COAST serves as a platform for communicating expertise and delivering scientific insights to support informed policy development and evidence-based decision-making on ocean and coastal priorities. Acting as honest brokers, COAST and its members distill and provide the best available science to a range of key stakeholders, including:
- Federal, state and local governments
- Tribal Nations
- Community-based organizations and the public
Industry
With one-time funding totaling $8 million from the state of California, COAST developed the State Science Information Needs Program (SSINP) to directly support the state of California’s highest priority ocean and coastal related needs for scientific information. The program supports research designed to address California’s most critical ocean and coastal concerns and solutions. The goal of the program is to provide the science needed for informed policy development and evidence-based decision making in a timely and actionable manner.
As part of its on-going efforts to provide the State with the scientific information it requires to manage California’s extraordinary marine environment, COAST convenes legislative briefings and expert panels regularly in Sacramento. These events provide the legislature, state agencies and non-governmental organizations with the best available science for informed decision-making. COAST’s role is to be a neutral arbiter of information and to not advocate for any particular outcome.
CSU COAST Ocean & Coastal Science to Policy Briefing Series
Upcoming
The next briefing will occur late summer 2026
December 15, 2025: Shifting Shores, Unequal Access: Advancing Equity Along California’s Coast
CSU Topical Expertise
COAST has developed resources to summarize current ocean and coastal issues and provide information on CSU experts with relevant expertise. These experts are experienced in effective communication with non-scientists and are committed to informing decision-making and policy development.