Californians Fight Over Whether Coast Should Be Rugged or Refined

The California Coastal Commission, created 45 years ago, has been one of the most powerful governmental agencies in the nation, with sweeping powers to determine what gets built, or does not get built, on the 1,100 miles of cliffs, mountains and beaches along the Pacific Ocean. It has mediated the often clashing agendas of two of the most influential forces that help to define this state: environmentalism and the drive for growth.