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Coastal Conservation Act petition submitted under veil of secrecy
by John Tawa
The Manhattan Beach City Clerk's office has received a ballot initiative that states its intent to preserve the Manhattan Beach coast, setting up a possible municipal election on the self-titled "Manhattan Beach Coastal Conservation Act" in March 2001.
The petition, submitted Tuesday morning, contained 388 pages and 3,540 signatures. It was submitted by City Hall watcher Bill Eisen. Eisen, however, has stated that he is not a spokesperson for the petition and won't disclose its backers.
The Los Angeles County Registrar/Recorder's Office currently is reviewing the petition's signatures to determine how many are registered Manhattan Beach voters. According to City Clerk Liza Tamura, the petition needs 2406 valid signatures, or 10 percent of the city's registered voters, to qualify for the next municipal election. Insufficient signatures were gathered to qualify the petition for a special election, Tamura explained.
Under the initiative, all temporary beach events, no matter how large, would require review by the Parks and Recreation Commission and approval by the City Council provided that they occupy any portion of the beach exclusively. Larger events would require a Coastal Development Permit. The Act also would require four beach clean up days per year and that the city test the ocean water on a weekly basis year round, among other things.
Mayor pro tem Walt Dougher said that he was disappointed the petition was submitted.
"We didn't see anyone come to the city council to express concerns about the beach or the way it's being administered by the city," he said. "It seems to me that the process of an initiative without making a petition to the city through normal channels, either through the city council or a commission, to fix what they perceive is wrong is just not the way to handle those situations."
The identities of the initiative's proponents remain shrouded in mystery. Eisen, who presided over the failed Metlox ballot initiative in June, said that his sole contact with the Manhattan Beach Coastal Conservation Committee came when it called him Monday and asked him to file the petition on its behalf.
"I didn't have any hand in drafting the petition or circulating it," he said. "If I had drafted it, it would have looked a lot different."
Monday evening, Eisen met with committee members at the library, where he received the petition. But he wouldn't say with whom he met.
"As far as giving names, I'm really not authorized to do so," he said. "They've asked me to direct you to the post office box [in Manhattan Beach]. I'm really not authorized to give out any information as to who is behind circulating the petition."
Eisen also wouldn't say whether he favored the Coastal Conservation Act.
"I don't support or oppose the petition," he said. "But I did sign it because I think most community issues should be on the ballot to let the voters decide."
Should the initiative qualify for the ballot in March, Dougher worries that it might pass, despite provisions he thinks would unfairly burden the city.
"It appears to be a mother and apple pie kind of issue: protect your beach," he explained. "At face value, it's kind of appealing. But if you really see what it does and what it requires, it's a real burden with very little payback to the community it seems to me." ER