Important issues and updates

What you NEED to know
The traffic through San Clemente sucks. To alleviate that traffic the Orange County based Transportation Corridors Agency (TCA), a “public-private” agency, has proposed to construct the 241 Toll Road Freeway that would connect with the 5 Freeway just south of San Clemente. The cheapest way to build this toll road is to direct it around the southern portion of San Clemente through land that is undeveloped. It sounds like an easy way to go about it but this plan has a very high level of environmental damage associated with it and threatens the water quality and the quality of the waves in the Trestles area.
However, there are misconceptions about how the proposed toll road would damage Trestles (and the other fantastic waves in the area). The main misunderstanding is how will a road on the east side of the 5 Freeway hurt Trestles? Well, the answer is easy… EVERYTHING IS CONNECTED!

How it connects
First, the toll road would require the construction of a bridge through the San Mateo Creek. The pillars and construction of the freeway would disrupt the flow of sediment that ultimately makes its way to the beach. Without that sediment the quality of the waves could suffer.
Second, the water quality in the Trestles area would likely be worsened. When rain washes off of the freeway, it collects oil and other pollutants and gets washed off into the creek and eventually into the lineup. Even though the builders propose to use filters and diverters, it is a fallacy to say that the runoff will not pollute the creek. Basically, this project would disrupt San Mateo Creek, one of the last unspoiled watersheds in Southern California. It is this pristine watershed that results in waves like Trestles.
Other complexities of the issue involve endangered species, shady agreements, and building the freeway through a state park! The one important thing to know about this project is that the construction of this freeway would lead to significant damage to the local environment with a chance to negatively impact the surf and water quality at Trestles.

What has been going on
A recent surge in the public opposition of this project has been taking place. Recent activities have been bolstering the public and are creating a stir in the fight to save trestles.

Pearl Jam: Eddie Vedder has recently taken a personal stance on the toll road issue. Unfortunately it was after the death of Eddie’s friend and longtime Surfrider Foundation activist Dave “the Rapscallion” Russell that he saw the perils of developments such as this.
“Our planet and the ocean are currently under siege due to certain people’s overwhelming need to profit at our fragile environment’s expense,” Vedder said. “Dave Russell was a surfer and activist who worked tirelessly to defend against these threats, and it is in his name that we would like to offer our assistance to Surfrider Foundation and the California coast.”
Since his activism, Pearl Jam has raised thousands of dollars through ticket sales and auctions. More importantly, Eddie has also been a vital part of raising overall awareness to the general public.

Taking it to Arnold: On Monday, June 12, 2006 the Surfrider Foundation, WiLDCOAST, Sierra Club, Gary Ward from Ocean Minded Sandals, and concerned citizens traveled to Sacramento to take the issue to the governor and other state politicians. The goal of the trip was to get government leaders to openly oppose the toll road project. Even though Arnold was not available to meet, the group made great progress in getting the leaders of the state and the media to pay attention.

Cities against the toll roads: A valuable strategy for public opposition to a regional project such as the toll road is to rally government agencies, such as city governments, to adopt official statements in opposition. Currently the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oceanside, Del Mar, Aliso Viejo, Laguna Beach, Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, San Luis Obispo and others are taking a stand against the toll roads. However, in September the City of San Diego had a chance to rally behind the public opposition but decided not to oppose the toll road.
“While we are confident that this will not change the eventual outcome of our campaign to save San Onofre State Beach Park, the Surfrider Foundation was nonetheless disappointed in yesterday’s decision by the San Diego City Council to not support California’s State Park system,” Jim Moriarty, Executive Director of the Surfrider Foundation, said.

RIGHT NOW… DOWN THE ROAD
The TCA faces several lawsuits in association with the project; including a lawsuit filed by a coalition of environmental groups including the Surfrider Foundation and a separate but similar lawsuit filed by California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer. At this point, the legal battle will most likely continue for a long time while opposing sides try to use the legal system to force either the acceptance or denial of the current project.
The future of the toll road is a difficult one to face. For the public who oppose the project, the future will require continued and strengthened activities. However, TCA recently hired a nationally recognized marketing firm to battle the public outcry with finely tuned propaganda in an attempt to sway people from the truth. Groups like Save Trestles and Surfrider Foundation are continuing to push for the support of government agencies, politicians and the public to ultimately change the project’s damaging ways.

SURFER’S TIME TO SHINE
This toll road project has been around for years, yet surfers are only now becoming a force that is turning heads. The newly gained surfer support could be a result of a changing cultural mindset toward environmentalism or a reaction to a critical moment in the timeline of the project’s life. Regardless of the reason, we are at a turning point in the direction of the relationship between surfer and environment. We as a group of people can represent and defend the declining natural resources that define our culture or we can shy away and accept the heavy hand of man as an inevitable force that destroys. What is going to define San Diego’s surfing culture is our action or inaction, and there is no time to loose.

Visit www.savetrstles.org or www.surfrider.org to find what you can do.