A Pot of Bills for the Coastline

One of Gov. Pete Wilson’s initiatives early this year was a modest plan to strengthen protection of the California coastline and near-shore waters. It included provisions for improved beach access and would have created an office to expedite wetlands restoration.

In a parallel effort, environmental groups, fishing organizations and state legislators proposed some 30 measures to reduce pollution, restore fisheries and strengthen beach access.

Portions of Wilson’s plan failed, although some of the legislative measures carried forward his basic ideas. Had all parties worked together more closely, the Legislature might have produced a unified plan that provided the strongest protection for coastal resources in two decades. What emerged was a scattershot array of more than 20 bills that now await action by the governor. While this was not the ideal way to assemble a legislative program, a number of the measures would provide needed protection for coastal resources and deserve the governor’s signature.

One measure Wilson already has signed creates a natural resources infrastructure bank financed with tidelands oil revenues. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Mike Thompson (D-St. Helena) and Assemblywoman Denise Ducheny (D-San Diego), gives first priority over the next five years to north coast salmon and steelhead restoration. Other priorities include control of storm sewer runoff and protection of endangered species habitat.

Pending bills that especially merit Wilson’s approval include:

AB 241, by Assemblyman Ted Lempert (D-San Carlos), would appropriate $6.9 million to create the Southern California Wetlands Clearinghouse for protection and restoration of wetlands.

SB 499, by Sen. Dede Alpert (D-Coronado), would require the state to develop a plan for controlling the gunk that washes off streets, highways, parking lots and the like into storm drains and ultimately to the ocean. In rural areas, it addresses manure and fertilizer runoff into waterways.

AB 1429, by Assemblyman Kevin Shelly (D-San Francisco), and AB 411, by Assemblyman Howard Wayne (D-San Diego), would require the state to establish a plan for monitoring the coastal waters and require posting of beaches when contaminants exceed health standards.

SB 673, by Sen. Betty Karnette (D-Long Beach), and AB 1479, by Assemblyman Michael Sweeney (D-Hayward), would expand state efforts to clean up toxic contaminants in the state’s bays, including sediment in Santa Monica Bay.

With enactment of these bills California would take a modest step toward the sort of comprehensive coastal program the state really needs. Continuing that work should be a priority of the 1998 Legislature.