Davis Urged to Fire Wilson Appointees on Coastal Panel

SACRAMENTO — Nine Democratic tricts urged Gov. Gray Davis on Wednesday to fire four members of the California Coastal Commission appointed by former Gov. Pete Wilson.

The legislators criticized the Wilson appointees as a serious barrier to achieving a pro-environmental majority on the commission.

In a letter to the new governor, who campaigned in favor of stronger protection of the coast, the Democrats called on Davis to appoint replacements swiftly “before anti-environmental decisions are made under the influence” of Wilson’s appointees.

The legislators want the removal of Commissioners Penny Allen, a Chula Vista public relations executive; David Armanasco, president of a Monterey public relations company; Nancy Flemming, mayor of Eureka; and Mike Ryan, a San Luis Obispo County supervisor.

Flemming, whom Wilson appointed in 1993, said that she would not be surprised if Davis removed her but that she would like to keep the post.

If Davis is sincere in his advocacy of moderation and a bipartisan approach to government, “the commission would be a wonderful place to start. It would send a message,” Flemming said in an interview.

Davis spokesman Michael Bustamante said the governor was aware of the letter and was reviewing appointment possibilities for the coastal panel, as well as hundreds of other boards and commissions.

The governor, the Assembly speaker and the Senate Rules Committee each appoint four of the 12 voting members of the Coastal Commission. The appointees serve at the pleasure of their appointing authorities.

State Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles), who drafted and circulated the letter, said he wants Davis to move quickly to put his environmental imprint on the commission.

Hayden said that unless Davis does so, he fears the “governor of California is still going to be Pete Wilson when it comes to Coastal Commission decisions.”

Wilson appointees “tend to vote as a bloc, but they are not representatives of Gray Davis,” Hayden said. “In order to really start introducing his influence over state environmental policy, this is an important opportunity for him.”

However, Hayden, chairman of the Senate Natural Resources Committee, acknowledged that even if the Wilson appointees are replaced, stronger coastal protection cannot be assured.

Hayden said some of the remaining eight appointees are not considered “solid environmental” votes and have sided with Wilson-appointed commissioners on various issues.

Voters created the commission, one of the most powerful regulators of land use in the nation, in 1976 to protect the coast and its fragile natural assets from overdevelopment.

Also signing the letter to Davis were Senate President Pro Tem John L. Burton of San Francisco, Sens. Dede Alpert of Coronado, Jack O’Connell of San Luis Obispo, Debra Bowen of Marina del Rey and Jackie Speier of Daly City, and Assembly members Dion Aroner of Berkeley, Fred Keeley of Boulder Creek and Sheila Kuehl of Santa Monica.