When Erik and Suzanne were living in California, Erik says, he often wondered how it happened that the state had such a glorious, unspoiled coastline, where one could drive for miles and miles and see only the beauty of nature.
Now he knows. It’s been a long, hard fight, one that probably will never end. Steve Blank talks about the fight at his website, here.
“California has some of the most expensive land in the country,” Blank writes, “and as we all know, our economy is organized to extract the maximum revenue and profits from any asset. Visitors are amazed that there aren’t condos, hotels, houses, shopping centers and freeways, wall-to-wall, for most of the length of our state’s coast.
“It was the Coastal Act that saved California from looking like the coast of New Jersey.
“In 1976 the voters of California wisely supported the Coastal Act and the creation of a California Coastal Commission with 2 goals.
“First, to maximize public access and public recreational opportunities in the coastal zone while preserving the rights of private property owners, and
“Second, to assure priority for coastal-dependent and coastal-related development over other development on the coast. …
“The Commission has been able to stave off the tragedy of the commons for the California coast. Upholding the Coastal Act meant the Commission took unpopular positions upsetting developers who have fought with the agency over seaside projects, homeowners who strongly feel that private property rights unconditionally trump public access, and local governments who believe they should have the final say in what’s right for their community, regardless of its impact on the rest of the state.”
Good for California! There’s more at Blank’s website.
Photo: http://steveblank.com
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