Joe Bodovitz was the first executive director of the California Coastal Commission
Kayakers paddle along Newark Slough at the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge on Sunday, July 2, 2023, in Fremont, Calif. In the 1950s and 60s, San Francisco Bay was a different place. It was polluted daily with millions of gallons of poorly treated sewage. Almost all the shoreline — a hodgepodge of ugly industrial sites, garbage dumps and warehouses — was off limits to the public.
“Most people don’t get excited about government agencies and regulation,” said David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay, an Oakland non-profit group. “But because of BCDC and the coastal commission, and what Joe Bodovitz was able to do, millions of Californians have been able to enjoy the bay and coast we have today.”
“He came to California and thought it was a place of amazing physical beauty,” said his daughter, Katherine Goldgeier, of Rockville, Md. “He was inspired by it. He was all about public access. He felt like no matter who you were you should have an equal opportunity to enjoy the beauty and wonderful natural resources of California.
Looking for a way back to the Bay Area, he took a job as a reporter at the San Francisco Examiner, which at the time, was one of four daily newspapers in San Francisco. He covered the city council, planning commission meetings, transportation and housing stories.
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