Original Agenda Posted at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 16, 2026

Regular Meeting

Agenda

July 28, 2026

California State Lands Commission
100 Howe Avenue, Suite 100 South
Sacramento, California 95825

10:00 a.m.

  • Malia M. Cohen, Chair,
    State Controller
  • Eleni Kounalakis, Member,
    Lieutenant Governor
  • Joe Stephenshaw, Member,
    Director of the Department of Finance

Voting Record

Commissioners Present

  • Malia M. Cohen, State Controller (Harpreet Nakhwal, Attorney, was present for Consent Calendar, Regular Calendar, and Public Comment.)
  • Eleni Kounalakis, Lieutenant Governor
  • Department of Finance – no representative present

Confirmation of the Minutes

  • The Minutes of the April 7, 2026 meeting were approved by a vote of 3-0 (Cohen–Yes; Larson–Yes; Perrault–Yes).

Consent Calendar

  • Consent Items 01 and 02 were approved as presented by a vote of 2-0 (Cohen–Yes; Kounalakis–Yes; Finance–Not present).

Regular Calendar

  • Item 03 – No staff presentation was made. The item was informational, no vote required.

Closed Session

The Executive Officer reported the following:

Pursuant to Government Code section 11126, subdivision (c)(7), the Commission met in closed session regarding applications for the assignment of four leases governing the use of existing offshore oil and gas pipelines traversing State waters associated with the Santa Ynez Unit in federal waters, the Ellwood Pier, and two mooring buoys offshore Santa Barbara County.

The Chief Counsel reported the following:

In the case of Johns et al. v. the County of Orange et al., the Commission heard a settlement offer, and the Commission has considered and rejected that settlement offer in the Johns v. Orange County, but has authorized Commission staff to extend a counteroffer, which we will pursue and coordinate with the Attorney General’s office and the Executive Officer on finalizing that settlement and counteroffer.

In the second item, In re Signal Hill which is the Signal Hill Bankruptcy Proceeding, the Commission considered and accepted a settlement offer and staff will continue to move forward with that, as will the Executive Officer in coordination and guidance of the Attorney General’s office.

Abbreviations and acronyms

  • A and S references are to Assembly and Senate districts
  • CEQA – California Environmental Quality Act

Order of Business

I.  Open Session – 10:00 a.m.

II.  Consent Calendar 01-02

The following items are considered to be noncontroversial and are subject to change at any time up to the date of the meeting.

Item Summary
01

LS POWER GRID CALIFORNIA, LLC (APPLICANT) 
Consider application for a General Lease – Right-of-Way Use, of sovereign land located in the Alameda Flood Control Channel, Coyote Creek, and Scott Creek, near Fremont, Alameda County; and the Guadalupe River, near San Jose, Santa Clara County; for the installation and use of electrical cables, communication lines, and ground continuity cables within various conduits, a communication handhole and a vault. CEQA Consideration: Environmental Impact Report, certified by the California Public Utilities Commission, State Clearinghouse No. 2024071095, and adoption of a Mitigation Monitoring Program and Statement of Findings. (A5037; RA# 20247134) (A 24, 26; S 10) (Staff: M. Schroeder)

02

U. S. BUREAU OF PRISONS (APPLICANT)
Consider cessions of legislative jurisdiction to establish concurrent criminal legislative jurisdiction pursuant to California Government Code Section 126 over federal land under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons comprising the United States Penitentiary at Atwater, Merced County; the former Federal Prison Camp at Boron, San Bernardino County; the Metropolitan Detention Center at Los Angeles, Los Angeles County; the Federal Correctional Institution at Mendota, Fresno County; and the former Correctional Institution at Taft, Kern County. CEQA Consideration: not a project. (FJ 0110.1, 0115.2, 0119.9, 0124.3, and 0136.3; RA# 2025645) (A 27, 32, 34, 54; S 12, 14, 19, 26) (Staff: P. Huber)

III.  Regular Calendar 03

Item Summary
03

NOTICE OF CONFERENCE WITH REAL PROPERTY NEGOTIATOR (INFORMATIONAL, NO PRESENTATION) 
Instructions to staff negotiators in Closed Session, pursuant to Government Code section 11126(c)(7), regarding applications for assignment of four leases governing the use of existing offshore oil and gas pipelines traversing state waters associated with the Santa Ynez Unit in federal waters, the Ellwood Pier, and two mooring buoys, offshore Santa Barbara County. Negotiating Parties: State Lands Commission, ExxonMobil, Pacific Offshore Pipeline Company, and Sable Offshore Corp. Under negotiation: price and terms. CEQA Consideration: not a project. (Lease Nos. PRC 4977, PRC 5515, PRC 6371, and PRC 7163) (A 37; S 21) (Staff: D. Simpkin, C. Workman)

IV.  Public Comment

V.  Commissioners’ Comments

VI.  Closed Session

At any time during the meeting, the Commission may meet in a session closed to the public to consider the matters listed below pursuant to Government Code section 11126, part of the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act.

A. Litigation

The Commission may consider pending and possible litigation pursuant to the confidentiality of attorney-client communications and privileges provided under Government Code section 11126, subdivision (e).

  1. The Commission may consider pending and possible matters that fall under Government Code section 11126, subdivision (e)(2)(A), concerning adjudicatory proceedings before a court, an administrative body exercising its adjudicatory authority, a hearing officer, or an arbitrator, to which the Commission is a party. Such matters currently include the following:
    • California State Lands Commission v. Signal Hill Service, Inc.; Pacific Operators, Inc., dba Pacific Operators Offshore, Inc.; DOES 1-100
    • California State Lands Commission, et al. v. Martins Beach 1 LLC, et al.
    • California State Lands Commission v. Salt River Construction Corporation; Rick Moseley; et al.
    • California State Lands Commission v. United States Environmental Protection Agency, et al.
    • Casa Blanca Beach Estates Owners Association v. California State Lands Commission, et al.
    • Dezirae Cadena, et al. v. City of Parker Dam, et al.
    • In re: Signal Hill Service, Inc, Bankruptcy Chapter 7
    • In re: Temblor Petroleum Company, LLC, Bankruptcy Chapter 11
    • Martins Beach 1, LLC and Martins Beach 2, LLC v. Effie Turnbull-Sanders, et al.
    • Medina v. State of California, et al.
    • Morro Bay Commercial Fisherman’s Association, et al. v. California State Lands Commission, et al.
    • Oakland Bulk and Oversized Terminal, LLC v. City of Oakland
    • Pipeline P00547
    • San Francisco Baykeeper v. California State Lands Commission
    • State Lands Commission v. Casa Blanca Beach Estates Owners’ Association, et al.
    • United States v. Walker River Irrigation District, et al.
    • United States and the People of California, et al. v. Plains All American Pipeline, L.P.
    • William Buck Johns and Elizabeth Colleen Johns, as Co-Trustees of the Johns Living Trust, dated August 13, 2007, et al. v. County of Orange, et al.
  1. The Commission may consider matters that fall under Government Code section 11126, subdivision (e)(2)(b), under which;
    a.    A point has been reached where, in the opinion of the Commission, on the advice of its legal counsel, based on existing facts and circumstances, there is a significant exposure to litigation against the Commission, or
    b.   Based on existing facts and circumstances, the Commission is meeting only to decide whether a closed session is authorized because of a significant exposure to litigation against the Commission.
  2. The Commission may consider matters that fall under Government Code section 11126, subdivision (e)(2)(C), where, based on existing facts and circumstances, the state body has decided to initiate or is deciding whether to initiate litigation.

B. Conference with real property negotiators

The Commission may consider matters that fall under Government Code section 11126, subdivision (c)(7), under which, prior to the purchase sale, exchange, or lease of real property by or for the Commission, the directions may be given to its negotiators regarding price and terms of payment for the purchase, sale, exchange, or lease.

  1. Instructions to staff negotiators in Closed Session, pursuant to Government Code section 11126(c)(7), regarding applications for assignment of four leases governing the use of existing offshore oil and gas pipelines traversing state waters associated with the Santa Ynez Unit in federal waters, the Ellwood Pier, and two mooring buoys, offshore Santa Barbara County. Negotiating Parties: State Lands Commission, ExxonMobil, Pacific Offshore Pipeline Company, and Sable Offshore Corp. Under negotiation: price and terms.

C. Other matters

The Commission may also consider personnel actions to appoint, employ, or dismiss a public employee as provided for in Government Code section 11126(A)(1).

VII.  Adjourn