Posted on 01/01/2007 12:57:43 PM PST by NormsRevenge
For the first time in its 34-year history, the state Coastal Commission has chosen a developer to be its chairman.
Multimillionaire builder William Patrick Kruer of San Diego was recently selected by his peers to lead the powerful agency, which oversees land use along California's 1,100-mile coastline.
So why aren't environmentalists ranting about a fox being chosen to watch the hen house?
Because they consider Kruer – who has a reputation as a political moderate – to be friendly, fair-minded and accessible. In fact, it's hard to find anyone who doesn't.
But the commission is a high-stakes, survival-of-the-fittest political arena. It consists of 12 commissioners – six private citizens and six local government officials – from California's coastal counties.
Kruer assumes the helm of the panel as it prepares to navigate some of the most difficult and complex decisions in its history.
In the near future, the commission will review controversial proposals for developing liquid natural gas terminals in Long Beach and Oxnard. It will also scrutinize plans for desalination plants that would produce much-needed drinking water but also spew super-salty brine into the ocean.
And there's the pending battle over the Del Monte Forest at Pebble Beach. Environmentalists have circled their wagons to prevent an expansion of the world-famous golf course and resort into adjacent wetlands and stands of rare Monterey pine trees.
“Kruer assumes the chairmanship at a time when the commission is precariously balanced,” said Ann Notthoff of the Natural Resources Defense Council.
“More and more we're seeing the Coastal Commission shift from a moderate stance to a developer-tolerate mode,” she said. “I think he has a real challenge in front of him to maintain the protection of the coast the way the public wants it.”
Having served on the commission since 1999 and being its vice chairman for the past two years, Kruer should be fully aware of the rigors of the job.
His primary responsibility as chairman is to preside over the commission's public meetings, which are held monthly at different locations for three consecutive days.
“The chair sets the tone and maintains the decorum of the commission, while at the same time making the public feel included in the process,” said Stevie Dall, a longtime coastal land-use consultant from Sacramento.
The commission's lengthy meetings are “more complex than a three-ring circus,” said Meg Caldwell, the panel's chairwoman for the past two years. “There are many things in orbit at the same time.”
It's not uncommon for dozens of people to show up and want to testify on a high-profile development issue. Negotiations over permit conditions sometimes continue to the very moment when commissioners are ready to vote. Developers' lobbyists hover over commissioners at every lunch and bathroom break.
Although commissioners are entitled to $200 per meeting day plus expenses, Kruer has never applied for reimbursement for his travel, meals or other expenses.
“It's the least I can contribute,” he said.
Kruer grew up on a Michigan farm in a family without much money. Although he never attended college, he is an astute businessman. Over the past 30 years, he's been involved in the development of thousands of housing units, including luxury apartments in Mission Valley and University Town Center.
He is a partner with the Monarch Group, a La Jolla-based development firm.
His state-required 2006 Statement of Economic Interest, which details his investments and business holdings, is 44 pages long. Kruer said it takes his accountants so long to compile the document that every year he is fined $100 by the state Fair Political Practices Commission for filing it beyond the deadline.
At one time, Kruer was a major political contributor. In 1988, for instance, he gave $100,000 to the Democratic Party. In recent years, his donations to political causes have tapered off to a few thousand dollars annually and he now gives to Republicans and Democrats alike.
“I feel I'd rather give my time now than my money,” he said.
His record of public service includes appointments to the boards of the Federal Home Loan Bank in San Francisco, the San Diego Housing Commission and the city's redevelopment agency, the Centre City Development Corp.
A resident of Rancho Santa Fe, he likes to ride horses with his wife, Barbara. “I love to get outdoors,” Kruer said. “I love to be along the ocean.”
He also has a passion for high-performance automobiles. He's turned up at Coastal Commission meetings behind the wheel of everything from a Porsche to a Bentley.
Now he gets to drive an agency that is routinely reviled by developers and local government officials who don't like what they see as the commission's restrictive land-use policies. The panel is also under constant pressure from environmental activists to minimize the footprint of new development and protect natural resources.
Kruer said he believes that coastal protection is compatible with economic progress.
“My knowledge of development and financing has helped the commission reach a solution that creates a project while also protecting environmental resources,” he said.
Over the years, Kruer's voting record on the commission has garnered mixed reviews from the Conservation Voting Chart compiled by statewide coastal environmentalists. In 2001, he received a 19 percent rating. Last year, his score rose to 63 percent.
“He's not always on our side, but he's viewed as someone with integrity by all sides,” said Bruce Reznik, executive director of San Diego Coastkeeper. “He likes to work toward a consensus. Those are attributes you want in a chairman.”
Patrick Kruer, chairman, Rancho Santa Fe
Steve Padilla, Chula Vista (will vacate seat by February)
Meg Caldwell, Stanford
Willam A. Burke, Los Angeles
Steven Kram, Los Angeles
Larry Clark, Rancho Palos Verdes
Sara Wan, Malibu
Mary K. Shallenberger, Sacramento
Bonnie Neely, Eureka
Mike Reilly, Forestville
Dave Potter, Monterey
Khatchik Achadjian, San Luis Obispo
Annie Baby...you can only say that because the regional staffs are Pure Bred Marxist...
There is, for example, the "setback" or "steppe formation" that occurs at about 2 miles inland. This is where the building heights governed by the Commission give way to the building heights governed by local Planning and Zoning authorities.
New Hampshire imports millions of tons of salt for pavement de-icing...from Chile!
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