League has strong links to coastal...

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.”

Pay attention, environmentalists. The California Coastal

Commission has created a large net to catch you and to deceive.

No wonder the environmental movement is losing credibility.

RODOLPHE STREICHENBERGER

Newport Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: Rodolphe Streichenberger founded the Marine

Forests Society and won a court battle that validated his claim that

the California Coastal Commission is unconstitutional.

Deputies demonstrated professionalism in duties

It is with extreme pleasure that I offer my highest praise with

regards to sheriff’s deputies Pat Douglas and Dan Hoffman.

I own a boat we keep in Newport Harbor. On two separate occasions

over the past year, we have been assisted by Orange County Sheriff’s

Department’s Harbor Division. On both occasions, Officer Pat Douglas

was at the helm and was the ultimate example of what a law

enforcement officer should be. Douglas, along with the other officers

on board, rendered precise, professional and, above all else,

personal and extremely friendly assistance.

In these troubled times, when so much of what we see reported on

the 11 o’clock news focuses on sensationalism and the few unfortunate

and isolated cases where law enforcement may have stepped over some

imaginary line, I wanted them to know that the officers we have had

the pure pleasure of dealing with conducted themselves and

represented the Harbor Division of the Orange County Sheriff’s

Department in a manner worthy of acknowledgment and commendation.

They have on their staff the finest law enforcement has to offer

in Officers Pat Douglas and Dan Hoffman. They are exemplary

individuals, representing a department that would make any commanding

officer proud.

MICHAEL FOWLKES

Executive producer of

“Inside Sportfishing”

Greenlight efforts will maintain this residential town

Richard Stevens (Rebuttal, “Greenlight endangers Newport’s quality

of life,” Sunday) inadvertently makes the case for Greenlight when he

describes his developments in Carmel and Monterey. He readily admits

that voters would have rejected these projects had they come to the

ballot after city approval.

Apparently, Carmel and Monterey suffer from the same lack of

representative government that Newport Beach did prior to

Greenlight’s approval. If residents so clearly opposed these

projects, why would a representative government approve them? In

Newport Beach, the city’s own visioning process found that residents

overwhelmingly do not want any more hotels built. This was clearly

apparent during hearings for the proposed Dunes hotel a few years

ago, yet the Planning Commission approved this monstrosity of a hotel

and the City Council was poised to approve it if Greenlight had

failed.

In short, representative government only works for the little guys

if the playing field is completely level and, prior to Greenlight, it

was not. Developer interests virtually always trumped resident

opposition. Newport Beach will remain the residential town that

Stevens loves only because the residents voted to retain the final

say on the future development of Newport Beach.

SUSAN SKINNER CAUSTIN

Newport Beach