L.A. Lawyers Named to Coastal Panel

State Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa on Tuesday named two Los Angeles attorneys with strong environmental credentials to the California Coastal Commission.

They are Paula Daniels, 43, the first Korean American to serve on the panel, and Cecilia Estolano, 32, a land-use lawyer.

Daniels is a longtime member of the board of Heal the Bay, which focuses on protecting coastal waters in the Los Angeles area. She is also past president of the Korean Youth Community Center.

Estolano is a former member of the Heal the Bay board. She also served as an environmental policy advisor to then-Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

Villaraigosa also reappointed San Diego City Councilwoman Christine Kehoe, 47, and Monterey County Supervisor Dave Potter, 49, to the panel.

Environmentalists praised the appointments, saying that, combined with selections made recently by Gov. Gray Davis, the commission now has a solid majority in favor of preserving open space along California’s coast.

“We are familiar with several of the appointments [made by the speaker] and know them to have a strong commitment to the coast,” said a statement issued by the Sierra Club.

Two weeks ago, Davis made his first commission appointments, naming Cynthia McClain-Hill, 41, of Los Angeles, managing partner of a law firm, and Christina Desser, 44, of San Francisco, project director for the Migratory Species Project.

The 12-member commission was set up in the 1970s to regulate development and maintain public access along California’s 1,100-mile coastline. The Assembly speaker, the governor and the Senate Rules Committee each select four members.

Villaraigosa’s two new appointees replace Pedro Nava of Santa Barbara and Dr. Andrea Tuttle of Arcata. They were appointed by former Speaker Cruz Bustamante (D-Fresno).