Environmental Press # 131

Subj: Seal Beach Archaeological Advisory Commission
Date: Sat, 12 Oct 2002 14:14:42 -0700
From: Doug Korthof <doug@seal-beach.org>
To: voiceforveterans@aol.com (via HellmanMesa@SealBeach.org)

THE ISSUE (From position paper by fired monitor Jordan David): "...Early on the first day of grading the construction supervisor notified the 2 archaeologists...that there would be no grading in any culturally sensitive areas that day and they could leave early...the supervisor had deceived the archaeologists and grading was actually being done in a culturally sensitive area (CA-ORA-264). In the ground that was still left intact...burials had been partially cut up and destroyed by the machines..."

"On Sept. 10, 2002, two Native American monitors were threatened with being run over by tractors when they stopped the construction workers from digging next to burials that are still in the ground..."
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S.B. Archaeological Advisory Commission has, according to this Oct. 11 story by Jim Hinch of the OCRegister, requested to review the "treatment plan" (for desecrated graves) and the "mitigation plan" (for artifacts, funerary relics and sacred sites) on Hellman Mesa.

 

  

"Watching Hellman: The city's archaeological committee wednesday asked to review plans for American Indian remains found during construction of 70 homes on Hellman Ranch. Community Development Director Lee Wittenberg said he would ask the state Coastal Commission to allow the committee to review the plans." (Local, p. 3)

John Laing Homes, according to reports, told the archaeologists on site to "go home", then bulldozed sacred sites and human remains. In many other cases, this sort of wanton disregard
of the conditions of the Coastal Development Permit has been enough to REVOKE THE PERMIT.

So far, Commission Exec. Director Peter Douglas has not commented on this phase of the investigation. Enforcement, according to Manager Teresa Henry (L.B. Commission office) is being handled out of the San Francisco office, but perhaps the full extent of the violations have not been exposed.

Currently, John Laing Homes seems to be arguing that "mitigation" requirements of the permit only include "archaeological resources", and they claim that excludes graves, bodies and funerary items (!!). Will they get away with this verbal game? NOT if the Commission knows that many people are concerned about the Mesa.

Please attend the Seal Beach City Council meeting on Monday, at 7PM (public comment at the beginning). IT IS REALLY important to attend this meeting, and show the Council that people care a lot about stopping the development and saving the Hellman Mesa.

John Laing Homes could have done this entire project legally, i.e., in accordance with the permit, but instead they cut corners and landed in the current mess.

STATUS: HOUSING PROJECT SHUT DOWN. No activity is permitted under the Cease and Desist order. JLH was permitting the gas company to dump dirt on site, but that was stopped by complaint. Any activity should be reported!

TUESDAY: JLH and Coastal Commission will discuss JLH's proposed "solution" to the problem, but without peer review by the Native American community. Letters are needed,
ALSO telephone calls to Karl Schwing, 562-590-5071.

TUESDAY: 7PM SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL.

/Doug
714-496-1567 (cell phone)
562-430-2495 (message phone)

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