Guest Commentary: The Best Way to Keep
Big Sur Accessible? Limit Lodging Development
By Tim Green
Anyone who has had the pleasure of winding along Highway 1 through Big Sur knows that it is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking drives on the planet. With cascading cliffs dropping sharply into the Pacific Ocean on one side of Route 1, and rugged, mostly inaccessible canyons carved by millennia of rainfall on the other side, driving through Big Sur can be a stunning, even spiritual experience. With as many as seven million visitors each year, chances are, if you’re reading this, you’ve experienced the wonder of Big Sur for yourself.
Maybe you’ve pulled over to take a picture by Bixby Bridge or got a lucky parking spot to take in the purple sands along blustery Pfeiffer Beach. For better or worse, Big Sur remains one of California’s – and the world’s – most wild and treasured places.
Sadly, this ecologically delicate region is facing a surge of visitors that threatens to crush the very things that make it so popular. When Highway 1 is intact and clear of slides, most people take in the sights of Big Sur on a one-way drive, heading north to Carmel or south to Cambria. This mobile mode makes sense, given that the Big Sur Coast Highway is officially designated an American National Scenic Byway. People pass through, rather than stay, in Big Sur.
Hotel and motel rooms can be tough to secure. That’s by design.
Four decades ago, Monterey County adopted the Big Sur Land Use Plan in recognition of all that was worth protecting in this one-of-a-kind coastal region. The Plan limited development and prioritized protecting Big Sur’s amazing views and very limited road capacity to enable widespread enjoyment of the area, keeping residents and overnight accommodations to a minimum.
But now there is a movement to weaken the Land Use Plan in favor of more development, largely the conversion of campsites into lodgings and homes into event venues. Developing Big Sur beyond its current limitations would cause irreversible harm, for residents, visitors, and for future generations. So, while policymakers are debating the Plan’s update, they should act now to establish a temporary moratorium on new lodging units.
There’s a good reason for these limitations. It is physically impossible to widen Highway 1. No one, including Caltrans, will argue otherwise. The coastline here is steep and rugged, not well suited to recreation and with very limited access.

The Big Sur Land Use Plan has been referred to as the gold standard of such plans. It takes extraordinary steps to limit all development – residential, commercial, and public – to preserve the area’s remarkable, unspoiled beauty and equally, to allow continued access for the greatest possible number of visitors. Throughout the Plan, visual access to Big Sur via Highway 1, a very limited capacity two-lane road, is emphasized, while physical access – destination development – is strictly limited.
Almost 50 years ago, the Coast Act of 1976 required the protection of and public access to coastal resources. In response, the California Coastal Commission initiated the Big Sur Special Study Area and cooperated with Monterey County in developing the highly protective Big Sur Local Coastal Plan. The resulting Monterey County transportation study included a statement that “Since the capacity of the existing highway cannot even support the projected recreational travel demand, no significant capacity appears to remain for future residential development, and future recreational use must be regulated as well.”
Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe, with their intense traffic and supersized overcrowding in peak seasons, have become cautionary tales for anyone trying to protect a universally loved natural area. The public complaints and pleas for a reservation system at Yosemite bolster the argument that the Plan limit all destination development in Big Sur and prioritize the public’s access to its Scenic Highway is the right decision.
It’s essential for the California Coastal Commission and Monterey County to hold the line against the growing efforts to increase development.
Increasing lodging capacity in Big Sur – including converting homes and campsites to high-end commercial facilities – would exacerbate already-heavy traffic and would materially diminish the sense of tranquility and awe so many people come to Big Sur to experience.
Big Sur doesn’t belong only to the people who live there. It is an international treasure that needs protection from being overrun. Our county and state leaders may take months or years to hash out updates to the Land Use Plan. Meanwhile, they should set a moratorium on new lodging development, to prevent irreversible damage. Like so many of the most special places on the globe, the way we save Big Sur for future generations is to use it lightly now.
Tim Green is a 50-year resident of Big Sur and co-founder of Keep Big Sur Wild.

(Originally printed in the Monterey Herald. Reprinted by permission of the author)

To learn more about Keep Big Sur Wild or to donate to this non-profit’s mission of protecting Big Sur by protecting its land use plan, see: https://www.keepbigsurwild.org/

Linus Pauling Gets the Jitters

At the edge of the abyss, the celebrated chemist delivered a lecture to nature

MAY 15, 2024

The exalted American chemist and social activist was suffering from a profound case of the jitters on Feb. 30, 1960. Dr. Linus Pauling had reached the Edge of the Earth — otherwise known as the Big Sur bluffs — and it scared the bejabbers out of him. 

So he did what any accomplished genius would do: He peered into the darkness and lectured the churning sea about the nature of chemical bonds.

It seemed like the right thing at the time. If nothing else, Dr. Pauling had to know that heavy-duty brainwork is a great way to avoid thinking about fear, fatalism or falling off a cliff. 

He was 58 at the time, and he was regarded as one of the 20 greatest scientists to ever roam this planet. Dr. Pauling was a chemist with a conscience, a Nobel Prize winner, an outspoken champion for international peace, and a genius with an inclination for dissent. 

Admired as he was, the genius community was naturally concerned that the great man had gone missing when he wandered from his Big Sur home on that January morning. And his extended family and colleagues were distraught after later hearing reports that Dr. Pauling had died. 

For the rest of this wonderful article, click on this link: https://montereyneighborsandfriends.substack.com/p/linus-pauling-gets-the-jitters?publication_id=538884

Note: This is ONLY Rocky Creek. There are still three other closures that prevent taking Highway 1 all the way to Cambria and other points south.

From: Governor’s Press Office <govpressoffice@gov.ca.gov>
Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2024 2:55 PM
Subject: Governor Newsom Announces the Reopening of Highway 1, Ahead of Schedule

	EXTERNAL EMAIL. Links/attachments may not be safe.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Tuesday, May 14, 2024Governor’s Press Office: (916) 445-4571Governor Newsom Announces the Reopening of Highway 1, Ahead of Schedule WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: The Governor announced today that a portion of Highway 1, near Big Sur, which was severely damaged by recent storms, is set to reopen more than a week ahead of schedule this Friday, May 17. BIG SUR – Governor Gavin Newsom today announced that Caltrans will open the portion of Highway 1 closed by the Rocky Creek slip-out to traffic, starting at 6:30 a.m. this Friday, May 17 – eight days sooner than previously expected. WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID: “Crews have been working day and night to quickly repair the damage to Highway 1 caused by recent storms, which has disrupted the lives of individuals living in and around Big Sur – limiting access to the area and hampering tourism. Thanks to the diligent efforts, traffic will resume eight days ahead of schedule – bringing relief and a sense of normalcy back to one of California’s most iconic coastal communities.”  This portion of Highway 1 will reopen with the use of a 24/7 signalized traffic control. This temporary signal will provide unrestricted public access with one-way alternating traffic in both the north and southbound directions. “Highway 1 is the jewel of the California highway system and our crews have been working non-stop for the last month and a half so Californians can have unrestricted access to this iconic area of our state,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “I thank Governor Newsom, Senator John Laird and our elected officials for their unwavering support, the residents and businesses for their patience and the crews for reopening the roadway as quickly and as safely as possible.” “We are deeply grateful to have Highway 1 open and functional an entire week ahead of schedule. I want to sincerely thank Caltrans and the people of Big Sur for their work, effort, and patience through this process,” said State Senator John Laird (D-Santa Cruz). “This was a true team effort, including Governor Newsom and his staff, Caltrans executives and contractors, Assemblymember Dawn Addis, Sheriff Tina Nieto, the California Highway Patrol, Big Sur Fire, and leaders in and the community of Big Sur. Highway 1 is a vital lifeline for communities on the Central Coast, and so our ongoing task will be to ensure this route remains resilient and open.” On March 30, a rockslide below Highway 1 south of the Rocky Creek Bridge left the southbound lane partially undermined and impassable. Approximately 6 feet of the pavement and a portion of an unreinforced masonry retaining wall that supported the highway fell to the ocean about 170 feet below the road. Governor Newsom surveys damage near the Rocky Creek Bridge earlier this month. In order to stabilize the remaining southbound lane and preserve the northbound lane, crews drilled, installed and grouted 40 vertical and 75 sub-horizontal steel elements into the slope. The steel elements, or rock dowels, are covered by an application of shotcrete to protect the exposed rock slope. This work required Caltrans to close the roadway in both directions at Rocky Creek, aside from twice-daily convoys through the slip-out area. Now that Caltrans has stabilized the southbound lane and preserved the northbound lane, the site will continue to be monitored and visually inspected. A project to construct a permanent repair to the highway at this location is currently in the design phase, with an estimated completion date of spring 2025. Earlier this month, the Governor surveyed the work being done at the Highway 1 slip-out and announced state action by signing an emergency proclamation. This action will help secure an estimated $100 million in federal funding for repairs to multiple areas of the state impacted by the recent storms.###  Governor Gavin Newsom 1021 O Street, Suite 9000 Sacramento, CA 95814 Unsubscribe

Kevin Drabinski

Up at the VA Hospital in Palo Alto, there is a spiral that is flanked by rose bushes planted in memory of a loved veteran. It is beautiful and I spent some time there the last time I was up at the VA Hospital. The roses are not identified, except for the vet it was planted to honor. Here are a few of the roses. Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers reading this. May these roses bring you joy,

As part of the public input process for the County of Monterey’s Housing Element Cycle, a survey has launched and will be open until May 12th. Share your thoughts on how the County can encourage housing for a broad range of income levels to meet our housing goals.

You’ll find the survey at: https://surveymonkey.com/r/9MZCW95. Please share this information widely and share your thoughts.

There are several places where one can barely drive through. (See collage of photos below.)

Genista monspessulana

Synonyms: Cytisus monpsessulana, C. racemosus, C. canariensis, Gensita monspessulana, Teline monspessulana

Common names: French broom; soft broom; canary broom; Montepellier broom

Genista monspessulana (French broom) is a perennial shrub (family Fabaceae) found in the Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada foothills, Transverse Ranges, Channel Islands and San Francisco Bay area. French broom was introduced as a landscape ornamental, along with Scotch and Spanish broom. French broom is an aggressive invader, forming dense stands that exclude native plants and wildlife. Broom is unpalatable to most livestock except goats, so it decreases rangeland value while increasing fire hazards. These leguminous plants produce copious amounts of seed, and may resprout from the root crown if cut or grazed.Cal-IPC Rating: High

Big Sur Bakery fire leaves a grieving community.

“It was a day or two after Rocky Creek fell apart and Sydney and I were reviewing what we had in the house to eat.  Bread was the only shortage so when we were down on the empty highway, we went searching. First stop was the Bakery with not a soul in sight. The door unlocked and opened as I approached. Mike Gilson, “We’re closed, but not for you”. Empty shelf’s obvious, I mentioned bread, feeling foolish but, “No, no” and I followed him to a small freezer and he pulled out two loaves giving me a verbal tour of their attributes as he did. I suggested the plain sourdough   but he insisted I take the seeded sourdough and so as a compromise he handed me both and refused payment.
At home, partially thawed, the loaves were halved, one for the counter, three in the freezer. Thick, one inch slices, in the toaster, butter and strawberry jam. Mike was right about the specialness of the seeded bread but I wasn’t wrong about the plain.
Yesterday the Bakery burned to a shell. Today I had the last heel of the last loaf, thinking about Mike and kindness and grief.”

Steve Beck

The links in the screen shot are not active. Zoom Option: https://montereycty.zoom.us/j/96244171607