It is shown that when the wind distribution along a coast is anisotropic, such that its cross-shore scale is smaller than its alongshore scale, the coastal sea level (or the upper layer anamoly) A of an ocean forced by both wind and wind curl is governed by a modified (nondimensionalized) Kelvin wave equation: ∂A/∂t*+∂A/∂y*=k0(0,y*,t*)+∫∂k1/∂y*dtL where k0 and k1 are wind stress and wind stress curl at the coast, respectively, y is the alongshore distance, and t is the time. Numerical experiments, from a simple reduced-gravity type with idealized forcing and coastline to a three-dimensional primitive equation model with a realistic coastline, bottom topography of the Southern California Bight and the Santa Barbara Channel, and observed wind stresses, were carried out to show that the observed near-coast near-surface poleward flow in the region is primarily forced by the equatorward weakening of the wind curl, (∂k1/∂y*>0), in the bight. Beta provides natural damping by weakening and widening the current through westward propagating Rossby waves and causes the current to lead the coastal pressure field by 1--2 months, which improves the agreement with observations of the phasing of the modeled currents but is otherwise not required in forcing the poleward flow. ¿ 1999 American Geophysical Union