"The land — the largest private undeveloped coastal parcel in Southern California — is dotted with rusting oil pipes, abandoned wells and groaning pump jacks that continue to pull crude from the earth.

But nature hasn't let go. Patches of prickly pear cactus, grasslands, scrub-coated arroyos and peaceful marshes provide refuge for wildlife that has all but vanished from the Southland's crowded coastline.

The future of the Newport Banning Ranch site, where developers want to build a hotel and hundreds of homes, now rests with the California Coastal Commission — which is engaged in its own struggle for identity."

Bettina Boxall reports for the Los Angeles Times May 7, 2016. [2]