Free Republic

Today: October 04, 2006 at 11:10:13 PDT DNA May Implicate Malibu Stars' Toilets By NOAKI SCHWARTZ ASSOCIATED PRESS MALIBU, Calif. (AP) - Just whose waste is fouling the most star-studded stretch of the Southern California coast? Los Angeles County officials intend to find out, and if the evidence leads back to the toilets of some of Hollywood's rich and famous, the sewage could really hit the fan. "This is going to get messy," predicts Mark Pestrella, the public works official assigned to the project. Environmentalists and health officials suspect Malibu homeowners' leaky septic tanks are allowing what gets flushed down...

Hiking along a ridge trail at Point Reyes National Seashore, Peter Douglas can see the shadow of his past and a glint of the future. The deep-green landscape of conifer trees and chaparral is where he built his first home, raised two sons and spread his grandmother's ashes. He helped establish this place as a national park and a personal reminder of why he perseveres as a leading advocate for California's 1,100-mile coastline. A political Houdini, Douglas has spent a lifetime sparring with developers, local government and even fellow environmentalists over his vision of coastal protection. This year marks his...