All eyes are on Speaker Rivas as he appoints a coastal commissioner.

The composition of the California Coastal Commission is, on one level, like a three-dimensional game of Tetris. The governor, the Senate Rules Committee and the Speaker of the Assembly each appoint four voting members. The 12 commissioners are a mix of six public members – Ann Notthoff of Carmel Valley is the only commissioner from Monterey County at present, appointed in 2023 by the Senate Rules Committee – and six local elected officials who come from different regions in Central, Southern and Northern California.

This quasi-judicial body has jurisdiction over California’s Coastal Zone, which is larger than the state of Rhode Island. Add to all of that – staggered terms and various regions and appointing entities – politics, and things can get complicated.

(Some local Coastal Commission decisions in recent memory – all of which included vigorous pressure campaigns from different perspectives – include approving Cal Am’s desalination plant in Marina; lifting affordability deed restrictions for the Moro Cojo development in Castroville; and approving Monterey-Salinas Transit’s SURF! busway.)

Given the power the commission has, it follows that each appointment can be a proxy for a political alliance. In 2023, then-outgoing Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon appointed Santa Cruz County Supervisor Justin Cummings to the Coastal Commission. Cummings is unambiguously well qualified for the role – he earned his degree in ecology and evolutionary biology from UC Santa Cruz, then went on to help develop programs to train scholars from diverse backgrounds before entering politics, serving as Santa Cruz mayor then supervisor.

But politically, Cummings’ appointment also looked like a slap against Rendon’s successor, Robert Rivas, D-Hollister; while the former speaker could have left the appointment to Rivas, he made his selection before he was ousted from the office, one lasting power flex.

Cummings’ term on the commission ends on May 20. That means there is a chance for Rivas to slap back at Rendon, two years later. Some political insiders watching closely to see who Rivas appoints think it can be reduced to something that petty. But it’s also Rivas’ first chance to appoint a commissioner from his home district; the coastal commissioner must be an elected official from Monterey, Santa Cruz or San Mateo county, some of which overlaps with Assembly District 29.

“It’s one of the most important appointments I have the opportunity to make,” Rivas tells me. “My interest is to assess all the candidates, and pick the candidate most qualified and represent our region.”

Cummings would like to keep his seat, and he’s done a remarkable job of rallying support. Not only was he elected in December by his fellow commissioners as chair of the Coastal Commission, he was nominated by all three counties to be Rivas’ appointee, although it’s custom to pitch hometown names. Monterey County officials put forward Cummings, plus Monterey Mayor Tyller Williamson, King City Mayor Mike LeBarre and Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez; San Mateo nominated Cummings and Half Moon Bay Vice Mayor Debbie Ruddock.

Cummings has also corralled endorsements from U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, State Sen. John Laird and Assemblymember Dawn Addis, in addition to more current and former electeds.

It might make Cummings look like a shoo-in, but in a different read, he’s advocating intensely to prove he’s built diverse alliances and deserves to keep his job. And that advocacy looks like a direct rebuttal to the rumor that Lopez is a shoo-in.

When I asked Rivas about rumors of political favoritism – does he want to appoint someone from his Assembly District 29 (where Lopez lives), or get even with Rendon two years later? – he offered this assurance: “I haven’t heard any rumors, I haven’t made any promises.”

Lopez lives in Greenfield and represents an inland Monterey County district. He has positioned himself as a champion of coastal access for people who don’t live on the coast.

Staff members in Rivas’ office say they expect an appointment will be made by May 16. Rivas has interviewed all six nominees for the role.

SARA RUBIN is the Weekly’s editor. Reach her at sara@montereycountynow.com