California Coastal Commission and the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreational Area - Blog #13

Today in class Airan Scruby presented on the California Coastal Commission, which is one of the largest bureaucracies in the state. The commission has 12 voting members that are appointed by the Governor, the Sentate Rules Committee and the Speaker of the Assembly. There are also non-voters from a variety of sources.

The commissioners are not elected and can be effected by political influence. The voting members tend to be environmentally conscience while the non-voting members are competing for various interest, according to Scruby. The Commission is one of two agencies to administer the federal coastal zone. The meeting can last days and are broadcasted over the Internet.

The Commission's responsibilities are responsible for partnerships between local and state governments, regulate coast and coastal buildings, create a response plans for oil spills off the coast of California. The Commission has a great deal of power to stop project and impose regulations for cities without providing any funding.

Members of the public can reserve time to speak at the meeting or can submit something in writing. The zone extends inland and can engulf entire cities. Regulations can be imposed on any building in the zone and any future construction within the zone. Any new building or improvements to existing buildings need to meeting the standards set by the Commission and get it approved.

The Commission is suing the Navy because allegedly the sonar technology used by the Navy is causing Whales to become beached. The Commission does not have the resources to pay for the clean up so they are trying to hold the Navy responsible for the beachings. If the Commission wins this case against the Navy the Commission should then take over patrolling the oceans of the world.

There are a lot of news stories occurring now with the Commission including their exercise of power over the Santa Monica Mountains to allow camping. There are many stories that can come out of the Commission including a look at their power and the effects their decisions have on cities like Malibu, and a look into the case of the Commission versus the Navy.

The second presentation was from Shuhei Matsuo on the Santa Monica Mountains Recreation Area. The agency controls numerous camping sites and trials throughout and near Malibu. The national park was incorporated in 1978 and comprises of 153,000 acres. Because of the parks location it is frequently used for the filming of motion pictures and television shows. The park is the world's largest national park.

There are a large variety of native plants and fish located in the mountains and steams that run through the mountains. The current issues in the park are preserving plants and animals in these dry conditions as well as wildfires. The possible story ideas that Matsuo presented to the class were a story on the mediterranean ecosystem and Dr. Davis, fire issues and mountain biking.