Council Sets Aside $1 Million for El Niño Coast Response

The California Ocean Protection Council is funding coastal monitoring and intervention as El Niño conditions threaten marine ecosystems.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Environmental

Council Sets Aside $1 Million for El Niño Coast Response

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Should California spend more public money protecting its coastline from climate threats?

The California Ocean Protection Council has set aside $1 million from Proposition 4 for rapid coastal monitoring and targeted intervention during El Niño. No Fort Bragg or Mendocino County agency had announced plans to apply for the funding.

Why it matters

The state's staff report says current conditions closely match the 2014 to 2016 period, when a marine heat wave and El Niño wiped out most of the North Coast's bull kelp. The funding is available to local agencies on the Mendocino Coast as the region faces similar ocean conditions.

The available figures come from state funding allocations: the $1 million set-aside, grant sizes between $50,000 and $250,000, and the $199,380 first award for kelp monitoring at 12 Monterey Bay sites. Whether any Mendocino Coast entity will apply, and how the pending second award will be allocated, remain unresolved.

The players

California Ocean Protection Council

A state body that funds and coordinates ocean conservation and coastal protection efforts along California's shoreline.

The details

Proposals for the funding were due Nov. 6, with late submissions accepted through Nov. 13. The Fort Bragg City Council's recent agendas did not mention the funding, and the Noyo Harbor District had not taken it up.

2014 to 2016: Marine heat wave and El Niño wiped out most North Coast bull kelp.
2020: The council spent $500,000 paying divers to remove purple urchins from Noyo Bay and Caspar Cove.
2024: Voters passed Proposition 4, the climate bond funding the program.
Sept. 21: The governor declared an El Niño emergency without attached funding.
Nov. 6: Proposal deadline, with late submissions accepted through Nov. 13.

Big Picture

State staff say current conditions closely match the 2014 to 2016 marine heat wave and El Niño, which wiped out most of the North Coast's bull kelp. The new $1 million response is being positioned against that documented precedent, though the outcome of the current season is not yet known.

Coastal residents and local agencies on the Mendocino Coast can apply for grants of $50,000 to $250,000 for kelp and ocean monitoring. Those who do not submit by the deadline will not be considered for the current round of funding.

The takeaway

Local agencies that want a share of state El Niño funding need to act quickly, since the first round closed in mid-November. Monitoring the coming king tide windows can help communities anticipate where ocean impacts are likely to be most severe.

What happens next

The State Coastal Conservancy is weighing another $1 million on Dec. 3, focused on San Francisco Bay and Southern California. Local officials expect king tides on Nov. 24 to 26, Dec. 23 to 25 and Jan. 21 to 22 to cause the most harm.