The California Coastal Commission has been much discussed recently. Its mission is to guarantee access for all and regulate the use and development of the coastal zone, but it does not include protecting the zone.
Instead, this responsibility resides with the California Coastal Conservancy; a state agency established in 1976 to purchase, protect, restore, and enhance coastal resources and provide access to the shore along the length of California’s coast and around San Francisco Bay. Both are administered, on the federal side, by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management, in partnership with the coastal states. (From NOAA’s website).
I have not heard a peep from or about this protective side. It seems like right now would be a great time for that. The Coastal Commission has been dominating the limelight. It’s noble to give access to the coast, but how valuable is that access if it is trashed and degraded? I would encourage our city manager to begin a dialogue between these two groups and the city to protect the beaches from further degradation.
Families from Santa Ana to Minnesota are entitled, yes, entitled (the latest buzzword in the discussion) to a clean, safe and sustainable coastline for future generations.
Duane Allee, Laguna Beach
