Dettloff’s dedication to coastal issues questioned

Tariq Malik

HUNTINGTON BEACH -- Environmentalists hoping to save the Bolsa Chica

mesa from developers are wringing their hands, nervous about the city’s

representation on the California Coastal Commission.

The environmental group is worried about the dedication of

Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff, who represents the city and the South

Coast on the commission. She was rated last in pro-environmental voting,

favoring environmentalists only 30% of the time, according to a six-month

study by the Sierra Club, a national environmental group.

“We’re really surprised, and it has us concerned about the future of

the wetlands,” said Flossie Horgan, co-founder a board member of the

Bolsa Chica Land Trust. “Her vote on the mesa is absolutely critical for

us.”

On Nov. 16, the commission is scheduled to make a decision on the

state’s Local Coastal Program, a land-use plan, part of which will decide

whether developer Hearthside Homes will be able to build more than 1,200

homes on the 215-acre mesa at the wetlands.

However, Dettloff has long been considered a close friend of the

coastal environment.

The councilwoman was one of the early members of the League for

Coastal Protection and the Amigos de Bolsa Chica, a group that watches

over the wetlands area along with the Land Trust, Bolsa Chica Conservancy

and other groups. She also served on the city’s environmental board and

is a member of the Sierra Club, Audubon Society and has been the

chairwoman of the Orange County Harbor, Beaches and Parks Commission.

“Even I was surprised about the voting evaluation,” Dettloff said,

adding that she contacted the Sierra Club, an organization that she also

belongs to, to discuss the matter. “I’m more than willing to discuss my

voting record with anyone who approaches me, and I stand by my votes.”

The survey, she added, took into account 23 issues the commission

voted on between January and July, which comprise only part of the

hundreds that appear before the state panel each year.

The Sierra Club’s Mark Massara, who compiled the half-year evaluation

and watches commissioner decisions monthly, said the club is involved in

about 100 of the estimated 1,000 projects addressed by the commission

each year.

Of those, up to 50 of the most difficult issues are chosen to be

rated.

“We deliberately choose the most difficult issues, and the low voting

history is not just confined to Dettloff -- the entire commission has a

low turnout,” he said.

During the same period, the commission voted 44% in favor of

conservation or environmental concerns.

“I also urge caution to people who read the Sierra Club report,”

Massara said. “Keep in mind that it only includes half a year. In 1999,

[Dettloff] voted in favor of the environment 53% of the time, much higher

than now . . . and I don’t think she’s ever come in last at the end of

the year.”

Dettloff was appointed to the state commission by the Senate Rules

Committee in February 1998 as one of four chosen by the committee for the

12-member panel. She represents the coastal zone running through Los

Angeles and Orange counties.