February 8,2016-
On February 10, 2016, the California Coastal Commission, meeting at Morro Bay Community Center in Morro Bay beginning at 10AM – will hold a public hearing to consider whether to dismiss Dr. Charles Lester as its executive director,who has been in the position since 2011.
Counsel for the Commission has noted that “ The Coastal Act provides that the executive director “serve[s] at the pleasure” of the Commission and is exempt from civil service rules. The Commission is not required to identify any reasons for why it is considering whether to dismiss the executive director and, if it decides to dismiss him, is not required to specify the grounds for dismissal.”
A public hearing will be held and after the conclusion of the public hearing, the Commission may deliberate regarding this item in closed session. If the Commission takes any action during closed session to dismiss the Executive Director, the roll call vote will be reported publicly when the Commission reconvenes in open session.
Dr Lester in a memo to the Commission offered some accomplishments during his tenure that include:
• Maintaining the agency’s high standards for progressive, rigorous, but balanced resource
management decisions consistent with the Coastal Act;
• Unanimous Commission adoption of a long overdue
Strategic Plan with 163 specific
actions, more than 80% of which were completed or in progress after two years;
• Securing $3 million/year (25 positions) for the LCP program, and $5 million to support grants to local governments, enabling us to work faster, and more collaboratively, to certify and update Local Coastal Programs (LCPs), including our highest priority of the
Santa Monica Mountains LCP;
• Unanimous Commission adoption of comprehensive Sea Level Rise guidance, initiating adaptation planning statewide , and taking progressive actions to address sea level rise;
• Increasing public engagement and understanding, including by: hiring a Public Information Officer, launching a social media presence , implementing our new data management system, updating the website, and increasing communication with the Commission and reporting key program activities every month;
• Gaining administrative penalty authority to address access violations, and achieving early success resolving dozens of cases without issuing a single fine;
• Advancing diversity and social justice through expanded outreach and recruitment, targeted Whale Tail grants to underserved communities, and aggressive implementation of Coastal Act public
access and recreation policies;
•Strengthening our on-going interagency coordination with the Ocean Protection Council State Lands Commission, Department of Fish and Wildlife, State Parks, Coastal Conservancy, NOAA and other agencies to address shared program concerns.”
Members of many environmental groups appear to support Dr Lester as do and over 180 staff members who wrote the the Commission lauding his work. Most comments received before the public hearing support Dr Lester.