You printed a letter to the editor on Nov. 29, 2001, in which Ron Lawrence talked about a dog park, parking and other issues. In his letter, Mr. Lawrence made one comment that was incidental to him, but important to the City of Half Moon Bay and coastal residents in other communities. Mr. Lawrence noted that “Incidentally, the communities of Half Moon Bay and Stintson Beach are going to be filing an amicus brief in the upcoming case against the Coastal Commission.” That statement is incorrect.
The City of Half Moon Bay is not preparing an amicus brief against the Coastal Commission. The lawsuit to which Mr. Lawrence apparently refers is Marine Forests Society v. California Coastal Commission (No. OOAS00567, Sacramento Super. Ct., 2001) in which the Superior Court of Sacramento County held that the current makeup of the Commission was a violation of the State constitution’s requirement of separation of powers. The court held that, because two-thirds of the Commission’s members are appointed by the Legislature, it may only have legislative powers, not executive or judicial powers. This ruling is being appealed by the Coastal Commission. The City Council of Half Moon Bay has not discussed this lawsuit and has not given its attorneys direction to file an amicus.
Adam U. Lindgren, City Attorney
City of Half Moon Bay