Categories: Big Sur

Statewide PCH & El Niño

Gov. Newsom signs order to protect Pacific Coast Highway, California coastal communities from El Niño impact

By Dean Fioresi

Updated on: October 27, 2026 / 10:37 PM PDT / CBS LA

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Tuesday to protect the Pacific Coast Highway and California coastal communities from the potential impacts of looming El Niño storms.

The order directs state agencies to prioritize preventative work before the storms hit and to begin planning for “growing climate threats facing the highway” beyond the storm season.

“Highway 1 is more than our nation’s most iconic roadway. It keeps our coastal economy moving. It gets people to work, children to school, goods to local businesses, first responders where they’re needed most, and visitors to our legendary beaches,” Newsom said in a statement. “We know what repeated closures cost these communities, and we’re putting state agencies to work now to reduce the danger before storms hit.”

Newsom signed the order from Crystal Cove State Park in Newport Beach, where emergency repair work recently shut down part of PCH after a large crack formed in a cliff under the highway between Newport Beach and Laguna Beach. (https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/gavin-newsom-pacific-coast-highway-pch-california-coast-protection-order-el-nino-impact/)

bigsurkate

Appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants (retired.) I have lived in Big Sur since 1984, first on the north coast, and on the South Coast since 1989.