Protect Trestles Beach.
Say NO to the proposed Foothill-South Toll Road.
"I travel up and down Califonia working with communities to protect the coast. I have seen firsthand that when people show up and speak, decision makers listen."
- Mark Massara,
- Director, Sierra Club Coatal Programs
The Foothill South Toll Road plans to run-over-and-through San Mateo campground, the inland portion of San Onofre State Beach, exiting/entering the I-5 at Trestles. This will eliminate the Campground and pollute Trestles.
Trestles is the Last Clean Surf break in SoCal - because San Mateo Creek is undeveloped.
Pollutants, that is, toxic car fluids from a Toll Road, and urban runoff from a 'planned massive development' inland from San Clemente will pollute San Mateo Creek...then Trestles. Don't let it happen!
We owe it to everybody's future to protect our coast! Help Save our last clean surf break.
On Tuesday the San Diego City Council backed away from an opportunity to support California's State Parks and one that many San Diegans enjoy.
By a vote of 4 to 3, the San Diego City Council opted not to ratify a resolution supporting California's State Parks, by opposing a proposed toll road project in northern San Diego County. Many thanks for everyone that came out on Tuesday and has provided support via emails and phone calls. A few Councilmembers stated it was the most public support for an issue in years and we are not finished yet.
We need to keep the pressure on City Council.
Council indicated that they may revisit the resolution to support the State Parks and Save Trestles but needed more information on the issue and how it is relevant to the City of San Diego.
We have given them info on both before and need to do it again by calling and sending emails to the Councilmembers that voted no:
Kevin Faulconer, Tony Young, Ben Hueso and Jim Madaffer.
Brian Maienschein was absent but indicated he would vote no as well.
Please express your personal plea or cut and paste the text below:
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Honorable Councilmember:
I was disappointed by your lack of support for California's State Parks by your no vote on Item 103 at the City Council meeting on Tuesday.
The San Onofre Park is an area visited by thousands of San Diegans on a regular basis.
For some families it is their only affordable vacation or chance to get away from it all and the proposed 241 Toll Road extension would change that forever.
Despite the measure being approved as consent item in June of this year, several of the dissenting council members commented that they were not familiar enough with the issue to support the resolution.
The council has had nearly three months to review this resolution and I hold you accountable for the failure to familiarize yourself with this issue, and acknowledge it as a legitimate area of concern for your constituency.
As a resident of San Diego I expect that my elected representatives protect my interests.
Please support the San Onofre State Beach if this issue is brought before you again.
Sincerely,
(your name)
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Here is the contact info for the Councilmembers that voted NO:
Kevin Faulconer (PB, OB, Point Loma, North Park, Downtown):
kevinfaulconer AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6622
Ben Hueso (Barrio Logan, Golden Hill, San Ysidro, Otay Mesa):
benhueso AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6688
Tony Young - Council President Pro Tem (Alta Vista, Jamacha, Lincoln Park, Oak Park):
anthonyyoung AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6644
Jim Madaffer (Del Cerro, Allied Gardens, SDSU, Tierrasanta):
jmadaffer AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6677
Brian Maienschein (Scripps Ranch, Carmel Mtn Ranch, Rancho Bernardo, Mira Mesa, Sorrento Mesa):
bmaienschein AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6655
Please be sure to THANK the Councilmembers that voted YES and showed their support:
Toni Atkins:
toniatkins AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6633
Council President Scott Peters:
scottpeters AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6611
Donna Frye:
donnafrye AT sandiego DOT gov
(619) 236-6616
A letter to the editor is another effective way to get our message out to the masses.
Take the time to write a letter to the editor of the Union-Tribune and other publications like The Beacon, City Beat, The Reader, etc.
Most Councilmembers read the letters to the editor regularly and sometimes write their own so we know we should have their attention.
The email address for the San Diego Union-Tribune letters to the editor is
letters@uniontrib.com
TALKING POINTS FOR TESTIMONY AND LETTERS
For speaking at hearings, making phone calls, and/or writing letters, the following are some facts and thoughts you may want to use:
- The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) would have us believe
that the only way to solve our traffic problems would be to accept a toll
road through our state park, or have the road go through the community of
San Clemente. This is a false choice presented by a single-purpose
agency. The TCA has failed to adequately analyze real transportation
solutions and has grossly over exaggerated any impacts alternatives to the
toll road might have on the local community. We deserve real
transportation solutions. Our decision makers should take an honest look
at alternatives that will actually solve our traffic problems without
hurting our community or our state park and clean surf.
- The Foothill-South Toll Road won't help local or regional traffic
congestion. The toll road's benefits are so unclear and its environmental
damage so obvious that it took 28 months and intense pressure before the
EPA would even approve a purpose and need statement for the project.
- The toll roads have been one financial misadventure after another.
Due to faulty traffic and revenue projections, the Foothill-South's sister
road - the San Joaquin Hills (73) Toll Road - is in technical default and
the toll road bonds have been downgraded to junk status. Just a few years
ago, plans for the Foothill-South were downsized from 8 lanes to 4 lanes
because the TCA's own traffic numbers demonstrated a weakness of demand
for the project.
- TCA's environmental record includes costing taxpayers millions of
dollars in maintenance fees for faulty filters and resurfacing of
dangerous roads. In 2001 taxpayers paid over 13 million dollars to repair
or replace 38 faulty storm drain filters along the San Joaquin Hills (73)
Toll Road that failed and spewed polluted runoff into local creeks and
streams that run to the ocean.
- According to the California State Parks Department, the Foothill-South
Toll Road would force the abandonment of San Mateo Campground - the
last coastal campground built anywhere in California in the last 16
years. The loss of this campground would deprive Californians of
thousands of annual opportunities to enjoy affordable vacations near the
surf in southern California.
- The Foothill-South Toll Road is simply a bad idea. It will ruin a
large portion of San Onofre State Beach - the 5th most visited state park
in all of California - to accommodate a road that few people will use and
even fewer people will be willing to pay to use. The TCA is having
financial troubles now, and building this road will only make them worse.
- The Foothill-South toll road would be a loser for taxpayers, toll
payers and park users. The TCA would be wise to abandon the idea and work
on fixing the ailing roads they already have.
More contacts:
Louis Nastro :
LNastro at parks.ca.gov
Friends of the Foothills :
email: Brittany.McKee at sierraclub.org
phone: 949-361-7534
snail mail: PO Box 3942, San Clemente, CA 92674
website: http://taskforce.sierraclub.org/friendsofthefoothills
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