Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester might get fired come February, but not before the public can have its say.
A statement posted Jan. 19 on the commission's website indicated that a public hearing will be held Feb. 10 for the possible ouster of Lester, who has served in his position since 2011.
The hearing will begin at 9am, during the commission's February meeting in Morro Bay.
According to an article in Capitol Weekly, multiple sources say the potential dismissal stems from conflict between environmental and development interests on the commission.
Lester is typically seen as an environmental ally.
For Lester to get fired, more than half of the commissioners present must vote in favor it.
(1) comment
-------- Forwarded Message --------
Subject: Consideration of Dismissal of the Executive Director, Agenda Item W8-10, February 10, 2016 Coastal Commission Meeting
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2016 16:20:22 -0800
From: Douglas Deitch
To: mluevanocoastal@gmail.com, mmcclureccc@co.del-norte.ca.us, cgroom@smcgov.org, sarahcoastalcom@yahoo.com, StatusOfExecutiveDirector@coastal.ca.gov, Ddeitch
Subject: Consideration of Dismissal of the Executive Director, Agenda Item W8-10, February 10, 2016 Coastal Commission Meeting-Comment from Douglas Deitch, Executive Director-Monterey Bay Conservancy, Santa Cruz, California ... a 501c3 Monterey Bay Water Policy Thinktank since 1996
Date: Sun, 31 Jan 2016 04:18:23 -0800
From: Douglas Deitch
To: California Coastal Commission, Governor Brown , Mark Cowin/DWR , Natural Resources Secretary John Laird (on linkedin.com: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/california-coastal-commission-should-replace-ed-dr-charles-deitch?trk=prof-post)
In re: Dr. Charles Lester's Job performance, results, and retention as ED ...
Dear California Coastal Commission et al,
Query: In the Monterey Bay, is there any coastal resource more critical and necessary to every aspect of our lives, survival, prosperity, and "sustainability" on the coast than our tragically and now permanently salt water intruded and decades long massively "Big Ag" defiled and mined out coastal ground water commons?
It's a real simple decision, California Coastal Commission ...
"The mission of the Coastal Commission (CCC) is to: Protect, conserve, restore, and enhance environmental and human-based resources of the California coast and ocean for environmentally sustainable and prudent use by current and future generations."
Instead of this, here's what Dr. Lester did and told us in 2009 he erroneously believes and understands the "mission" and "mandate" of the CCC to be ...
... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRld8TH-KEs
... in response to my numerous pleas (eg. please see: 2009: www.begentlewiththeearth.org www.ourinconvenienttruth.com , https://www.facebook.com/MontereyBayConservancy/photos/pb.177055962316509.-2207520000.1453917109./882368621785236/?type=3&theater
, and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyYd603w-5A , www.douglasdeitch.com , www.lawandorderliberal.com , www.dougdeitch.com ) from 2007 through 2011 to the CCC and Dr. Lester, CCC and Coastal Conservancy staff, and supervisor/CCC commissar Mark Stone, in particular,
... to please recognize and enforce our 1987 Gary Patton "Well Ordinance and Local Coastal Plan" which, unique in the State of California, by law (www.pogonip.org/ord.htm , www.pogonip.org/alm.htm), forbade/forbides ANY overdrafting/water mining of our Santa Cruz County aquifers.
The CCC, Dr. Lester, and the late Dr. Douglas refused in 2009 and any time thereafter to this moment ... and here's what we here in Santa Cruz and the entire Monterey Bay ended up with instead, as I testified we would in 2010 ...
... The entire CCC was "complicit in the greatest environmental catastrophe (ie the tragic and permanent decimation and waste of our local coastal Monterey Bay ground water commons) in the history of the Monterey Bay"
... ( @ 3:35 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK-UlINUmEE ,
https://www.facebook.com/dougforassembly/photos/pb.1591961497709889.-2207520000.1450709303./1640504249522280/?type=3&theater )
... ending up this month, officially, Folks, as the most tragically overdrafted and mismanaged ground water commons in the once Golden State:
https://www.facebook.com/MontereyBayConservancy/photos/a.215880731767365.54128.177055962316509/983979478290816/?type=3&theater
Res ipsa loquitur.
Respectfully and regretfully submitted,
Douglas Deitch
Executive Director, Monterey Bay Conservancy
501 Mission Street, #1
Santa Cruz, California, 95060
831.476.7662
www.thebestthatmoneycantbuy.net
www.thinklocalactlocal.com
ps/btw ... I have noticed an op-ed in a number of papers, LA Times, etc., by Mr. Steven Blank, former CCC commissioner 2007-2013, lauding Dr. Lester's performance and advocating his retention. Maybe if Mr. Blank had been paying a little closer attention and respect (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyZoEfZfuG0), along with Commissioner/SC supervisor Mr. Mark Stone, ESQ., in particular) during his CCC tenure, he might have a far different view of Dr. Lester's performance AND the Monterey Bay's ground water commons (along with the rest of our invaluable though now critically threatened and failing natural coastal resources and systems) and Dr. Lester's and his own tragic failure to protect, steward, and sustainably conserve them?
ps/btw II: Gary Patton FB post 3/2015: ... https://www.facebook.com/MontereyBayConservancy/photos/a.215880731767365.54128.177055962316509/943298669025564/?type=3&theater
ps/btw III: My 2009 Santa Cruz Metro Op-Ed on our undeclared by our Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors' ground water emergency ... : http://www.metrosantacruz.com/metro-santa-cruz/09.23.09/news4-0938.html
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