47° CLOUDY, Judge: Coastal Commission can regulate Gualala fireworks
Last Modified: Thursday, April 16, 2009 at 5:56 p.m.
A Mendocino County Superior Court judge on Thursday upheld the California Coastal Commission’s authority over July 4 fireworks in Gualala.
Sacramento-based Pacific Legal Foundation said it will appeal the ruling.
The fireworks were canceled last year after the Coastal Commission told organizers they needed a coastal development permit.
Pacific Legal Foundation attorneys contend the Coastal Commission does not have jurisdiction over fireworks events.
The issue has divided residents in the Gualala area, which straddles the Mendocino-Sonoma county line.
Fireworks critics say the pyrotechnics disturb hundreds of birds nesting on nearby Gualala Point Island, a protected refuge. A 2007 federal study concluded that birds were affected by that year’s fireworks display.
Land use proponents say the Coastal Commission’s demand for a permit is an abuse of power.
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