After a public hearing attended by hundreds that ran late into the night and was dominated by an outcry of public support for California Coastal Commission Executive Director Charles Lester, the Commission decided to remove Lester from his position anyway, which could mean dramatic change is coming to the California coastline. The CCC is responsible for approving and guiding development and access along the state's coasts, which belong to the public, and as the LA Times puts it, "many speakers warned that replacing Lester would send a powerful signal to staff to be more accommodating to development." The 7 to 5 vote came a little after 9 pm last night, after seven hours of public testimony in Morro Bay.
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