Thursday, August 22, 2013

If passed, CA Bill AB976 will increase CA Coastal Commission authority


Violators will be fined, and public access to the beach will be protected.

"  ....  the Coastal Commission is the only state agency of its kind that doesn't have penalty authority. It has a years-long backlog of 1,876 violations, nearly a third of which are public access violations.... 
 
California coastal views
...  Sponsored by San Diego Democrat and Assembly Majority Leader Toni Atkins, this bill proposes to allow the Coastal Commission to levy fines (potentially upwards of $1,000 per day) directly against violators. The bill has already passed the Assembly and is making its way through the Senate committees. It should reach the floor any day now. So write your state senator NOW! There's no such thing as an all-private beach in California, so it's time that we finally empowered the Coastal Commission to do what we created it to do. AB976 will protect our access to the sand and surf we love .... "  LA Observed/Jenny Price,"Media politics, business, books arts, life place,  8/1/13.  "AB976-- and why you should write your senator."   Read article. 

Public access to the beach
"Facebook billionaire Sean Parker's extravagant wedding last month made international headlines when he agreed to pay $2.5 million to settle violations of California's coastal laws for building rock walls, a stone bridge, a cottage, dance floor and other structures in a sensitive Big Sur forest without permits.  But it turns out the case is the exception rather than the rule.  In a little-known wrinkle of state law, the California Coastal Commission, which brokered the settlement with Parker, has no authority to issue fines when people block access to public beaches, destroy wetlands or build coastal homes without permits.  Now, a bill moving through the state Legislature would change that by giving the commission the ability to impose fines.  But the measure is sparking a heated debate between environmentalists and business groups -- and emerging as one of the major environmental battles in Sacramento this year." San Jose Mercury News/Paul Rogers, 7/16/13. "California Coastal Commission:  Bill could give commission teeth to fine violators."   Read article.                                                                    

Related - San Mateo County, State Legislators.   Note photographs:  Left from Graham Owen Insect art and nature photography, right from the Coastal Care organization, "Clean Water Act". Update - Los Angeles Times/Tony Barboza, 9/10/13. "The state Assembly killed a measure Tuesday that would have granted stronger enforcement powers to the California Coastal Commission.  A bill granting the agency the authority to impose fines on violators failed on a 34-30 vote, delaying the issue at least until next year."    

Submitted by Bob Hutchinson 
Posted by Kathy Meeh

28 comments:

todd bray said...

SWEET

Anonymous said...

defeat the Coastal Commiss power grab.
Call State Senator Jerry Hill 650-212-3313 and register your opposition to AB 976. The CC will further hamstring everything important in pacifica. You don't even have to identify yourself, just tell the office you are a pacifica voter.

Hutch said...

If you don't agree it is "sweet" to give this economy killing group more power than email or call Jerry Hill and tell him the CCC already has too much power.

(916) 651-4013
(650) 212-3313

http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/send-e-mail

Anonymous said...

"power grab" and "economy killing" are buzzwords for trampling citizens rights to a better quality of life so developers can make a buck. More power to OUR coastal commission protecting OUR coast! (mindless libertarian retort goes here)

Anonymous said...

Coastal Commission is a local government body that has done a spectacular job of maintaining the quality of our coast.

I'd like to see Coastal Commission take an even more active role in helping re-populate the beaches with native wild life and flora.

Also cutting down motor driven traffic and the number of parking lots along the coast.

I'd say more power to them.

The Local Libertarian

todd bray said...

If you agree this is a SWEET thing contact our state rep JERRY HILL at:

(916) 651-4013
(650) 212-3313

http://sd13.senate.ca.gov/send-e-mail

There are usually interns who answer the phones so be nice!

Anonymous said...

Oh hell, just let the town rot. Back to nature!

Anonymous said...

1122 from your vantage point how do you feel about humans on the beaches?

Steve Sinai said...

"The Local Libertarian"

Strange to have someone who says they're a Libertarian advocating for increased government regulation.

Anonymous said...

@12:57

Perfectly fine if they are actually swimming, surfing, running or doing something.

Pretty much anything other than leaving non-biodegradable trash on the beach.

You know basically treat nature as if its their own valuable property (which it is) and tend to it accordingly.

The Local Libertarian

Steve Sinai said...

"Call State Senator Jerry Hill 650-212-3313 and register your opposition to AB 976. The CC will further hamstring everything important in pacifica. You don't even have to identify yourself, just tell the office you are a pacifica voter."

I would certainly think a letter, email or phone call with a real name attached would count for more than simply saying you're a Pacifica voter.

Anonymous said...

Steve,

Libertarianism does not exclude governance by an elected body.

However, the idea is to keep such an elected body in check by ensuring fairness, effectiveness and transparency of governance. The idea is to make sure that the government is the servant of the body public and not a closed and un-manageable organization.

A local, organic and manageable government.

I understand that this isn't what the current state of affairs is. But that is a different issue.

The Local Libertarian

Anonymous said...

You obviously have absolutely no clue as to what a libertarian is.

Anonymous said...

134 That is really big of you. Your list of acceptable activities is awesome and your recommendation that beachgoers keep moving is brilliant. You show a tolerance, dare we say a common touch, that sets you apart from the usual affected, entitled, elitist enviros which I had mistaken you for. Mea maxima culpa. You're rather precious.

The Local Libertarian said...

@2:46

Perhaps not. However, the essence of liberalism is the freedom to believe and pursue individual desires in so far that such beliefs and pursuits do not infringe on freedoms of others.
This is classical liberalism.

The motivation for reduction in governance is not because liberalism is opposed to governance. But to keep the state and friends of state from forming an oppressive collusion against the large body public.
In the founding of this nation, the founders rejected the British Monarchy or the "state". And then formed a Republic of the people and by the people with intent to serve the people.

The power of state should be in proportion to the services it provides and the participating population. A fine balance. Then the motivation for control of powers of government is to maintain this balance. Not simply rejecting it because of wanton personal selfishness with no regard for other participating members -- be it humans or other co-existing living beings. Libertarianism is all about being fair to each other. And trading with each other in a proportional manner. The idea is to be independent and self reliant. Or achieve a state of self-governance instead of forcing the argument in favor of a democratic majority regardless of, if the argument under consideration is inherently fair or unfair.

That is my understanding.

Just because people now have the technology and the capital to control nature to some extent doesn't provide them with a right to deny other living being their state of existence. Believing so, in my opinion is a folly.

In the context of Pacifica, the attraction of Pacifica is its pristine beauty in addition to being rather well connected. Its the duck that lays golden eggs. As far as I know, one of the few places on this planet that has this kind of beauty with the level of connectivity it does. If you hurt the duck or worse yet kill it, there won't be anymore golden eggs.

Anonymous said...

That's a wall of word dude. Learn to be more concise and people may read your post. Less is more.

Steve Sinai said...

In other words, "less quantity, more quality."

Anonymous said...

415 That's a hell of a thing you just laid and it isn't golden.

Anonymous said...

Also, please educate yourself.

Liberalism <> Libertarian

In fact, most people who actually understand the terms would say they are pretty much polar opposites.

The Local Libertarian said...

Interesting detraction. The criticism is about my style and my views rather than the issue.

The Local Libertarian said...

@ 7:56 PM

Liberalism is the genesis of Libertarianism.

Without Liberalism or "freedom" to live, choose and express economically, socially, politically -- there is little of libertarianism left.

Simply calling oneself a liberal and voting democratic doesn't make one.

Anonymous said...

Dude, you are one clueless blowhard. As a reformed diehard libertarian, It's pretty comical that you throw that word around and have absolutely zero clue as to its meaning.

Please ask Ayn Rand what she thinks of your ridiculous CCC.

Anonymous said...

Yo, genius, your duck died.

The Local Libertarianism said...

@10:07

Ayn Rand was primarily an objectivist. It certainly borrowed ideas from libertarianism. But it isn't libertarianism.

Ayn Rand had a teacher who is seldom mentioned. His name was Ludwig Von Mises. He was also the first cousin of Ludwig Wittgenstein. He wrote a book or two about libertarianism. I might suggest you pick it up.

Mises also taught Friedrich Hayek who then taught Milton Friedman who laid the foundations to current day 'monetarist' economic policies.

However Hayek and Friedman differ quite a bit. Since Hayek did not believe in Govt intervention in markets. But Friedman did. That is a subject unto its own which I will not digress into here.


All that said, if you want to make an aggressive claim over my beliefs (since it seems to offend your sense of identity) you might try and characterize me as a: primitive-libertarian from the school of liberalism derived from the lineage of Confucius, Bastiat, Ricardo, Thoreau, Tolstoy, Mises, Gandhi and Hayek.

Just for your information. There isn't any "one" kind of libertarian. The freedom in the definition of libertarian (ie., liberal) allows for definition as one sees applicable which the core concepts being freedom of self and identity.

Therefore you have:
Primitive Libertarians
Social Libertarians
Anarcho Libertarians
Neo-Libertarians
Neo-Conservative Libertarians
.. and so on.


Anonymous said...

926 Why keep this insight and path to enlightenment all to yourself? You're ready for primetime. Run for president!

The Local Libertarian said...

@10:42

Well you know, I don't believe in "Presiding" over people. Besides I think the notion of one person leading a whole country is disproportionate in design and therefore will result in poor governance. There is evidence to this end.

I am more a small, organic, local responsible and transparent government kind of person.

Anonymous said...

I'm starting to miss those Agenda 21 posts. Never thought that would happen.

Anonymous said...

Hey local lib, while I don't agree with what you preach I do appreciate your point of view and contentions. Unfortunately the Fix Pacifica echo chamber is never going to grasp what you're saying and like typical schoolyard bullies will merely fall back on ridicule. The only hope for Pacifica is that upwardly mobile people continue to move here and eventually the dull-witted voices are drowned out. Actually these real estate types are working against their own self interest, you would think they'd want to limit growth in Pacifica to keep it an enclave for their class of people. Pressure.... And time.