By Bob Wilson, Co-Founder, SF Bay Stewardship Alliance
Wednesday, October 17th, 2018, was a big day for The San Francisco Bay Stewardship Alliance! Together, we launched our effort at the offices of the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) – to kick-start our public efforts to promote informed conservation and responsible development of the Bay shoreline for the enjoyment of all.
Our work has only just begun and we are keeping up this exciting momentum by holding BCDC accountable for their actions!
In the days, weeks and months ahead, we are working with the media to share the stories we know all too well: the stories of egregious government overreach by the staff and officials at the BCDC who specifically target certain businesses through the issuance of minor violations such as the shape of picnic tables and installation of metal doors that are required by local fire officials.
We are committed to ensuring that access to The Bay and its Shoreline returns to a place where everyone can appreciate the fragile ecosystem while enjoying its beauty – and a place where responsible development and commerce can take place while ensuring businesses adhere to the important conservation rules and regulations that are in place to protect our precious environment. These violations cost business owners $30,000 per alleged “violation” and often total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The BCDC “violations” are often untrue and cover ridiculous things like the shape of tables or whether fire boats can be docked in a harbor. They rarely have anything to do with protecting the environment. These are the types of outrageous practices we at the Alliance are fighting back against.<
We are committed to ensuring that access to The Bay and its Shoreline returns to a place where everyone can appreciate the fragile ecosystem while enjoying its beauty – and a place where responsible development and commerce can take place while ensuring businesses adhere to the important conservation rules and regulations that are in place to protect our precious environment.
The Alliance will soon submit comments to the California State Auditor staff that is now conducting a review of the BCDC and its enforcement activities, adherence to its mission, funding and operational needs and structure. We will provide recommendations to the State Auditor to ensure San Francisco’s residents, business owners and tourists no longer have to tolerate the abuse of power we’ve become all too familiar with, thanks to the staff at the BCDC.
Stay tuned for further updates from the Alliance. Watch out for us in the news, and be sure to check back for more updates on our blog.
You too can become a part of this important work! We urge you too sign up here and also consider making a donation to our efforts. The fight has just begun – and our momentum will only build from here.