Tellum — If you don’t own property within the Coastal Zone that has Coastal Act violations, or you’re willing to correct those violations, you won’t have to hand over a dime.

TruthTeller — You seem to know more about me than the Coastal Act. When can we expect to see my biography published? And, in case you didn’t know, using ad hominen attacks weakens your arguments, as does hiding behind an anonymous name. And continuing to argue that property rights trump all other laws doesn’t work, either. Were that true, private property owners would truly be above the law and would be able to get away with all types of nefarious activities under the cloak of “private property rights.” Sorry, but yours is an extreme point of view.

Mr. Oshen — I am not responsible for the Coastsider.com comments left by others. As you know, the offending comment was removed by that site’s administrator. Also, I am not a paid propagandist for the CCC or any other organization. But that accusation does offer a clue to the real identity of some of the anonymous posts at my blog, thank you very much. One other thing — I have never stated or implied that property owners within the Coastal Zone are enemies of the state. That is a fabricaiton of your imagination. In fact, I believe a vast majority of property owners within the Coastal Zone fully support the Coastal Act, particularly if their property is developed.

My criticism is directed towards those few that think they’re above the law, including your friends that inspired the film you’re trying to complete. They haven’t done themselves any favors and they haven’t advanced private property rights, either.

AB 291 proposes to impose a guilty till proven innocent doctrine, contrary to the California and U.S. Constitutions, by prohibiting a property owner to make an application to the Coastal Commission (or, presumably, even have an administrative third party-appeal from local government acting under its LCP, if Commission staff alleged the property to be somehow in violation and the owner had not acquiesced to its power play.

I don’t know about you but I don’t have $5000 to $50000 to hand over and therefore the CCC will have the ability to take my house to pay off the fines. This is one of the most onerous bills ever to come down the pike and our legislators representing Malibu blindly voted for it without even a mention to the people who put them in office. It has to die in committee or the governor has to veto it. Just because the Coastal Commission is running out of money does not mean it has to levy fines on the backs of Californians. I say let AB 226 die a slow painful death along with the CCC.

I think the Commission showed its true colors when after 10 hours of testimony form a lot of good people, it voted WITHOUT DISCUSSION (ergo its mind was made up in advance) to allow SMMC to put overnight camping in our tiny canyons DESPITE FEARS FROM LA COUNTY FIRE AND CALFIRE. Boy what a bunch of complete ignoramuses and Malibu haters.

Please note that I am responding to you in a courteous, professional manner… a manner that was not extended to me on COASTSIDER.

I should point to SINS OF COMMISSION readers that it is no surprise a professional, meaning “paid” propagandist for the coastal commission would leave such disparaging remarks.

The fact I am allowing them to post, cheap shots and all, indicates the urgent need for a serious, statewide, meaningful dialog… and a dialog not under the control of the CCC- as the workshop in San Francisco was.

The people of California are waking up to the wealthy, well-oiled, CCC disinformation machine, and are abundantly aware of precisely what the California Coastal Commission does in reality, masquerading as land-stealing-wolves in sheep’s clothing - and the worst offense? It is under the guise of “protecting the environment.” Something CALIFORNIAN FAMILIES want.

People including families, farmers, and ranchers, who live in coastal California are not “enemies of the state” as you imply, but rather AMERICAN CITIZENS looking for fair redress in a corrupt, tyrannical, broken system.

1300 pending enforcement actions???? My gosh, this is an ABSOLUTELY INSANE amount of litigation. How many millions of dollars are going to be wasted?

There is no earthly reason for the CCC to even remotely have this absurd number of pending enforcement actions, and the best possible proof to everyone that this is an agency that has lost its bearings, is power mad, corrupt - and way out of control.

By the way, Francis, thank-you for giving the people of California the best reason ever why AB 226 and AB 291 needs to be defeated.

And yes…SINS OF COMMISSION has a state full of friends
Richard

For a better analysis of the proposed legislation, see http://tinyurl.com/ab226fd and http://tinyurl.com/ab226fd.

AB 226 gives the CCC the power to impose fines for Coastal Act violations, a power that many state agencies use for effective enforcement of the law. AB 226 will relieve the burden on our courts and the agencies charged with enforcing our state laws. Due to the effectiveness of fines, AB 226 will help relieve the backlog of 1300 enforcement cases.

AB 291 prevents the CCC, with limited exceptions, from processing coastal development permits for a property that is the subject of unresolved Coastal Act violations.

It should come as no surprise that violators of the Coastal Act and their friends would oppose these bills.