Attorney General Lockyer Seeks Appellate Review in Coastal Commission Case

January 15, 2003
03-008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(916) 324-5500

(SACRAMENTO) – (SACRAMENTO) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer today issued the following statement regarding a petition filed with the Third District Court of Appeal for a rehearing in the Marine Forests Society v. California Coastal Commission case.

"My office has filed a request for the Court of Appeal to rehear its ruling that the Coastal Commission, as currently structured, is unconstitutional.

"For three decades, the Coastal Commission has played a primary role in the protection of our coastal waters and beaches. The Commission has performed its obligations in a manner that responsibly balances property rights with a duty to safeguard the public trust. Regardless of the result this case ultimately brings, California cannot afford to abandon the stewardship provided by the Commission and sacrifice the future, access and beauty of our coast. I will continue to do everything possible to ensure the Commission is able to pursue its work in the future by correcting this legal ruling in the courts or in the Legislature. "