Coastal Commissioners

45 Fremont Street, Suite 2000

San Francisco, California, 94105

Dear Coastal Commissioners Caldwell, Burke, Kruer, Reilly, Kram, Shallenberger, Neeley, Clark, Padila, Wan, and Potter, 

I respectfully urge you strongly support Staff’s recommendation and reject the Pebble Beach Company’s Measure A rezoning because it drastically violates our Coastal Act by allowing destruction of ESHA (Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area) needed by officially imperiled animals including Mark Twain’s California red-legged frogs. It also threatens our native Monterey pine forest protecting Gowen Cypresses and the priceless Yadon’s rein Orchids.

Such a dramatic zoning aberration would allow permanent destruction of huge areas of our vitally needed native Monterey pine forest ecosystem and could potentially drive these species to extinction.

I respectfully request you –

1. Reject Measure A for its serious conflicts with protections required by our Coastal Act, most especially because native Monterey pine forest is Environmentally Sensitive Habitat Area in at least 8 different ways, and

2. Direct Monterey County to update the Del Monte Forest Local Coastal Plan using the recommendations provided by this Commission after you conducted a periodic review in 2002-2003.

3. Direct Pebble Beach Company to seriously evaluate buying a nearby offsite golf course.

Thank you sincerely,