477 



Section 9. Evaluation of the San Francisco Bay 



At the beginning of chapter 7, section 1, mention was made of the 

 several necessary elements for a comprehensive program of manage- 

 ment. The evaluation of management in San Francisco Bay which 

 follows is made in reference to those seven elements. 



POLICY AND OBJECTIVES 



Regarding mutually agreed upon policy and objectives, very little, if 

 any, existed on the State level, prior to the enactment of BCDC. In 

 fact, the State of California, inessence, had surrendered control; 

 there was no areaAvide political authority guiding the destiny of the 

 San Francisco Bay. Such policy and objectives now exist for the bay. 

 There is additional need for a national policy and objectives. 



LEGISLATIVE AUTHORIZATION 



On the State level the recent legislative passage of the BCDC bill 

 and its signing by the Governor has produced the necessary first step 

 in this direction by establishing a permanent agency with powers 

 and jurisdiction to care for, protect, and properly manage the nine- 

 county area of the bay. At the same time, on the Federal level there is 

 also a need for a much stronger program of technical information and 

 assistance to the States, as well as objectives for more effective 

 management. 



DEVELOPMENT OF BASIC KNOWLEDGE 



The BCDC Study and the report published as a result of that study 

 indicate quite satisfactorily the existence of the best available infor- 

 mation. Nevertheless, new information and knowledge are constantly 

 being produced and BCDC, the responsible agency for coordinating 

 activities of the bay, is authorized under the enacting legislation to 

 continually review subject areas under its jurisdiction. 



PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION 



In the past, planning has not been one of the hallmarks in the admin- 

 istration of the bay. Consider the size of the bay in 1850 and what it 

 is today. Where 300 square miles of marshland once remained in the 

 bay, 250 square miles had been "reclaimed" by 1967. The fiilling in of 

 the tidal and submerged lands have dried up 17 square miles that once 

 were bay. Passage of the BCDC, hopefully, will put a stop to these 

 activities. 



Responsible Federal officials have indicated a satisfaction with what 

 BCDC has accomplished, and are now watching to see if it will have 

 the power to protect the national as well as local interest, and thereby 

 serve as a prototype for State and regional action elsewhere in the 

 Nation. 



ACTIVE ADMINISTRATION REGULATION, CONTROL, AND COORDINATION 



In the past there were mangament problems which contributed to 

 interference and damage to the beneficial uses of the bay area. There 

 was, for example, a lack of coordinated control of land and water uses. 



