Coastal Commission director says HMB never wanted to appeal

It was very deceptive for Orrick's press release to promote Rusty Areias' credentials for the conference as "Former Chairman of the Coastal Commission" when his actual function was as a paid lobbyist employed by the City. It was worse than deceptive for Areias to claim that the Coastal Commission opposed AB1991 without seeing the text. Areias knows that the actual text has been sandbagged until this week and he should also know that the Commission based its opposition on the written Settlement's description of what AB1991 is supposed to do. Perhaps Areias doesn't know that there's a video of the Commission's action on Coastsider so he thought he could get away with it.

That was not the only misleading piece of information in the City's press release (link below).

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/080423/20080423006490.html?.v=1

Notice that Councilman John Muller is listed as "Chair of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, San Francisco Region"

The Regional Water Quality Control Board has not taken a position on AB 1991 nor did it authorize Muller to represent its official position at this press conference.

In fact, Muller would have been required to recuse himself from any Water Quality Control Board discussions about this bill due to his conflict of interest.

AB 1991 would exempt a huge housing development from having to comply with state stormwater run-off regulations. How is that consistent with the mission of the Regional Water Quality Control Board? Answer: it's not.

This is really a shameless distortion likely engineered by the City's expensive spinmeister Lanny Davis.

Kevin,

City Council members don't need outside help to make "shameless distortion[s]" - they really need help to make them seem less embarrassing!

Half Moon Bay has always been a laughing stock, now, with their efforts, our little insular village is a laughing stock to a much larger audience! Who can forget their combined meeting at the Coastal Commission or the letter opposing SB 1295?

They continue to always give fresh material for cocktail party monologues outside of this area.

A memorable story was of a man who had voted for an MP who had just been released from an insane asylum. He explained that it was the only candidate who had been certified as no longer a danger to the public.

Ken Johnson