California has one of the world's most spectacular coastlines, which meanders 1,100 miles from Imperial Beach to Crescent City.
And, of course, everyone wants to "Save Our Coast" and assure public access to beaches, which is why Californians voted 55 percent to 45 percent in 1972 for Proposition 20. It promised to protect open space and restore habitats within the Coastal Zone. In 1976, the Legislature turned the California Coastal Commission into a permanent agency that has tormented property owners and localities ever since.
