Insisting on an ouster of the head of the California Coastal Commission Dr. Charles Lester is, in my opinion, an unforgivably serious disservice to the environmental health of the state. It will facilitate the conversion of more pristine, environmentally vulnerable areas into private domain. This will be detrimental to the public’s right to enjoy the natural areas. Untouched natural beauty is what draws people here, but developers will divvy up the land at the cost of destroying the coastline.
I started graduate studies in ecology in the spring semester of 1950 at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Frequent visits to the natural bounty of California’s coastal areas, including the 17-Mile Drive, convinced me to pursue ecological studies and acquire my doctorate. Â
During my repeated visits to northern California in the early 1950s, I was heartbroken to see the destruction of a pristine environment. The way in which the 17-Mile Drive was parceled and developed into separate residential lots is a perfect precursor to what would happen to the rest of the California coast in the absence of Lester’s strong leadership. Let us consider our children and their enjoyment of nature’s bounty.
Since I am unable to attend the Feb. 10 hearing in Morro Bay, I am requesting that you keep the strong leader we have in this position.
 MJ Meimandi
University of Tehran