Extra

According to reports in the Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, at 9:30 tonight , the Coastal Commission by a vote of 7-5 fired Executive Director Charles Lester, despite receiving more than 14,000 letters supporting him and hearing from hundreds of environmentalists at the Commission's meeting today in Morro Bay. 

On behalf of the Center for Biological Diversity, Steve Jones, oceans communications specialist, had the following statement about the California Coastal Commission’s disappointing decision to terminate the Executive Director Dr. Charles Lester: "It's disgraceful that the commissioners voted in secret to fire Dr. Lester. But the outpouring of public support for coastal protection and access is the beginning of a movement to restore the promise of the Coastal Act. This isn't over." Statements from other enviromental organizations are sure to follow.,