Sierra Club
Redwood Chapter Newsletter
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Thanks to You for this Victory! | |
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On February 20th, Governor Davis held a bill signing ceremony for AB 1XX. He praised the Legislature for getting him a bill to sign in short order. He praised the Sierra Club and other environmental groups for stewarding the bill to his desk. He pointed out that he feels we must have a strong coastal program and said "the Coastal Commission is the Guardian Angel of our coast" and "this legislation will let the Coastal Commission continue to be America's environmental leader." Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) is a conservative non-profit litigation organization based in Sacramento that has challenged, harassed, and even attempted to dismantle the Coastal Commission in every way they can. The press corps asked only one question of the Governor, that being the PLF's claim that this "fix" will not be enough, and that the real problem is the majority of the Commissioners being appointed by the Legislature. |
The Governor gave a good answer saying that we think the District Court opinion is clear and that this bill will be enough. So for now, this issue is put to rest. But be assured that the PLF will pursue this matter endlessly as they would like nothing better than having no Coastal Commission around. State Director Allayaud says however, "If the Coastal Commission was declared unconstitutional, coastal activists from Oregon to Mexico would immediately rally behind the Legislature and Governor to remedy the problem, and if comes down to doing a new coastal initiative as the only means to do so, the work would begin. People love the California coast and know that some local governments cannot withstand the pressure that developers put on them. We need the Coastal Commission to guard our coastal land, estuaries, and offshore areas." |