User:Cullen328/sandbox/Parker

After reading Parker's spirited defense of the wedding preparations, Madrigal moderated his criticism somewhat, commenting, "I can't say I agree that there is nothing extravagant about doing $4.5 million in site preparation, but I can say that at least it wasn't quite the know-nothing bigfooting that it appeared to be."

Parker had previously donated $250,000 to the Save the Redwoods League, which, according to Parker, then recommended the closed Ventana Inn and Spa campsite as an environmentally responsible wedding site. When the dispute deepened, Parker hired an attorney in a leadership role with the California League of Conservation Voters to represent him.

Mary Shallenberger, chair of the California Coastal Commission, issued a statement which criticized the Ventana Inn and Spa for having closed a mandated public campground in 2007, and said, in part, "I thank Mr. Parker for having his wedding there, so we discovered all the violations and the six years where the public has not had access," Under heavy criticism in advance of his wedding, Parker had agreed to indemnify the Ventana Inn for any penalties imposed by government agencies.

When the multi-million dollar settlement was announced, the enforcement chief for the California Coastal Commission commented that "The environmental damage from the wedding-related construction work was less serious than we had originally feared, in part due to the fact that the large majority of the development was performed on a campground and existing road, not in a virgin forest."