Return the Coastal Commission’s authority to help relieve the affordable housing crisis

In John Phillips’ Jan. 31 column, he suggests Gov. Gavin Newsom could increase the state’s affordable housing stock by curtailing the California Coastal Commission’s authority.
As evidence of such overreach, Phillips cites how the commission has protected open space in the Santa Monica Mountains, world-class views along Highway 1 in Big Sur and wildlife habitat in the Bolsa Chica wetlands. Scandalous!
The argument that housing and a healthy natural environment can’t coexi