Editor’s note: The following is a letter to the editor. The opinions expressed in this letter are those of the writer, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Mendocino Voice. If you would like to submit a letter to the editor feel free to write to info@mendovoice.com.
Dear Editor:
The entrance to our town now has a fence that is substantially higher than the original fence and blocks the view of the ocean — a view that has long been part of what makes Fort Bragg special. This is not simply a matter of replacing an existing fence; it changes the character and view of one of our town’s important gateways.
Not just residents and voters, but everyone who comes to Fort Bragg — for services, tourism, business, recreation, or simply to visit — deserves a clear explanation of why this substantially higher fence was installed and how the decision was made.
Residents should not have to be watchdogs for every action taken by the City. City government should consider the public impact of its decisions before changes are made.
California’s coastline isn’t just beautiful — it is also protected by some of the state’s strongest land-use laws. The California Coastal Act of 1976 established requirements for development within the coastal zone.
When changes affect coastal views, public access, or other coastal resources, residents have a legitimate interest in knowing what approvals were required and why and whether the appropriate process was followed.
Caltrans contractors may be doing the work, but they do not live here and they do not have the same day-to-day connection to this community. Did anyone stop to ask how this substantially higher fence would affect the people who live here — or how it would change the view at the entrance to our town?
That is precisely why coastal local residents are shocked and angry at the fence that blocks our coastal view. The fence should be considerably lowered and designed with slats so that it provides the necessary safety or security while preserving the ocean view. The entrance to Fort Bragg should welcome people—not block their view of the coast.
Mary Rose Kaczorowski
Candidate for Ft. Bragg City Council
This whole article is over a newly installed wooden fence? Really?
Thank you for reading my opinion piece. I would like to clarify that it was not an article by or for The Mendocino Voice, and it does not reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. The piece represents solely my personal opinion.
Now there is an article and an opinion on this wooden fence.
I hate the fence.
I’ve never seen Cal Trans build a wood fence before. New fencing in Ukiah and on the Willits grade are all wire see through fencing .
Dumb decision to build a fence that blocks the publicist view of one of the world’s most beautiful coastlines! Down with it! Repurpose the wood for somewhere more appropriate.
Public’s…..not publicist….damn spellcheck
I agree with Mary Rose! The City Council and Planning Commission were asleep at the wheel and should have prevented this from ever happening. Our coast is our biggest economic driver and CalTrans fence is an ugly scar on its natural beauty. Glad to see Mary Rose is a candidate for City Council and urge voters to remember she led the charge to correct CalTrans wasteful abuse of our tax dollars.
As someone who actively participated in the permitting process for this project–I wrote the only written public comment–I 100% disagree that the City of Fort Bragg did anything wrong or was even lax during its review process. Anyone who knows me understands I wouldn’t be saying that if it weren’t true. The Fort Bragg Planning Commission approved the project permits based on the application replacing the fence with one that would not impact the views at all compared to the original fence. In fact, once this issue came to light, the City Manager, Isaac Whippy, jumped right in to deal with the fence that does not comply with the permits issued by the City of Fort Bragg. The ocean views are protected in our local planning regulations and the Coastal Act and the permit review addressed that issue. There was an internal error at Caltrans when they directed their contractor to build the replacement fence in a manner that ended up causing this problem. That error is being corrected and the fence will be altered to restore the ocean views that existed on the site prior to the project starting.
I am obviously not Paul Bunyan, I am Jacob Patterson
The wooden fence is / was a terrible idea.
The fence is terrible. Takes away the whole vibe
Thank you for your response, Paul Bunyan. Does CalTrans have a date set on when the fence will be altered to restore the costal view that this fence now blocks?
I’m not a resident but myself and our family are decades long, frequent visitors. We’ll be visiting in just a couple of weeks. Where exactly is this fence constructed? When the entrance to the town is mentioned, is that at the intersection of Hwy 20 & 1 or North town ? Either way, it’s hard to figure what the purpose of using what amounts to backyard fencing was supposed to achieve.
Jacob (Paul Bunyan) thank you for clarifying what Mary K obviously didn’t know (in my opinion) Stirring a turd where one doesn’t exist by writing this letter after Caltrans agreed to make it right.
Paul Bunyan? Can we also hear from Blue?
Maybe that way we can get a little more accurate, and a little less stinky B.S.
Visited Fort Bragg today. I saw the fence. Couldn’t believe anyone would try to hide the beauty of the Pacific ocean. Yet there it was hiding the spectacular view. Take a saw and cut four feet off the top.