I M Maureen Cavanaugh. It is Thursday, February 11. Today's top story, hours of testimony by enthusiastic supporters did not help save the job of the coastal commission's director Charles Lester. On a seven. On a 725 both the commission decided to fire Lester. Joining me is KPBS North reporter Allison St. John. Welcome to the program. Happy to be here. The commission in the Bay yesterday was packed. Give us an idea of who spoke in favor of Charles Lester. There were groups from up and down the state. Over 253 people spoke. It began at 10. Over 253 people spoke. It began at 10 AM and ended at 9 o'clock at night. Essentially every spoke in favor of Charles, including numbers of environmental group, his staff, even developers spoke in favor of him. We thought it would be interested to hear from the Mayor of Imperial Beach was one of the first people to testify. He spoke about one of the issues we know, Greg Cox who is Commissioner on the Commissioner talked earlier this week that he felt the mission was not quite moving fast enough towards helping local communities come up with their local coastal plans, thus transferring some of the authority to the commission to the local communities. The Mayor of Imperial Beach said that he had a very positive experience working with the Comeau -- coastal commission staff expect the new focus of the coast commission has allowed our city to completely shift away from costly and expensive taxpayer-funded wasting dredge and fill projects to really provide sealevel rise and implantation. That is something we will move forward with hopefully and it's one of the most attended public workshops in our city, with residents completely embracing the strategy. So more than 200 people spoke in price of Charles Lester? Yes. I did not hear anyone say anything negative. There were some comments about the communications between the staff in the commission, his management style. However, most people said he was thoughtful, responsible, and passionate about protecting the coast. Tell us a little bit about him. When did he get on the coastal commission? He is only the second executive director to lead the commission since the early 70s. He was hand-picked by his predecessor Peter Douglas, who was a legendary figure. He was appointed unanimously. He spoke for about 40 minutes at the beginning of the meeting in defense of his record. He said that the commission under his leadership had made a five-year strategic plan, and that he had actually accomplished 80% of the work towards meeting those goals. He does appear to be a low-key, thoughtful kind of person. He's not a rebel rousing leader at all. But many of the commissioners said, he excels in terms of the results he accomplishes from leadership. Remind us what the coastal commission actually does. They have the final say on a lot of things that happen along the coast. For example, development, you may remember that they had something to say about hotels along the bank. They are fighting for access to the general public. Coastal protection, they are the approved ones that improve the wall armoring projects below private homes on the cliff, the a blue sand replenishment, any kind of measure to protect the coastline. They even stepped in on SeaWorld recently and said that the world was not to have more breeding marine mammals. So they have very wide authority. So all of this support for Charles Lester I am wondering why he was the focal point of so much attention. Well, I think that is the question. Many feel people like the commission should not have voted behind closed doors because there is a big mystery now as to why he was fired. And many of the commissioners made the point that they felt their hands were tired, that they were under a gag order. They could not explain what the issue was forcing them to vote on this issue. So he has become the flashpoint of whether the coastal commission is moving away from its prime directive of protecting the coast as many environmental groups were very worried that this move to fire Lester was doing with beginning of the regulations of the coast from lobbyists and developers. They are wanted to develop some of the most valuable real estate in the world. It's not an easy job to balance. That is why there is so much focus on Charles Lester. However, the reason he was fired may not be so much to do with those issues. Commissioner Steve Kinsey who voted to keep him on, he said after the vote that the vote revolved around Lester's leadership and not around the issue of development. Do we know anything about his leadership style? Could cause such a problem on the commission? Well, he was recognized as being a very passionate defender of the coast, Andy passionate defender of the independence of his staff. Some of the commissioners complained that they did not have enough communication the staff and that they were not being informed enough of some of the issues. Perhaps, they felt they were being kept out of the loop. Lester himself was very adamant that part of this was maintaining a staff and you cannot be giving too much information or you blur the lines between the staff and the commissioners, decision-makers. Now Olga Diaz, voted against Charles Lester, she's also a member of the coastal commission. Let's hear what she had to say. I feel completely free to make a decision on this issue. I came here thinking there must be something more than what I know because I improve it to a lot of the performance review material that we cannot or will not share with you. I had read that. What am I missing? Maybe the same issue. And I have had an opportunity now to fill in some of the gaps. More importantly I want to say to my people, you cannot react in anger because you know most of the commissioners here are like you, environmentalist. But there was reaction in anger after this vote. Will not only after, but also before. And I think Olga Diaz could have been a swing though. It was a 7 to 5 though, had she voted the other way would up on six 626 -- six to six. That could've changed everything. She came on the ticket saying I'm a Democrat, I'm a feminist, I'm cut from the same cloth as many of you. She said she did not appreciate the fact that many of the commissioners had been threatened physically and by phone calls by those who were angry with this decision. She said you have to realize that everyone on this Has the same motivation, to protect themselves -- coastline. But we have to uphold the coastal act. She could not reveal what the reason was that they had to fire their executive director in order to uphold the coastal act. Are the any appeals left for Charles Lester? I understand the environmental community is kind of left in a bit of a quandary. Because unless they know what the reason is specifically for Lester's firing, it's very difficult to know what kind of legal recourse they may have. At this moment, nothing definite has emerged. I have been speaking with KPBS North reporter, Allison St. John.'s thank you very much. My pleasure, Maureen.
The powerful agency that manages development on California's coastline fired its executive after a lengthy and, at times, emotionally charged meeting that veered from accusations about the influence of developers and lobbyists to discussions on the mundane inner workings of government.
The California Coastal Commission voted 7-5 Wednesday to dismiss Executive Director Charles Lester, who has held the post since 2011. The vote was taken behind closed doors.
One of the commissioners voting to fire Lester was Escondido City Councilwoman Olga Diaz, who was there as an alternate for San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox, who could not attend the meeting.
Diaz described herself as an environmentalist who came to the meeting wondering, "What am I missing?" But she said there was an issue the commissioners were legally unable to disclose that led to the decision to terminate Lester.
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The shake-up raises questions about the direction of an agency often caught in the clash between property rights and conservation. The panel has broad sway over construction and environmental issues in coastal areas that include some of the most coveted real estate in the U.S.
The decision to oust Lester stood in striking contrast with a daylong meeting that amounted to a nearly unanimous show of support for the embattled executive director and his staff. Hundreds of people filled a meeting room in Morro Bay to capacity, with scores more outside, many waving signs saying "More Lester" and "Save Our Coast." Supporters chanted outside: "We want Lester."
Environmental activists suspect some commission members wanted to push out Lester to make way for management that would be more favorable to development, while a business group has questioned the tactics of the agency's staff.
Before the vote, several commission members said that talk of a "coup" or "conspiracy" to oust Lester was a groundless narrative pushed in the media by those eager to save Lester's job.
Instead, without directly attacking Lester, they indicated that the proposal to dismiss him was rooted in questions about Lester's job performance and how he interacted with the commission and entities regulated by them. Some complained they had been left in the dark on important matters, or had difficulty obtaining information.
"It makes for easy drama to paint this as some plot by a gang of blood-thirsty developers who see only one man in their way of total destruction of the coast," said Commissioner Mark Vargas.
The commission heard from dozens of witnesses, including members of its staff, all supporting Lester's work. They praised him for a balanced hand in regulation and thorough and independent evaluation of proposed projects along the coastline.
Lester's supporters repeatedly evoked the creation of the commission in the early 1970s, when rapid development was reshaping the California coast. Without checks and balances, they warned, California's coast could become lined with high-rise buildings and luxury resorts open to the wealthy few.
Susan Jordan of the California Coastal Protection Network warned that Lester's removal could threaten beach access for the public and open a new era of unchecked development.
"There will always be another billionaire who will block access to the beach," she warned, alluding to notorious fights over beaches in Malibu and other celebrity enclaves.
William L. Perocchi, chief executive of the Pebble Beach Co., which owns the famed seaside golf course, submitted a letter to the panel calling Lester "fair, pragmatic, creative, open and reasonable."
Commission Chairman Steve Kinsey notified Lester in a letter last month that the panel would consider whether to fire him.
Lester's dismissal comes in the midst of a long-running review of a proposed development of nearly 1,400 homes, a resort and retail space known as Banning Ranch in the Newport Beach area.
Despite wide publicity on Lester's fate, Gov. Jerry Brown, who appoints four commission members, distanced himself from the debate. His spokesman, Evan Westrup, said in a statement that "this is a matter the Coastal Commission initiated without any involvement from our office."
All of Brown's appointees on the panel voted to fire Lester.
The 12-member commission has received about 29,000 letters and emails, virtually all of them supporting Lester's leadership.
But a letter from the Los Angeles County Business Federation, an alliance of 155 business groups, faulted the commission's staff for a lack of accountability and regulatory overreach.
"California Coastal Commission staff attempt to assert control over facilities, projects and land use" outside of their control, according to the letter received by the panel Wednesday.
Lester has aggressively defended his tenure and depicted himself as an able steward of the coast. He has said he and the commission have made strides addressing the effects of sea-level rise tied to climate change, protecting open space and winning additional funding.
He defended his record for nearly 40 minutes Wednesday, stressing the need for an independent, impartial staff to review projects, with the commission then voting on those recommendations.
"If the two intertwine, then the recommendation or the commission decision ... will be untrustworthy," he warned.
