Something fishy
EDITOR: A narrow majority of Coastal Commissioners, while professing love of the coast, threw overboard a man eminently qualified to assess development proposals under the Coastal Act for the long-term. Some commissioners chose not to work with their executive director in a constructive manner, allowed their personal pet peeves to be exploited, felt inordinate sympathy for those who had experienced delays with their project approvals, and the outcome is a huge victory for developers.
The careful assessment of development on the tiny sliver of land known as the coastal zone has been occurring since 1972. There is still an inability by some to tolerate reasonable guidelines and requirements.
And some continue to submit highly inappropriate projects to the Coastal Commission. If they are frustrated, they have only themselves to blame.
To answer a commissioner’s defensive statement about these so-called developer puppet masters, the rich and powerful rarely dirty their hands with public hearings. Their influence starts way upstream.The public’s instincts and information about influence peddling here may yet be born out. Thanks to Commissioners Holly Mitchell, Mark Vargas, Roberto Uranga, Olga Diaz, Martha McClure, Effie Turnball-Sanders and Erik Howell, California’s coast lost an able, experienced and dedicated manager.
Something smells fishy.
Kimberly Burr