Iseman answers critics

Councilwoman Toni Iseman was notified June 22 that she would not be

reappointed to the California Coastal Commission, a position she had

held for more than two years.

Iseman was one of the state Senate’s four appointees, two of whom

must be elected officials. Iseman’s seat was filled by Manhattan

Beach City Councilman Jim Aldinger, who will serve as the

commission’s South Coast representative.

Iseman’s replacement came on the heels of sharp criticism from

leaders of the Sierra Club and the Surfrider Foundation, who declined

to endorse her reappointment, questioning her commitment to the

environment, based on their “report card” of commissioners’ votes.

Following is a Q&A; with Iseman and Coastline Pilot reporter

Barbara Diamond.

Q. Were you disappointed in not being reappointed to the

California Coastal Commission?

A. What happened to me is a problem on a personal level -- I loved

being on the commission -- but it goes beyond me.

It is also problem on the county level, because we [Orange County]

no longer have a representative on the commission, and on the state

level.

Taking me off the commission isn’t about me. It’s about the

remaining 11 commissioners who know that [Sierra Club spokesman] Mark

Masara- -- I call him Mark Messiah -- is sitting there with his red

pencil.

By not reappointing me, the rest of the commission was put on

notice.

Q. Are lobbyists like Masara a bad thing?

A. The greatest value the lobbyists have is to bring clients

around to the realization of what it takes to be successful.

Masara goes to commission meetings with his laptop like the 13th

commissioner, and he writes “Coast Watch.”

The commission has about 1,500 votes a year, and his grading sheet

reported less than 35 votes.

Q. What do you think turned the leadership of the Surfrider

Foundation and the Sierra Club against you?

A. If it were not for the Dana Headlands and Bolsa Chica, I would

still be on the commission.

Q. Does the Commission serve a mission?

A. The hours are amazing. If anyone thinks the council meetings

are long -- the commission met at Stanford from 9 a.m. to 9.30 p.m

with a break for lunch and worked through dinner.

Coastal commissioners are so dedicated. You couldn’t get that kind

of work without realizing it is a mission.

Q. What did you see as your obligation as a commissioner?

A. I had an obligation to served the citizens of California and

enforce the California Coast Act.

The essence is protecting water quality, the health of the beaches

and bluffs, the flora and fauna, coastal access and historical and

cultural elements.

Mike Reilly was the chair for two years that I was on the

commission and in conversations he said we have to follow the Coastal

Act.

I said, ‘It’s like the constitution and we are the Supremes

[court].’

Q. Why, then, did Rick Wilson [of Surfrider Foundation] claim that

you ignored the act in your vote on a Pacific Grove project?

A. If the act were that easy to interpret, we wouldn’t need 12

commissioners. It is presumptuous to say the act was violated.

I weighed carefully every vote I made, and I was often on the

short end of the stick. At times, I disagreed with the coastal lobby,

and at other times, I was their only vote.

Q. You were criticized for several votes, including the Dana Point

Headlands. What was your rationale?

A. Dana Headlands was a case of disagreeing with the Surfriders on

whether there was an old seawall or a new one.

Because the Headlands was in my territory, the perception was that

I had a lot to do with getting it through. I was only one vote.

Q. Are there any votes you regret?

A. I would not change a single vote.

Q. What vote are you most proud of?

A. The Headlands is the finest project I saw while on the

commission.

QUESTION

Does Orange County need a representative on the California Coastal

Commission? Write us at P.O. Box 248, Laguna Beach, CA, 92652, e-mail

us at coastlinepilot@

latimes.com or fax us at 494-8979. Please give your name and tell

us your home address and phone number for verification purposes only.