Hodel Assailed on Coast Threat

SAN FRANCISCO — Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy today called on Gov. George Deukmejian and Sen. Pete Wilson to ask President Reagan to block Interior Department threats to seek decertification of the California Coastal Commission.

“We don’t intend to let (Interior Secretary) Donald P. Hodel knock down the (California) Coastal Commission,” McCarthy told a news conference at the Cliff House overlooking the Pacific Ocean. “I think it’s time for a new secretary of the Interior.” He was responding to a letter, written by Hodel, which said the commission is usurping federal authority and has a negative impact on energy development, individual freedom and property rights.