Whims Of A Billionaire
So Sean Parker, Billionaire, decides to do construction on an environmentally sensitive area to make his wedding spectacular, without getting a permit. A violation of the Coastal Act, and unfortunately, all the Coastal Commission can do is take him to court or negotiate a settlement. The Ventana Inn stood by and approved this, apparently. Even worse, Gavin Newsom and Kamala Harris attended.
Parker has been praised for making a voluntary $2.5 million settlement; but it is voluntary in the sense that otherwise, the Coastal Commission could have taken him to court. Emphasizing it as a voluntary contribution is just putting a positive spin into play.
The notion of "it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission" cannot apply to environmental issues; the environment is so much more important than the personal whims of a billionaire. No, really, it is. Stop laughing, damn it!
Parker says everything he did was an "homage to nature." If you want to make an homage to nature in your wedding, leave nature natural. Nature can speak for itself. If you want to do things the right way, bother with following the normal permitting process before jumping in blindly. He says he "asked about permits early on," but asking is not the same as following through. I know that planning a wedding is busy and stressful, even for a billionaire, but you still do the paperwork.
Perhaps most disturbing is the attendance of our Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, who really ought to be familiar with the requirements of the Coastal Act. Reports of the violation were in the media at least as early as May 21st, so they can't claim ignorance of the issue. That just doesn't look good to have them in attendance; either they care more about being involved in a "high society" event, or they just don't know anything about conservation enforcement; I'm not sure which is worse.
Anyway, I'm sure Sean Parker's not a totally bad guy; he clearly has an appreciation for nature and good taste in wanting to get married in Big Sur. His choices and his actions, however, were mistakes, inflated by grandiosity, it seems.
Parker has been praised for making a voluntary $2.5 million settlement; but it is voluntary in the sense that otherwise, the Coastal Commission could have taken him to court. Emphasizing it as a voluntary contribution is just putting a positive spin into play.
The notion of "it is better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission" cannot apply to environmental issues; the environment is so much more important than the personal whims of a billionaire. No, really, it is. Stop laughing, damn it!
Parker says everything he did was an "homage to nature." If you want to make an homage to nature in your wedding, leave nature natural. Nature can speak for itself. If you want to do things the right way, bother with following the normal permitting process before jumping in blindly. He says he "asked about permits early on," but asking is not the same as following through. I know that planning a wedding is busy and stressful, even for a billionaire, but you still do the paperwork.
Perhaps most disturbing is the attendance of our Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General, who really ought to be familiar with the requirements of the Coastal Act. Reports of the violation were in the media at least as early as May 21st, so they can't claim ignorance of the issue. That just doesn't look good to have them in attendance; either they care more about being involved in a "high society" event, or they just don't know anything about conservation enforcement; I'm not sure which is worse.
Anyway, I'm sure Sean Parker's not a totally bad guy; he clearly has an appreciation for nature and good taste in wanting to get married in Big Sur. His choices and his actions, however, were mistakes, inflated by grandiosity, it seems.
posted by Devin at 4:52 PM
1 Comments:
Ah, I had heard bits about this but didn't know what it was all about, thanks for the clear report! I agree with you.
Post a Comment
<< Home