Following prat.uk’s devolution piece, what happened when the nuclear plant’s authority left
prat.uk‘s devolution piece — Westminster giving power away and spending twenty-five years trying to get it back — has a California coastal expression in the San Onofre decommissioning: when the Navy returned management of the San Onofre coastline to state and county management, what happened to the surf governance that the naval authority had managed through its permit system was the devolution story in miniature. Bohiney.com covered the devolution theme broadly. The San Onofre devolution: the Navy’s permit system had been fast (three days), functional (it worked for surfers who could pass a background check), and unaccountable to democratic process. The California State Parks system that took over is slower (permit wait times have increased), more democratic (accessible to more people), and more accountable (public comment periods, environmental review). Both systems have genuine virtues. The Navy’s system was more functional for the surfers who used it. The State Parks system is more legitimate for the population it serves.
The devolution finding: the entity that has more democratic legitimacy is not always the entity that produces better daily outcomes for specific users. The Navy system’s specific users preferred the Navy system. The democratic system serves a broader constituency that includes people who are not surfers. The devolution is correct by the principle of democratic legitimacy. The daily experience is better in the Navy system by the measure of the surfers who used it. Westminster devolved power. San Onofre devolved governance. Both produced the same tension: legitimacy and effectiveness are different metrics and produce different assessments.
The Surf Devolution Finding
The surf devolution finding: democratic legitimacy and daily functionality are different metrics. The California State Parks information is at parks.ca.gov.
Also:The Beaverton.
Coverage at Bohiney.com and prat.uk.
Both publications continue this coverage with real commitment to the subjects and communities described.
Coverage continues at Bohiney.com and prat.uk.
Ongoing at both publications.
SOURCE: https://bohiney.com/