Marine officer resigns his post

After nine months on job, Matt Brown bows out, citing unaffordable real estate as the reason; it’s unclear whether position will be filled.To the disappointment of local environmental groups, Laguna Beach’s first marine protection officer, Matt Brown, has left to pursue opportunities in Oregon.

Fears have arisen over when, or even if, Brown will be replaced.

After less than a year on the job, Brown -- who has a wife and two children -- said an unaffordable real estate market was pivotal in his decision.

“I loved that job. As much as I hated to give it up, it just wasn’t realistic,” Brown said.

Marine Safety Chief Mark Klosterman said a decision will not be made on replacing Brown until after the Dec. 13 ballot on a proposed half-cent sales tax increase to boost city funds in the wake of the June 1 landslide.

The city manager imposed a hiring freeze several weeks ago.

The city is facing the prospect of footing the bill for $15 million in repairs to the landslide zone in Bluebird Canyon.

Local environmentalists are worried about possible difficulties in replacing Brown.

“This is an enormously important position and needs to be replaced immediately,” said Mia Davidson of the Ocean Laguna Foundation and TideWater Docent Program.

Davidson, whose group led the charge to create the position, added, “Laguna Beach has some of the richest and most beautiful tide pools in California, and we are entering a period of negative tides when our shore is most vulnerable. The timing could not be worse.”

Klosterman said Brown had accomplished much in nine months.

“The job was going very, very well,” said Klosterman. “This was a brand new start-up position, and he was doing what we asked of him. He was effective.”

Brown was in the field beginning in February and issued an average of about three citations per week, according to Klosterman.

“You cannot quantify what he accomplished just by his presence,” said Klosterman, who said he felt that anglers stayed away from the off-limits tide pools after learning of the presence of an officer patrolling the area.

Brown also sent out 250 mailers to schools letting them know that classes had to register before visiting tide pools.

The number of visitors to tide pools was limited to 100 per day, which Kolsterman believes helps preserve marine life.

Others have criticized the city’s handling of the position, especially that Brown shared transportation with lifeguards instead of having his own patrol vehicle.

“The MPO should have the tools, and the empowerment, to guarantee what’s remained is protected,” said Roger von Butow of Clean Water Now, a local activist organization.

As for replacing Brown, Klosterman said the position requires a blend of enforcement and educational skills that can be hard to find.

“We received a bunch of applications from people with great backgrounds, but most of them weren’t good fits,” said Klosterman.

The position has a starting salary of $3,695 per month.

QUESTION

Should the city immediately fill the post of marine protection officer? 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 hometown and phone number for verification purposes only.