Environmentalists Run Amok and Half Moon Bay One Step Closer to Bankruptcy -- Not a Bakken Story

This is a long, convoluted story that has nothing to do with the Bakken.

I am placing this here simply for my own use for later reference. I recommend folks who follow this site for information on the Bakken to ignore this post. Again, some times I find things I want to keep for future reference and have nowhere else to place it, so it goes here. (No, I don't want a separate blog.)

Many years ago, in a different life, I spent some time around Half Moon Bay, California. Most beautiful place in the world. Great memories.

So, I was quite surprised to see the headline on the Drudge Report that Half Moon Bay, to forestall bankruptcy, will be outsourcing its police department.

How could Half Moon Bay end up in such financial problems, to be on the brink of bankruptcy?

It all has to do with environmentalists running amok.

I knew nothing about the story until today. Fortunately for the blogosphere. The "Californians for Property Rights" tell the story. I have no connection with that group; in fact, I had not heard of it until now. But they can write a good story. Stories we would not find in the mainstream media.

1. The California Coastal Act was passed in 1976 by popular vote. Its language was so ambiguous and broad that potholes collecting water could be litigated to qualify as wetlands.

2. In the 1980s, Half Moon Bay installed storm drains. Over time, the storm drains became plugged with debris, and water backed up in the drains, resulting in large areas of water pooling in and around Half Moon Bay. One can argue how that occurred but most likely it was due to failure to maintain the storm drains.

3. Under pressure from environmentalists, the government confiscated a 24-acre swath of "wetlands." Twenty-four acres of land along the beautiful coast of California is worth a bit of money. The owner sued and was awarded $37 million. And that drove the city to insolvency.

The mainstream media article gave several inches of ink to the loss of the police department but provided a single paragraph reminding folks how this all occurred.

Everyone knew this day was coming. It's been coming for four years, ever since U.S. District Court Judge John Walker dealt the city a devastating $41 million judgment in a land-use case infamously known as Beachwood. The city then settled the suit for $18 million, which it will be paying off for the next 30 years.

Actions have consequences.