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**** URGENT attack on coastal protections ****
 Please forward and repost to listservs and other groups****
WRITE or ATTEND meeting on July 12th *** see below for other actions 
****

Plans To Fire Coastal Commission Exec. Dir. at July 12 Meeting

From:   Warner Chabot (Center for Marine Conservation) 415 391-6204
<cmcpac@igc.apc.org (Warner Chabot)>
Ann Notthoff (NRDC)  415 777-0220,

What:   Developer and Republicans on the California Coastal Commission 
have fired their next missile in their war to roll back the Coastal 
Act and to dismantle the CA Coastal Commission. They plan to fire 
Executive Director Peter  Douglas.  A decision to fire Mr. Douglas has 
just been placed on the Commission's  July 12 meeting in Huntington 
Beach.  The vote will be on the last day of a three day meeting.   
This action follows last month's appointment by Assembly Speaker 
Pringle of two new Commissioners who previously  violated the Coastal 
Act (see background below).  Putting the item  under Executive Session 
on a Friday afternoon is a cowardly attempt to  hide this action from 
news coverage.

When:   The Commission meets from Wednesday July 10  through Friday, 
July 12.  Commission supporters are needed for a rally on July 10 and 
to testify on July 12th starting at 1pm.

Where:  Huntington Beach - Waterfront Hilton, 21100 Pacific Coast Hwy.
Huntington Beach.

-------------------------------------
Directions to Waterfront Hilton @ Huntington Beach
2110 Pac. Coast Hwy    Phone 960-7873
For the June 10 and 12 Coastal Commission meeting

>From the North

South on 405 freeway
Exit right onto Beach Blv. (south toward Huntington Beach)
Right onto Pacific Coast Hwy
North two blocks on PCH to hotel on right side of PCH.
Cross street is Huntington St.

>From the South

North on 405 freeway .
Take Beach Blv. (South) exit.  (south toward Huntington Beach)
Right onto Pacific Coast Hwy
North two blocks on PCH to hotel on right side of PCH.
Cross street is Huntington St.

------------------------------------------

What you can do:  This assault requires the maximum response.  The 
next two weeks will determine the future of the Coastal Commission.  
Please help us with the following:

        1) Media Coverage - Write Letters to the Editor and ask for
Editorials to challenge this attack.

        2) Write the Commission -Mail or Fax a letter to Louis 
Calcagno, Chair of the Coastal Commission.  Use the points below to 
object.  Address:
45 Freemont, Suite 2000, San Francico CA 94105.  FAX #: 415 904-5400.

        3) Rally on July 10 - Join a rally from 11:00 to 12:00 at the
Hilton.  This will be followed by testimony at the noon "Open Public
Comment Period"  Contact: Debbie Cook-714 841-4484

        4) Testify on July 12 - Commission discussion on the proposal 
to fire the Executive Director begins at 1:00  on Friday.  Testify 
against this blatant attempt to destroy the Commission.

Key Points:

*       This Spring, the Commission gave the Executive Director a 
positive performance evaluation and a 10% raise.  Two of the 
Governor's appointees were on the Subcommittee that recommended the 
raise.  Why the rush to now fire him?

*       This is a blatant effort to eliminate the independence of the
Commission's professional staff.  The future integrity of the 
Commission is at stake.

*       The Commissioners who asked for this item should stand up and
identify themselves.  They should justify to the public, in advance, 
their reasons for taking such drastic actions.

*       This vote is a test of whether the Commissioners are 
independent of the Governor and Assembly Speaker Pringle or if they 
are puppets doing the bidding of their masters.

 "This is a declaration of war on the Coastal Act and the Coastal
Commission.  Republican commissioners appointed by Wilson and Pringle 
plan to gut the Act and the Commission by first eliminating 
independent, professional staff.  Just a few months the Commission 
gave the Executive Director a good performance evaluation and a 10% 
raise.  What's their justification to now fire him? The burden is now 
on them to publicly justify just why this drastic action is needed.   
Like the Newt Gingrich Congress, our California Republicans are trying 
to roll back 25 years of Coastal Protection," said Warner Chabot, 
Pacific Region Director of the Center for Marine Conservation.

Background:  The twelve Coastal Commission members are appointed 
equally by the Governor, the Speaker of the Assembly and the Senate 
Rules Committee; each provide four appointments.  Recent appointments 
include Commissioners that are extremely hostile to the fundamental 
goals and objectives of the Coastal Act.  Several new Commissioners 
have publicly stated their desire to repeal key Commission policies 
which protect the environment and maintain public access to the beach.  
They have proposed  firing of the Commission's Executive Director, 
reducing the size of the Coastal zone, removing public coastal access 
requirements and establishing new rules that prohibit Commission staff 
from making specific policy recommendations to the Commission.


Protecting California's Coastline Additional BACKGROUND ************
FAREWELL TO THE COAST? excerpted from Planning and Conservation League
newsletter May/June '96; you may visit their website at:
http://www.pcl.org/pcl

       The California Coast was preserved by the voters in an 
initiative sponsored by PCL, Sierra Club, the Coastal Alliance, and 
many other groups in 1972, in response to the rapid development and
 destruction of the coast in the 1960's. Passage of Proposition 20 was 
one of the greatest triumphs by California conservationists. In 1975 
the Legislature turned that victory into law by creating a permanent 
Coastal commission, and charging that body to protect the public's 
right to coastal access and beauty. Development was to be severely 
restricted outside cities, and views and access were to be preserved.

       The commission is a hybrid body, with twelve members. Four each
are appointed by the governor, the Senate Rules Committee, and the 
Speaker of the Assembly. Under Pete Wilson, the governor's
 appointees clearly lean toward development, the Senate's (thanks to 
Senator Bill Lockyer) lean toward environmental protection, and 
Speaker Willie Brown's appointees tended to be split between
conservation and development. A few of Governor Wilson's appointees at 
least try on some occasions to follow the mandate ofthe voters to 
protect the coast.

       But Speaker Curt Pringle (R, Orange) has gone entirely to
development interests. His four new appointees include one county
supervisor who almost always sides with developers, one unknown 
believed to be sympathetic to developers, and two almost unbelievable 
appointees who have personally violated the coastal act and have had 
to pay large fines or settlements.

       This is really like letting Count Dracula run the blood bank. 
There are now seven or eight reliable votes against coastal protection 
out of twelve, and the commission will almost certainly side with 
polluters and developers every time.

       What can be done about this dreadful situation? First, lawsuits 
can be filed when the commission goes against its own statutory 
authority, but we can rely on the new commissioners to strain as hard 
as possible up against that law without violating it too often. After 
all, the commission was given a lot of discretion because of the
complexity of regulating 1200 miles of coastline, up to several miles
 inland.

       Second, conservationists can hope that a new speaker will take
 office after the November elections, and make new, more moderate 
appointments.

       Third, the environmental community can take matters into its 
own hands, and sponsor another coastal initiative in 1998, restricting 
the discretion of the commission, so that even very bad commissioners 
cannot undermine the requirements of a new, tougher coastal protection 
act.

-----------------------------------------------------------

IN the SHORT TERM - we need to flood the meeting of the Coastal 
Commission on the 12th and let them know that Californians support 
protections for the coast.

If you cannot attend, plase write and pass this along to friends who 
could attend or write.

Onward and upward...
--cdc