2008 Coastal Commission Conservation Score Card
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Mark Massara
Sierra Club Coastal Programs
Phone: (805) 895-0963
Email: Mark.Massara@sierraclub.org
Angela Howe
Surfrider Foundation
Phone: (510) 541-0677
Email: ahowe@surfrider.org
CALIFORNIA COASTAL COMMISSIONER VOTING RECORDS REVEALED and EXPLAINED
Voting Records Analyzed In Connection With Upcoming Appointments
Sacramento, CA (May 15, 2009) – Today marks the release of the 2008 California Coastal Commission Conservation Voting Chart, which measures the pro-conservation scores of the California Coastal Commission, the State’s most powerful land use agency, charged with the protecting our 1,100 mile coastline. The voting chart is produced by Sierra Club Coastal Programs, Surfrider Foundation, California Coastkeeper Alliance, Coastwalk California, Coastal Protection Network, and League for Coastal Protection, who teamed up to record, analyze and report on the most important coastal votes of 2008. The 31 votes in this year’s chart involve significant coastal issues decided by the Commission during their twelve monthly meetings in 2008, including the denial of the proposed 241 toll road through San Onofre State Park, and approval of the largest desalination facility in North America. The voting chart is designed to illuminate individual Commissioners’ voting sensitivities. In addition, the report illustrates the relative successes and failures of the appointments made by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Senate Rules Committee led by Don Perata, and then Speaker of the Assembly Fabián Nuñez. The scoring information in the 2008 chart also sheds light on upcoming Commission appointments in 2009, including seats currently held by Commissioners Ben Hueso and Dave Potter.
To download a copy of the complete analysis, go to www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/
“In these hard economic times, it is especially important that the Coastal Commission be encouraged to do all it can to protect one of the State’s most important assets, the California coast. We believe these voting records will help the public understand how well Commissioners are performing,” says League for Coastal Protection’s Mel Nutter.
“Once again our analysis underscores the relative failure of Governor Schwarzenegger and his appointments to live up to their rhetoric regarding coastal protection, and the abysmal failure of Assembly Speaker Fabián Nuñez when it comes to coastal protection in the public interest,” said Mark Massara of Sierra Club’s Coastal Programs. “If not for the Senate Rules Committee appointments, developers and lobbyists would dictate coastal development and loss of resources and beach access in California.”
“This year’s chart reports on several critical coastal issues in California. Whereas the Commission did a wonderful job of analyzing and eventually denying the proposed toll road that would have jeopardized the Trestles surf spot, it is disconcerting that the Commission’s overall conservation score has decreased,” remarks Surfrider Foundation’s Angela Howe. “It marks a clear and worrisome trend of declining protection for our coast, with the Commission’s overall conservation score at a mere 38% in 2008, down from 44% last year and 60% in 2005.”
For 2008, the average overall score for the Coastal Commission was 38% pro-conservation, meaning that almost two-thirds of the Commissioner votes analyzed in 2008 did not favor protection of the coast. The Commission’s 2008 pro-conservation score was 22 percentage points lower than their overall score in 2005, and 38 points lower than the all-time high of 76% in 1997. Also, there was a notable decline in the Senate Appointee’s voting scores to 53%, down 20 points from 73% in 2007. As noted in the Voting Chart, this year’s 38% voting average marks one of the lowest scores in the Commission’s history.
Of appointing authorities, Senate Rules Committee appointments continued to outpace both gubernatorial and Assembly Speaker appointments for pro-coast votes, but all Senate appointees scored lower than their previous year’s scores. Whereas in 2007 all four Senate-appointed Commissioners recorded 50% or higher, in 2008 only the Senate public member appointments scored above 50% (Wan at 78% and Shallenberger at 66%), while the elected officials (Clark at 37% and Reilly at 33%) lagged noticeably. These statistics are extensively illustrated in the 2008 Chart.
Six of the twelve voting Commissioners are chosen from elected officials representing various regions of the Coast. The Conservation Voting Chart is an important tool for appointing authorities so they can carefully consider upcoming appointments to the Commission, because much of their own coastal protection legacy rides on the votes of their chosen Commission members. There will be three be upcoming Assembly Speaker appointments for Commissioner Ben Hueso’s (San Diego) and Commissioner Dave Potter’s (Monterey/Central Coast) seats in May and July of 2009, respectively.
The California Coastal Commission Conservation Voting Chart is a combined effort of coastal environmental groups and has been prepared for the past 21 years. To find an online version of the chart and more information on coastal protection issues, visit www.surfrider.org/california/issues, www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/ and www.coastwatcher.com.
About Surfrider Foundation
The Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world’s oceans, waves and beaches. Now in its 25th year, the Surfrider Foundation has grown from a small group of dedicated surfers in Malibu, California to a global movement made up of over 50,000 members and 90 chapters worldwide. For more information visit us at www.surfrider.org
About Sierra Club
Sierra Club is America’s oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization. Inspired by nature, the Club consists of 1.3 million of your friends and neighbors, working together to protect our communities and the planet.
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