Ernesto Jesus Nevarez did not expect a...

Ernesto Jesus Nevarez did not expect a warm reception when he went to a meeting of the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday. He thought the board would view him as “a fool or a buffoon.” For the most part, as he himself acknowledges, they did.

Nevarez, 29, a Wilmington businessman and community activist, delivered a fervent speech in opposition to a proposal by the Pacific-Texas Pipeline Co. for a 1,000-mile oil pipeline from the Los Angeles Harbor to Texas. The company needed an extension of its permit, which it got.

“I’m a resident of Wilmington, California, the community most affected by Pac-Tex,” Nevarez declared. “I’m here representing my community . . . I want to play the game and so does my neighborhood.”

Nevarez chastised commission members for a full five minutes, charging them with, among other things, putting out an inadequate public notice and meeting in Marina del Ray rather than Wilmington.

The 11 commissioners, who spent a good chunk of their day deciding whether wealthy landowners could build beach homes in Malibu, were visibly bored and eager to get on with their business. Nevarez said he knew that “they looked at me as a simple man.”

But when he concluded his speech, one commissioner--Mark Nathanson, who later voted against the extension--surprised him. “I think your community is very lucky to have you,” Nathanson told Nevarez. “Don’t ever lose your energy level and your involvement.”

Later, Nevarez said he was pleased. “It made me, as a person, feel very good,” he said. “I’m a little bit unorthodox. He didn’t have to do it and he wasn’t patronizing me. He gave me a very sincere compliment.”