Mailbag: Decision on Coastal Commission exec could affect Banning Ranch

Decision on Coastal Commission exec could affect Banning Ranch

There is a drama playing out right now in California that will decide the future of the entire California coastline, with Banning Ranch threatening to be just one of the casualties, albeit the most important one for the residents of Orange County.

A group of commissioners are making a power grab for control of the California Coastal Commission by trying to oust their executive director, Charles Lester, without giving anything other than vague reasons for the cause for their actions.

Those environmentalists who have been following the commission the last several years suspect that the power play of the commissioners has been influenced by wealthy developers who want to build on the coast and to whom Lester often appears to be a roadblock.

Lester’s supporters feel that he has performed his duties well to safeguard the coastline and preserve it for the public’s welfare. That was the intent of the Coastal Act, which set up the California Coastal Commission in the early 1970s and signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown during his first go-around.

That brings up another interesting side point to the current drama. As Steve Blank pointed out in his Opinion piece in The Times on Jan. 27, the group of commissioners who are trying to oust Lester are Brown appointees and “unlike the other eight commissioners, who serve a fixed four-year term, have “at-will” appointments.” That means they can be replaced at any time.

Those of us who are fighting to preserve the rich cultural and ecological environment of Banning Ranch, the last large piece of undeveloped coastal property in Orange County, are now rallying as well behind the preservation of the executive director of the California Coastal Commission.

Those who want to continue to enjoy the beauty of the California coast, which is so valuable because of the work of commissioners such as Lester, who have been faithfully trying to carry out the rule of the law by putting public interest before political interests, should be interested in two upcoming hearings by the Coastal Commission: Feb. 10 in Morro Bay, where Lester will be fighting for his position, and March 9, 10 or 11 in Santa Monica, where the fate of Banning Ranch could be decided.

For more information how you can get involved, visit banningranchconservancy.org

https://banningranchconservancy.org

Lynn Lorenz

Newport Beach

*

Rate decision benefited taxpayers

I nearly fell off my chair last week while sitting through the Newport Beach City Council meeting. I recently raised a concern about the proposed 103% sewer fee increase and the goal of sticking taxpayers for it while the city has recently spent lavishly on frills like the Taj Mahal and the new Marina Park.

As reports of the city’s $14-million new budget surplus were circulating, Mayor Diane Dixon uttered words that haven’t been spoken in a decade by Newport politicians: Give some of it back to the taxpayers.

On a 5-2 vote (Councilmen Keith Curry and Ed Selich voting no) Newport taxpayers are getting a small, $50 rebate toward the sewer fee increase. It’s not much, but it’s a start.

Yogi Berra was fond of saying, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”

As the city sits on a $90-million surplus I hope the new City Council takes Yogi’s advice.

It’s time to get back to basics in Newport.

Bob McCaffrey

Balboa Island