Comments by Francis Drouillard
May 29, 2008
Makes you wonder what Mr. Mullin had to give up in exchange for those votes, doesn't it?
On the plus side, I see that 3 Republicans did the right thing (Berryhill, Blakeslee and Spitzer). Too bad they couldn't talk more sense into the other members of their caucus.
May 29, 2008
Brain, George and Steven, Despicable how you fall for Lanny Davis's lies, blame the Coastal Commission for HMB's self-created problems, then call Sarah Christie a liar. She has a far better command of the facts than any of you. McClung and Davis base much of their argument on the fact that HMB approved the subdivision in 1991. The problems is that HMB did not yet have the authority to approved development. Their LCP had not yet been certified by the Coastal Commission. McClung and Davis also imply…
May 27, 2008
Steven,
Honestly, the more you write the less sense you make.
What's so horrible about maintaining the integrity of the Coastal Act and HMB recovering most or all of the $18 million with development that conforms to the Coastal Act?
May 27, 2008
Steven,
Beachwood may not be worth the fuss and the money, but the rest of the California coast is worth protecting from overdevelopment on the Beachwood and Glencree parcels.
May 23, 2008
Steven, Those weren't concessions. They were alternatives that would have been evaluated as part of the normal review process that would have occurred without the need for the special interest legislation or the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by HMB in legal fees. Ken, I'm a conservative Republican, and I do not 'admire' the predictability of their Assembly Caucus. There used to be a day when Republicans deplored such legislation. Now, California Republicans are so beholden to developers…
May 21, 2008
Steven,
Please re-read what Mr. Lansing reported -- the $41 million settlement was uncollectable and the City Council knew it.
That fact should have some effect on your opinion in the matter.
May 21, 2008
I wrote the Leno for Senate Campaign to register my opposition to AB 1991 and seek Mr. Leno's position on the bill. The response from a staffer was "Mr.Leno opposes the bill as written. Thank you for your inquiry."
However, some believe that Mark will respond to public pressure and do the right thing.
There's still time to fax him at 916-319-2113.
May 19, 2008
Steven,
I don't know how well it works in the real estate business, but "wishing things to the cornfield" doesn't work very well with essential environmental laws like the Coastal Act.
If you, a citizen of HMB, can't find out from your City Council how much has been spent on this case, or how they derived the $18 million settlement amount, why should the rest of us Californians trust their AB 1991 scheme?
May 18, 2008
Steven, Your selfishness and capacity to cherry-pick facts shows no bounds. HMB is no better at crafting "one-off" legislation than they are at administering an LCP. HMB picked this "silly fight." Their legacy is and will remain contemptuous and incompetent coastal government undeserving of assistance from other Californians. Hopefully, the side that demands fair and uniform enforcement of state law will prevail over selfish special interests that benefit a few incompetent politicians. I do agree…
May 18, 2008
Steven, There's nothing so special about HMB that the rest of the state has to give up its environmental laws to save HMB $18 million. The issue can be resolved once and for all without AB 1991. HMB will own the Beachwood parcel for $18 million. With its foresight and infinite wisdom, your City Council already negotiated those terms. Now, if you want to keep lawyers engaged in the issue, consider what will happen if AB 1991 passes. I think a strong case can be made that AB 1991 is unconstitutional…
May 17, 2008
I would encourage Kevin, Ray and Steven to learn more about the Coastal Act and to attend a Coastal Commission hearing the next time they're held nearby.
After doing so they will become far more effective at arguing against Coastal Act policies.
Information about the Coastal Act and the Commission's public meetings are available at their website.
May 15, 2008
Ray, http://tinyurl.com/5nksdf has the definition of wetlands. As you can see it is codified into state and federal law. The California Coastal Commission is charged with enforcing those laws within California's Coastal Zone. The Beachwood property could be developed in a manner fully consistent with the Coastal Act, but not with as many homes as you or the developer would like. Preventing development that is 4 times what the Coastal Act allows can hardly be described as anti-development. It's simply…
May 15, 2008
Ray,
HMB is in its current financial predicament because of its own actions. It is not the fault of the Coastal Commission or other Californians. It's the actions of YOUR city council that caused the problem, not any state agency enforcing environmental laws.
Fix the mess you made for yourselves without adversely impacting other coastal communities. If you want the help of other Californians, try a little humility and stop dictating to us how we should help.
May 14, 2008
No, AB 1991(Mullin) is not "about having a quality of life that you would expect in this period of our country." It's about suspending state and local environmental laws in exchange for cash and the bad statewide precedent it would set. And no, I don't have any real estate interests in HMB. I could care less about the effect its failure to pass would have on HMB. I'm more concerned about how AB 1991 will be used as a roadmap to circumvent environmental laws in Mendocino County, where I do have real…
May 14, 2008
Steven, The length of time it takes to review a project within the Coastal Zone is a legitimate complaint. (It takes upwards of 18 months in Sonoma County and maybe a little less in Mendocino County.) But there are better ways to address that problem than eliminating environmental laws or the review process altogether. For one, review agencies need to be adequately staffed. In my opinion, staff shortages are a real problem in Mendocino County and at the Coastal Commission. Maintaining adequate staff…
May 13, 2008
Kevin,
I was hoping you would answer Ken's question by providing specific examples of biased and incomplete stories at Coastsider.
You may not realize it, but your response pretty much made Ken's point.
I'd also be interested to know why you personally are so hostile towards environmental laws.
May 12, 2008
Steve, I would like to add to Mr. Lundell's comment. Coastal Commission staff can be very helpful to folks that want to build their dream homes within the Coastal Zone, and do it it a manner that conforms to the Coastal Act. This is especially true of folks that provide the information sought by the Commission in a timely manner, and those that attempt to incorporate some of staff's recommendations. The most powerful tools you can have to obtain Commission approval are knowledge of the Coastal Act…
May 12, 2008
Steven, I'm sorry you took my post that way. Judging by your comments on this thread, you would benefit by learning more about the Coastal Act. I believe that knowledge would benefit your clients, too. You can have a far greater impact in 3 minutes before the Commission (they have daily public comment sessions) than at any other public agency. But you need to know the Coastal Act to be effective. There may be better ways for you to learn about the Coastal Act on your own, but I believe the best place…
May 12, 2008
Steven,
You're all over the map with your reply, but you answered my questions satisfactorily -- you don't know enough about developing within the Coastal Zone, and you don't know enough about the Coastal Commission or the Coastal Act.
May I recommend you spend more time learning about the process than lamenting it?
A good way to start is to sit through a Coastal Commission meeting at least once. Their next meeting is in Santa Rosa June 11-13th.
May 12, 2008
Steven, Do you know anything about developing within the coastal zone? About the Coastal Commission? About the coastal resources they're charged with protecting? Judging by your comments, it seems you need to become much more familiar with the various environmental laws and processes used to enforce them. ONce you do, you'll see the permitting process isn't as onerous as you make it out to be for the "little guy." It's the big developers that need consultants and lawyers to push the limits of the…
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