Coastal Commission chief is unfailingly fair

Regarding the governor’s appointees talking about firing Charles Lester, the California Coastal Commission’s executive director (“Staff turmoil shakes powerful California coastal agency, Jan. 25):

I met with Lester on projects (Hearst Ranch and East West Ranch included) when he was an employee of the commission, before he became executive director. Although I often disagreed with him regarding the compatibility of projects with coastal protection, he was never less than scrupulously honest and unfailingly fair. He was very aware of the challenge of balancing coastal protection with property rights. This raises the suspicion that fairness is not the commissioners’ goal, but rather a thumb on the scales, weighing in favor of developers.

If Gov. Jerry Brown permits his appointees to cripple the Coastal Commission, he may find his legacy is not the bullet train or the Sacramento Delta project, but the shame and disgrace of overseeing the privatization and destruction of California’s beloved coast.

This story was originally published February 10, 2016 at 4:11 PM with the headline "Coastal Commission chief is unfailingly fair."