Coastal Commission Documentary “Heroes of the Coast” Now Freely Available Online
VENTURA, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the California Coastal
Act, Earth Alert has announced the online release of Heroes of the
Coast: the Documentary. The free streaming film is available now at
the Earth Alert home page, www.earthalert.org.
“Posting Heroes of the Coast online makes it possible for all who
love the California coast to understand how this fabled region has
escaped rampant overdevelopment,” said Janet Bridgers, who wrote and
produced the documentary.
Prop. 20 established the California Coastal Commission (CCC). It
qualified for the ballot in June 1972, thanks to the work of thousands
of unpaid signature gatherers. It was the last initiative to so qualify,
and passed by a significant margin (55%) of voters in November 1972,
despite being hugely overspent by opposition that included utilities,
energy companies and major land developers.
The legislation was reauthorized by the legislature four years later,
narrowly passing the Senate, thanks to last-minute pressure from Gov.
Jerry Brown, who subsequently signed it into law.
Bridgers explained that the 52-minute documentary was designed for use
in classrooms and by coastal advocacy groups to educate those who are
too young to remember the astounding political achievement behind one of
the country’s strongest pieces of land use legislation. The film
includes interview clips from many of those who made Prop. 20 happen,
and are now deceased, including the late Peter Douglas, who was
interviewed shortly before illness forced his retirement. It also
explains the CCC appointment process from direct sources and cites the
achievements of the law.
“With the CCC so much in the news of late, we felt it was important to
offer the documentary freely to a new generation on whom the task of
coastal protection now falls,” added Bridgers. “Like federal
environmental legislation passed in the early 70s, when bipartisan
support for the environment existed, this legislation could never be
passed now. It’s important to protect it.”
The documentary is derived from the Heroes of the Coast historic
archive of interviews with over 50 major coastal commission executive
directors, commissioners and coastal activists. These have been posted
to the Internet and transcribed, and are also available at www.earthalert.org.
Established in 1984, Earth Alert now concentrates on California
coastal advocacy.
Contacts
Earth Alert
Janet Bridgers, 805-487-2999
info@earthalert.org
