Stone named to coastal commission

Mark Stone, Santa Cruz County Fifth District supervisor and Scotts Valley resident, was appointed to the California Coastal Commission this week.
As a member of the 12-member land-use board, Stone will have a say in the planning and regulation of all development along the California coast. 
Stone is the first Santa Cruz County representative in the history of the Coastal Commission, dating back to its creation by voters in 1972.
Environmentalists praised the choice of Stone.
“Mark has a real understanding of how land use ties into coastal and ocean issues,” said Nancy Macy, Valley Woman’s Club Environmental Committee chair. “He has excellent insight into the decisions he has to make.”
Scotts Valley Councilman Dene Bustichi, a developer, was also nominated, as was Dave Potter, a Monterey County supervisor who has served on the commission 12 years.
State Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, announced the appointment. 
“I have appointed Oceanside City Councilmember Esther Sanchez and Santa Cruz County Supervisor Mark Stone to the Coastal Commission,” she said in a statement, “because, as elected leaders of their own coastal communities, they have shown a deep appreciation of how maintaining the health, safety and beauty of the coast can be a catalyst for tourism, fishing, recreation and sustainable economic growth.”
Stone, a supervisor for the past seven years, will keep his seat on the county board. He’s also a lawyer in private practice.
The commission meets once a month for three to five days at a time, and appointments are for four years.
Stone is taking his daughter to college this week and was unavailable for comment.