s current chair, applied for and was chosen for the Central Coast seat in 2023 by then-Speaker Anthony Rendon after the seat was left vacant halfway through a four-year term. Rivas, who succeeded Rendon as speaker just a few months after Cummings was selected, had a private conversation with Cummings in January to let him know he planned to solicit nominations from the broader region.

“Part of it is that I was appointed by the previous speaker,” Cummings told the Sentinel in March. “I was able to fill out (my predecessor’s) term and now that the new speaker is in (his) seat, it’s an opportunity for (him) to consider people from around the region as well.”

The Coastal Commission wields tremendous power over the state’s 840 miles of coastline and is tasked with making highly influential land use and public access decisions within an acreage that is larger than the state of Rhode Island.

“As a proud son of rural Monterey County with deep roots in the fertile soils of the Salinas Valley, I am deeply honored by Speaker Rivas’ appointment to the California Coastal Commission,” Lopez said in the release. “Our coast is a vital lifeline for communities, economies, and ecosystems, yet it faces pressing challenges — from climate change to equitable access and the urgent need for workforce housing. I step into this role with hope, resolve, and a commitment to listen and lead. Drawing strongly upon my Latino heritage and experience, I’m ready to tackle these issues collaboratively, ensuring our coast remains resilient, inclusive, and a place where working families can thrive for generations to come.”

When Cummings, who holds a doctorate in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz, was selected for the seat two years ago, he became the first Santa Cruz County public official to serve on the commission since 2012.