Coastal King's Reign Comes to an End

Peter Douglas' announcement Wednesday morning in Watsonville that he would be stepping down as executive director of the California Coastal Commission marked an end to a significant era in this state's history.

Douglas never had a vote on the 12-member panel that makes decisions on coastal development permits and other matters concerning California's 1,100-mile coastline, but for 26 years he has had significant influence on a commission that has shaped the look of modern California's border with the ocean.

Douglas, 69, will officially retire in November, but after this week he will go on sick leave while he battles cancer for a second time. In 2004, Douglas defeated throat cancer and this time it is in his lungs.

So this past week's Coastal Commission session was the final one with Douglas at the helm. Senior Deputy Director Charles Lester will oversee the operation on an interim basis, and the commission must select Douglas' official successor.

Several years ago, I wrote a profile on Douglas for Capitol Weekly, a publication in Sacramento. He told me that he fell in love with the coast in 1950 when he arrived in California as a child from Germany. As a youth, Douglas often visited the beach and he attended high school in Pebble Beach.

Not long after graduating from law school at UCLA, Douglas helped craft Proposition 20, which was approved by voters in 1972 and created the Coastal Commission.

The state panel was made permanent in 1976 when Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Coastal Act—which was authored by Douglas—into law. He was named deputy director of the Coastal Commission in 1977 and was appointed as its third executive director in 1985.

In preparing the piece on Douglas, I also spoke with his supporters and detractors. There were plenty of potential interviewees on both sides of the aisle. The answers I received when I asked about Douglas' philosophy were mostly similar; it was what people thought of this philosophy that differed.

"Peter has very strong views and is not shy about expressing them," said Mary Nichols, current chair of the California Air Resources Board and a person who has worked in several environmental positions through the years. "He states very strong views about protection [of the coast]. He's almost cast himself in the role of Joan of Arc, the single person who is standing between the coastline and developers."

Ron Zumbrun, founder of the Pacific Legal Foundation, said, "He has an extreme goal for protecting the coast. He does not really recognize the right to own and use private property. He's from a different philosophy."

Douglas' reign as executive director has not always been a smooth one. He estimated that there were at least a dozen attempts to throw him out of office. But each time, Douglas maintained his post. 

Over the years, he has sparred with various people (not always developers) and governments, including the city of Malibu. And he has never been afraid to speak his mind.

Recently, Douglas irked the representatives of a project proposed by U2 guitarist The Edge and his partners to build five large homes in the Sweetwater Mesa area, just outside the Malibu city limits. At the hearing, Douglas said, "I came to the conclusion that in my 38 years with the commission, I have never seen a project as environmentally devastating as this one."

A spokeswoman for the project called Douglas' comment "inflammatory." Perhaps it was, since Douglas has seen many large and environmentally questionable projects go before the commission over the years. But the comment was also pure Douglas, the type that catches the attention of everybody listening.

Whatever one thinks of him, it cannot be denied that Douglas is one of the most significant leaders in recent California history and one whose influence will be felt long after he steps down from his post.