If only Wade Major’s assertions about some alleged total love-fest with the California Coastal Commission staff were true. If we environmentalists hold such sway over the commission staff, then why did they prepare a staff report recommending approval of the Forge Lodge, which the Sierra Club has long thought to be inappropriate and not compatible with protecting Solstice Creek?
If the Sierra Club is so absolutely aligned with the Coastal Commission, then why do we regularly have to resort to litigation in order to attempt to uphold the law that California voters indicated was so important to them in 1972?
We have a great deal of respect for the institution of the Coastal Commission and the work its staff tries to do. However, we regularly disagree with both staff and commissioners, who are constantly under pressure by lobbyists and well-connected applicants who use political contributions and clout to skirt the intent of the Coastal Act.
One pleasant departure from the “death by a thousand cuts” the Coastal Commission visits upon our precious coast each month was a surprise decision the commissioners made this week to ignore staff’s recommendation and deny the permit to the Forge Lodge due to the severe impacts the proposed project would have on environmentally sensitive habitat areas.
Another area where the Coastal Commission staff and Sierra Club are in total agreement is that we are Pro-Malibu, not anti-Malibu, as Mr. Majors asserts. We love the natural landscape and beauty of Malibu, and that’s why our actions have coincided to make sure that Malibu remains the glorious place we all know and respect.
Marcia Hanscom
Chair, Sierra Club California Wetlands Committee