Making the Hearst Deal Work for All Californians

The Recent New Times article (Closing the Deal, June 17, 2004) regurgitates old charges aimed at the Sierra Club by Hearst Corporation boosters and mischaracterizes once again the Sierra Club's position on the Hearst Ranch
acquisition.

Though we have clarified the record in response to hyperbole by the same players quoted in this article and elsewhere, we clearly need to do so again.  The truth is still getting his boots on while rumors and mischaracterizations continue to roam the countryside.

Here's where we stand: we are delighted there is a tentative deal.  We will continue to advocate that the final agreement benefits the people of California, is enforceable, and permanent.  We insist that the details of the deal be made public and the public has a legitimate chance to understand, comment and influence the agreement before it is final.  Is this unreasonable?  In spending $95 million anything less is unreasonable. This is one of the largest coastal acquisition (and for an easement, NOT fee title) deals in the nation.  We need to get it right.  Future deals will be affected by what is done here.   Like Supervisor Bianchi, we want a fair
deal.

But Bianchi seems to think handing Hearst $95 million with no assurances for public access and protections, unclear development rights remaining, zoning decisions left hanging, etc. as well as allowing a fledgling conservancy to enforce the easement on a multi-billion dollar corporation is fair.  We disagree.  That does not mean we oppose the deal.  We fervently want one. We just want the people of the state to benefit in equal measure to the Hearst Corp.

While Hearst Corporation and the American Lands Conservancy have refused to reveal the terms of the agreement- perhaps to create a take-it-or-leave-it situation - we have been explicit in expressing what we believe a fair deal looks like (readers can see our document at www.sierraclub-ca.org and judge for themselves).  We are hardly making radical or oppressive demands.

Call us old-fashioned, but when Californians shell-out $95 million to protect a place we think they may actually expect that it be protected and may rightfully hope they get a chance to enjoy what they paid for.

Not Bianchi or O'Keefe, apparently.  Their position is: "give Hearst whatever they want," details be hanged.  This is like buying a home or car without knowing the square footage or the options included, and without making an offer.  We consider this negotiating with your feet in the air. Bianchi may believe whatever Hearst tells her, but we come from the "trust but verify" school of thought.  Show us the deal before we show you the money.  Is that so radical?  Would you do anything less in your personal life?

You may like the car dealer.  He may be your neighbor.  But you will still make sure the deal is fair before you sign the financing documents. It's not like we think the Hearst Corporation is being avaricious.  It's not.  The Corporation's job is to get the most money possible with the fewest restrictions.   Our job (the public's) is to make sure that while the Hearst Corporation gets what is fairly due, we get what we expect.

We find it remarkable that a public official of Bianchi's tenure can be so appallingly willing to accept whatever the Hearst Corporation says, and unwilling to see the fine print before rendering judgment about the worthiness of the deal.  Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman doesn't gush so openly about the deal.  While pleased, he told the Los Angeles Times "there's more work to be done".   Bianchi's gullibility makes her sound like a "wholly-owned subsidiary of the Hearst Corporation", as one prominent local environmentalist has sardonically dubbed her.  If Bianchi objects to the description, she should stop playing the role.  She can start by using her office to insist that the county's zoning for Hearst Ranch be as restrictive as possible.  Hearst's attorney himself suggested in the Sacramento Bee that the land should be zoned "open space."  That would be a start to restoring her battered credibility with environmentally concerned people.

Join with the Sierra Club and every other major environmental group on the central coast to help save Hearst Ranch.  Make it truly protected and accessible to the public.  To find out how, contact us at (916) 557-1100.

Carl Zichella is the staff director for the Sierra Club's California-Nevada-Hawai`i Field Office.

Bill Allayaud if the Legislative Director for Sierra Club