8/21/11
With 37 million people, it's remarkable that California has one of the most pristine coastlines in the United States. One man and the organization he's built are responsible for protecting it.
Highway 1 hugs the coast from Mexico to Leggett in Northern California, connecting you to the Pacific Ocean in a way no other road in the country does. In some stretches it's breathtaking and hair-raising; in others it's the most tranquil drive you'll ever take.
It goes through quintessential 1950s California beach towns. It has hairpin turns, open farm fields and hundreds of miles of unspoiled farmland. It's the kind of road built to be driven in a Porsche with the top down. The almost 400-mile coast drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco should be on everyone's "do it before you die" list.
Along the 45-mile stretch from Half Moon Bay to Santa Cruz there are no stoplights and less than 5,000 people.
Yet there's no rational reason most of the 1,100 miles of the California coast should look like this. Thirty-three million Californians live less than an hour from the coast. It's some of the most expensive land in the country.
Here's why most of the coast looks like this: Almost 40 years ago the people of California passed Proposition 20 -- the Coastal Initiative -- and in 1976 the state legislature passed the Coastal Act, which created the California Coastal Commission. The Commission acts as California's planning commission for all 1,100 miles of the coast. Its staff of 120 recommend actions to the 12 commissioners all political appointees who make the final decisions.
Among the Commission's charges are: 1 maximize public access to the coast and maximize public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone consistent with sound resources conservation principles and constitutionally protected rights of private property owners. 2 assure priority for coastal-dependent and coastal-related development over other development on the coast.
Last week, the single individual responsible for running the Commission staff, Executive Director Peter Douglas, announced his retirement after 26 years on the job.
Unlike Robert Moses who built modern New York City or Baron Haussmann who built 19th-century Paris in concrete and steel, the legacy of Peter Douglas is in what you don't see along California's coast: wetlands that haven't been filled, public access that hasn't been lost, scenic areas that haven't been destroyed.
An old political science rule of thumb says regulatory agencies become captured by the industries that they regulate within seven years. Yet Peter has managed to keep the Commission independent despite enormous pressure.
The Commission has been able to stave off the tragedy of the commons for the California coast. Upholding the Coastal Act had it taking unpopular positions, upsetting developers of seaside projects, homeowners who feel that private property rights unconditionally trump public access, and local governments that believe they should have the final say in what's right for their community.
Peter opened the Commission to public participation and promoted citizen activism. He built a world-class staff that understands what public service truly means.
The coast is never saved; it is always being saved. The work is never finished. The pressure to develop it is relentless, and it can be paved over with a thousand small decisions. I hope our children don't look back at pictures of the California coast and wistfully say, "look what our parents lost."
We commissioners must choose Peter's replacement. Hopefully we'll have the wisdom in finding a worthy successor. The people of California and their children deserve as much.
Steve Blank is a member of the California Coastal Commission.
