Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Continuing saga of lawsuits for payday


Image result for Sharp Park golf course picture
And here comes another Plater-cash sand trap
From San Francisco Chronicle/local/Opinion: C.W. Nevius, 6/22/15. "Sharp Park Golf Course fight an endless bogey", (the link requires a sign-in).

"The opponents of Sharp Park Golf Course don’t know when to quit. As always, advocacy is a wonderful thing — until it turns into simple bullheadedness. For almost five years, environmental advocates have been battling changes to the 83-year-old course in Pacifica. Although golfers say the renovations, including a new lagoon for wildlife, will actually enhance the natural habitat, members of groups like the nonprofit Wild Equity Institute insist that the changes will harm the endangered California red-legged frog and the San Francisco garter snake.

OK, fair enough. It is worth taking a careful look at that issue. The problem is, we already have. This has been studied and litigated — extensively — over and over. In ruling after ruling, the plans created by the city of San Francisco and the Recreation and Park Department have been found to be in compliance. Yet a small group (which is getting smaller) battles on. A call to Wild Equity was not returned, but Executive Director Brent Plater gave a radio interview about a week ago in which he said his goal was to “repurpose Sharp Park as a new kind of public park,” which would involve getting rid of the golf course and turning the land over to the National Park Service. I wouldn’t hold my breath for that one.
Within days of the May ruling, Wild Equity filed an appeal of the permit to begin work, which was issued by the California Coastal Commission.“This is their last-gasp effort,” said Morrison Foerster attorney Chris Carr, whose firm took the case pro bono. “To me this is a measure of the zealousness and unreasonableness of Wild Equity.”
This new complaint does not stop work on the project, which has already begun. Halting it now would be a long shot at best. “They are going to keep at this and hope people get tired of it,” Carr said. “That’s not going to happen.”


Submitted by Jim Wagner

Note:  photograph from Golf Club Atlas, a website and article from Bob Links and Richard Harris.

Posted by Kathy Meeh

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Plater will never give up. There is too much money involved for him. When he can lose a Suit and then bill the taxpayers of SF for his legal fees why would he quit? Plater always chirps about how much Sharp Park costs SF taxpayers annually. Brent, how much do your frivolous lawsuits cost SF annually? My guess is way more than operation costs at Sharp.

Time to move on Brent!!! Give it up!!! The Frogs and Snakes are fine at Sharp. Always have been and always will be.

Anonymous said...

Can someone "in the know" please elaborate in detail on the relationship which is or has been developing between our own homegrown serial litigants against the Highway One project and Brent Plater.
This is must know info.

Easy Money said...

Broken down really simple:

Environmental Law in California allows fees for the loser in filing lawsuits that are under the "Environmental" umbrella.

Thus Highway 1 will damage the environment around the project.

Bob Villa said...

Someone involved in the Highway 1 lawsuit is doing extensive repairs and remodel to his house. I guess he is counting on a big pay day also!!

Anonymous said...

There is no connection between Plater and the lawsuit against highway 1. Brent was a part of CBD years ago, but was pushed out and started his own organization, WEI, which is not involved in the lawsuit.

Sharon said...

@3:10 there is an area in the quarry close to the highway with frogs and snakes. Not sure if the location is on private property or Cal Trans property but I'm sure WEI's involvement in the HWY 1 saga has to do with the possibility of another payday.

Kermit the Frog said...

The area between the small turnout that used to be the road that went through the quarry, has a small wetland.

Frogs and snakes are pretty smart they have been around since the beginning of time, they will move to a new wetland.

Anonymous said...

So much misinformation ... Brent Plater has not "signed on to the latest Bohner lawsuit against the Highway fix." Brent Plater and WEI have no connection to the highway lawsuit. Hal Bohner is not the attorney in the lawsuit. Plaintiffs can't receive a "big payday."

Anonymous said...

Kermit, you really think they'll need to?

My wise papa said...

My Papa once told me, If you can't eat the animal it's a useless animal.

Same with plants!

Anonymous said...

Would like to know who wrote the sub-headline to this piece. It is not surprisingly misleading and inaccurate, in addition to putting together two issues that are not related. Hope this isn't an indication of what is forthcoming from the Pacifica Business and Community PAC. Our community needs accurate information and meaningful discussion versus innuendo and false statements.

Kathy Meeh said...

126, may your next generation all be be vegetarians, vegan even better.
However, personally I think your comment may be more relevant than that of 622, who says under 1) anonymous (unidentified) cover 2) he would like to know who wrote the sub-headline, then 3) defines the writer of the sub-headline with an attack.

622 claims to be confused, and is so indignant. Seriously, Its not like Brent Plater, The Center for Biological Diversity, Wild Equity, and the city Gang of NO have not been misleading this City. Nope they have, but only the Gang of NO has been doing this for more than 35 years.
As Mike Bell said at City Council (6/22/15), in 1956 this City had such potential, what happened? Well, many of us do know what happened: NIMBIES manipulated and crippled the balanced economic and functional destiny of this City (just as they are doing now). And unfortunately these comments are "accurate", and not at all "misleading".

Anonymous said...

Pacifica continues to have amazing potential, possibly more than ever before as people realize more about the value to place on the environment and not giving in to paving and meaningless malls of consumerism. Nothing negative "happened" that didn't impact many other small bedroom cities through out the state and country. What did happen is that the city, through it's active citizens have stayed true to ideals of a small community that stands for it's irreplaceable natural surroundings and the people that live here that cherish it, making it the unique and beautiful place it is.

mike bell said...

9:28
All good and well if 40,000 people didn't live here.
When means for practical revenue generation are left out of the "sustainable" discussion and developers are maligned as "greedy", everyone loses.
Even the butterflies.

Anonymous said...

Pacifica is the only beach town on the West Coast that does not take advantage of being a beach town.

Mike Bell,

40,000 residents but only 25-50 actually pay attention and 2-5 go to city council and speak.

Anonymous said...

Mike

Especially the "out of town" developers. You know the ones who want to turn Pacifica into Daly City and pave paradise.

todd bray said...

But Mike, developers are the Devils spawn... that's just a fact that everyone already knows... from birth The only creature lower than a developer is an arms manufacturer profiting off of conflicts, dead soldiers and tax havens.

mike bell said...

What childish gibberish.
A developer built the home you live in and the streets you drive on.
Flatten your home, kill your car and renounce technology. Stop being a hypocrite. Give your land back to the froggies and snakes, unless of course you like what the Devil has spawned.

Anonymous said...

Todd

Keep posting you sound like you are trying out of ignoramus improv night.

Anonymous said...

Todd

Tell us the story how you called and went down to the office of the evil developer and asked him not to buy the quarry.

I want to hear this whopper story once again.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the Yessies finally found a use for Brent Plater. Invoke or attach his name and the Golf Vote is yours! He's a polarizing kind of guy, but not nearly as polarizing as political campaign contributions from special interests like developers, realtors, trade unions. Who doesn't love politics?

Anonymous said...

507 Geez, I hope it was something like that and not that the developer thought it was just a shitty idea.