The Emperor of Bolsa Chica

* After reading the many letters submitted by the members of the Bolsa Chica Land Trust, I am reminded of the children’s fable about an emperor who was being fitted for a beautiful new suit. Here, the Land Trust, often masquerading as an environmental organization, has dressed itself up in beautiful rhetoric accusing the California Coastal Commission of “violating” the Coastal Act with its overwhelming majority approval of the Bolsa Chica wetlands restoration project.

However, no matter how many times the Land Trust repeats this lie, it will not become the truth. The fact is that the Coastal Commission did not violate the coastal law and had full authority to approve the project. A number of prior projects have been approved that allow development of some degraded wetlands in order to achieve restoration of most of the degraded areas. Simply put, the emperor has no clothes.

MIKE GUEST

Huntington Beach

* As the rhetoric on the development issue becomes more heated, I think that it is time for owners of any property to realize that they have an obligation to the community. Throughout most of U.S. history, property owners could act in only their own interest because there weren’t so many of us. That situation, especially in California, no longer exists.

When a person or company buys property, they should definitely be able to continue to use it as it is zoned. However, to develop a parcel of land to the detriment of one’s neighbors or community is certainly not an American right.

MARY LOU ROSCZYK

Huntington Beach