California Coastal Commission

After a six-year legal battle with the California Coastal Commission, the fate of a retired Corona del Mar couple’s beachfront picnic spot and thatched palapa lies with the Fourth District Court of Appeal. A Santa Ana courthouse was packed with supporters of Ocean Boulevard residents George and Sharlee McNamee on Thursday as a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the couple’s case, which has grown from a squabble over a barbecue and some picnic tables into a fight between the rights of private property owners versus the public’s access to the beach.

Governor signs Coastal Commission bill Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill Thursday that he said would remove the California Coastal Commission from a constitutional crisis brought on by a Newport Beach environmentalist's lawsuit. Davis, who signed the bill at a noontime ceremony, said it would solve the agency's constitutional questions. The bill, presented by Assemblywoman Hannah-Beth Jackson (D-Santa Barbara), would remove the Legislature's power to remove commissioners at will.

Unpermitted development, unperformed studies, ocean dumping, beach erosion, infected fish, poisonous tires, plastic debris ... this is the description that the California Coastal Commission has fabricated to destroy the experimental marine habitat of the Marine Forests Society. The reality is quite different; you will see it if you dive on the site or ask for the documentation which exists in video and is available to all. The project was developed with a permit from the California Department of Fish and Game and approval by the City of Newport Beach, which owns the submersed land.

The California Coastal Commission gave the go-ahead Tuesday for a local environmental group to begin replanting kelp in the waters off Crystal Cove State Beach. The commission unanimously approved the project at its meeting in Santa Barbara. Orange County CoastKeeper divers are set to begin planting the kelp in May. They'll attach it to tiny, ceramic tiles and place it on the ocean floor. Once the kelp grow to an adult stage, they will be transplanted onto reefs.

The city of Newport Beach is inviting the public to review proposed changes to the land use portion of its local coastal plan, a state-required document that's been in the works since about 2003. The plan provides for public access to coastal areas and describes what kinds of development are allowed along the coast. Newport Beach had a land use plan approved by the California Coastal Commission in 2005, but now it must be updated to reflect changes in the city's general plan. Public meetings will be scheduled later on the changes to the coastal plan.

The Balboa Performing Arts Theater got the go-ahead Wednesday from the California Coastal Commission to renovate and expand its theater at 707 E. Balboa Blvd., a project was estimated in 2005 to cost $6.5 million. “We’re full-steam ahead,” theater Executive Director Mary Lonich said by phone from Eureka, where the commission unanimously approved the plans. Theater supporters have been working since 1996 to raise money and renovate the theater. Coastal Commission staffers had concerns about parking, but Lonich said the commission liked that the theater would serve coastal visitors and likely help revitalize the neighborhood.

Who wants to plant kelp ("Kelp reforesting could get boost," Monday)? For the purpose of protecting and developing marine life, two groups of Newport Beach residents want to plant kelp in our coastal waters. Both nonprofit and public benefit organizations, the Marine Forests Society and the Orange County CoastKeeper were permitted to plant by the owners of the designated submerged land, the city of Newport Beach and the State Lands Commission. However, the permit of the legitimate property owners, representing the people of Newport Beach and the people of California, is worth nothing without the other permits of government bureaucrats who want to rule on this land as if they were the owners.

League has strong links to coastal commission The League for Coastal Protection and its founder Susan Jordan, who declared that Rodolphe Streichenberger "has created a garbage dump on the ocean floor" ("Survey reveals mixed opinion of commission," Aug. 10), do not represent the environmental public. Be aware that the "League for Coastal Protection" is the hidden arm of the California Coastal Commission. The league's founder, Jordan, is the wife of California Coastal Commissioner Pedro Nava; the league's chairman, Melvin Nutter, is a former commissioner; the league's vice chair is commission Chairwoman Sara Wan, who also founded the pro-commission group called "Vote the Coast."

AT ISSUE: More input regarding the California Coastal Commission's decision to force Rodolphe Streichenberger to dismantle his marine structure. Rodolphe Streichenberger's "marine forest" has been ordered destroyed by the California Coastal Commission ("Coastal Commission: Reef must go," May 11). The Coastal Commission's No. 1 reason for this order is that the forest attracts fish to waters polluted by the Orange County Sanitation District's sewage outfall.

Jan Vandersloot, a founding member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, will be honored posthumously for his dedication to preserving the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The late Newport Beach resident on Sunday will be recognized as an outstanding wetlands community leader by the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C. The award is part of the National Wetlands Awards Program that honors six individuals who have contributed to the preservation of the country’s wetlands through education, restoration or activism.

The legendary surf shop, the Frog House, is one step closer to salvation. The Newport Beach shop's owner and other nearby property owners have applied to change the city's Coastal Land Use Plan so they can remain at their Upper West Newport locations. City officials mailed notices to other government agencies earlier this month, notifying them of the application. It ultimately has to be approved by the California Coastal Commission. Property owners want to change the zoning to allow for commercial buildings or mixed-use buildings on their land, in order to allow their businesses to stay.

NEWPORT BEACH — Residents of a private island in Newport Bay are suing the California Coastal Commission to keep their pedestrian bridge from opening to the public. The Coastal Commission contends that The Bay Island Club, an association of 24 homeowners on the tiny island by that name, must allow public access to the bridge if the club wants to replace the aging 130-foot span. It's a classic example of the struggle between private landowners and state government, which, since the 1976 passage of the Coastal Act, has aggressively protected the public's access to shorelines and waterways.

For nearly 10 years, George and Sharlee McNamee have waged a legal battle against the state on their very own turf. Now, it appears that the Corona del Mar couple has finally lost the case against the California Coastal Commission, which pitted questions about rights of private property owners versus the public’s right to beach access. Last week, the California Supreme Court turned down the McNamees’ petition to review a lower court’s decision in the drawn-out dispute over a picnic area owned by them next to Corona del Mar State Beach.

Jan Vandersloot, a founding member of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, will be honored posthumously for his dedication to preserving the Bolsa Chica Wetlands. The late Newport Beach resident on Sunday will be recognized as an outstanding wetlands community leader by the Environmental Law Institute in Washington, D.C. The award is part of the National Wetlands Awards Program that honors six individuals who have contributed to the preservation of the country’s wetlands through education, restoration or activism.

The California Coastal Commission on Wednesday rejected plans for a clutch of luxury condominiums on a coastal bluff in Corona del Mar. The commission voted 5 to 7 against Aerie’s proposed 61,700-square-foot project on Carnation Avenue. The project narrowly won approval from the Newport Beach City Council in July, by a 4-2 vote. Some residents from the surrounding neighborhood opposed the project on the grounds that it was too big. Plans for the eight luxury condominiums include private decks and pools for each unit and an elevator to take cars to underground levels.

The Fourth District Court of Appeal has sided with the California Coastal Commission in a battle over a retired Corona del Mar couple’s beachfront picnic spot and thatched palapa. The Coastal Commission ordered George and Sharlee McNamee to tear down their beach oasis in 2004. Set on a private portion of beach at the base of a cliff above Corona del Mar State Beach, the McNamees’ patch of sand includes two picnic tables; a shower and bathroom; storage lockers; a built-in barbecue; palapa; and some flowering plants.

After a six-year legal battle with the California Coastal Commission, the fate of a retired Corona del Mar couple’s beachfront picnic spot and thatched palapa lies with the Fourth District Court of Appeal. A Santa Ana courthouse was packed with supporters of Ocean Boulevard residents George and Sharlee McNamee on Thursday as a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the couple’s case, which has grown from a squabble over a barbecue and some picnic tables into a fight between the rights of private property owners versus the public’s access to the beach.

After a six-year legal battle with the California Coastal Commission, the fate of a retired Corona del Mar couple’s beachfront picnic spot and thatched palapa lies with the Fourth District Court of Appeal. A Santa Ana courthouse was packed with supporters of Ocean Boulevard residents George and Sharlee McNamee on Thursday as a three-judge panel heard oral arguments in the couple’s case, which has grown from a squabble over a barbecue and some picnic tables into a fight between the rights of private property owners versus the public’s access to the beach.

A group of community members from the Newport-Mesa area is getting together to clean up areas around the Santa Ana River on Saturday morning in honor of the 24th Annual California Coastal Cleanup Day. The volunteers will assemble at Vista Park in Costa Mesa and divide into smaller units that will work at three locations along the river, which empties into the ocean between Newport Beach and Huntington Beach. Everyone will meet at Vista Park, on the bluff overlooking the Santa Ana River where Victoria Boulevard intersects the river, at 9 a.m. Organizers are encouraging volunteers to wear comfortable clothes and closed-toed shoes.