Coastal Panel in Tough Debate Over Wetlands

Amid political maneuvering, the California Coastal Commission on Wednesday held its second marathon meeting on a request by Southern California Edison to reduce its reef and wetlands restoration projects in San Diego and Orange counties.

Late Wednesday night, the commission had yet to take a vote despite hours of sometimes heated debate. Officials of the Wilson administration had worked feverishly behind the scenes to strike a deal between Edison and the public agency that runs the San Dieguito River Valley Regional Open Space Park in northern San Diego County.

A Democratic appointee to the commission accused lame duck Republican appointees on the commission of rushing through a controversial plan to help Edison save money.

“Some of you want to do this in your death rattle to let Edison off the hook,” said commission member Gary Giacomini, a Marin County supervisor.

Republican appointees hold an eight to four edge. That will change when Assembly Speaker-designate Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno) exercises his right to oust four commission members appointed by his Republican predecessor.

Mindful that the commission will again have a majority of Democratic appointees, members of the governing board of the San Dieguito park announced to the commission that they are no longer willing to cooperate with Edison’s wetlands restoration project for the San Dieguito Lagoon at Del Mar.

In 1991, Edison agreed to restore 150 acres of wetlands at San Dieguito Lagoon to mitigate damage done by the San Onofre nuclear plant. But Edison is now seeking to reduce the project, citing concerns about flooding.

Caught up in the same controversy is Edison’s request to build a 16.8-acre kelp reef off San Clemente rather than the 300-acre reef promised in 1991.

At a commission meeting in October, San Diego County Supervisor Pam Slater said the joint powers authority that governs San Dieguito park could live with Edison’s revised plan, with minor changes.

On Wednesday, however, Slater said the authority no longer finds Edison’s plan acceptable. She suggested that the issue be delayed until the February meeting.

By February, Bustamante’s appointees may be in place, with the expected result that the commission majority will be less friendly to Edison and more friendly to environmentalists.

Craig Denisoff, an official with the state Resources Agency, said Slater’s tactic smacked of “we’re taking our ball and going home.” A vote to delay discussion of the Edison request until February was rejected on a straight party-line vote.

Commission Executive Director Peter Douglas said that the staff made a recommendation against the Edison request for environmental reasons and because no wetlands deal is possible without the cooperation of the San Dieguito park authority. Douglas said he doubted that the commission could legally consider the Edison request without a staff report.

Republicans on the commission had tried to oust Douglas several months ago, but that effort stalled in the face of support from legislators.