California is home to 1,100 miles of uninterrupted coastline, defined by long stretches of beach and jagged rocky cliffs. It’s easy to take our shore for granted – but its protections are hard-won.

Thomas Osborne will discuss his new book, Coastal Sage, which chronicles the career and accomplishments of PeterDouglas, the longest-serving executive director of the California Coastal Commission. For nearly three decades,Douglas fought to keep the California coast public, to prevent overdevelopment, and to safeguard habitat. He emerged from these battles as a leading figure in the contemporary American environmental movement. Douglas influenced public conservation efforts across the country, and he coauthored California’s foundational laws on shoreline management and conservation: Proposition 20 and the California Coastal Act.

Many of Douglas‘s political battles are revealed for the first time in Thomas Osborne’s study of the leader who was at once a visionary, warrior, and coastal sage.

The California Studies Dinner Seminar is a monthly series sponsored by the California Studies Association, the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, and the Townsend Center for the Humanities.

Please RSVP to help us plan refreshments.

Wednesday, January 17, 7:00 pm
IRLE Director’s Room, 2521 Channing Way
Dinner will be provided on a first come, first served basis.