San Diego, December 15, 2016 --
On Friday, December 9, 2016, San Diego Superior Court Judge Timothy M. Casserly issued a ruling in the Beach and Bluff Conservancy v. City of Solana Beach Case. The Surfrider Foundation and its San Diego Chapter sees the ruling to uphold 5 major provisions of the 7 provisions challenged as a huge vindication of the efforts by the City of Solana Beach, California Coastal Commission (CCC) and the Surfrider Foundation to deal with the debilitating impacts of seawalls and development on beach access and recreation. Judge Casserly agreed that seawall impacts must be mitigated and that new development must not require seawalls. He also found in favor of a policy which provides for more public access, by requiring for some private stairways down to public beaches to be converted for public use if they are redeveloped.
“We believe it is time for the Beach and Bluff Conservancy and the Pacific Legal Foundation to cease the costly lawsuits that obstruct the City's 16-year effort to move forward on its Local Coastal Program,” said Julia Chun-Heer, Surfrider’s San Diego Policy Manager. “The two provisions that were invalidated by Judge Casserly should not be an obstacle to the implementation of the completed Local Coastal Program.”
To learn more about this lawsuit, please read here.
