Legislators Ask Secretary of Commerce to Protect San Onofre

The Commerce Department reports that over 25,000 comment letters have been received from the public. Thousands of you have told them not to overturn the Coastal Commission. Two letters in particular are notable


First 27 members of Congress including Senator Barbara Boxer and Rep. Susan Davis

• "We write to express our opposition to the Orange County Foothill South Toll Road project as currently proposed and to ask that you uphold the decision by the California Coastal Commission." ... "We do not believe that the TCA can satisfy any of the criteria on which you are required to base your decision."

Then 35 members of the CA Legislature wrote in and called for the Commerce Department to respect the rights of the Coastal Commission to manage the state's coastal resources. .

• "The Commission's decision was clear regarding the incompatibility and inconsistency of the Foothill-South Toll Road project with coastal protection laws. As such, its decision should receive appropriate deference during the appeal process. We urge you to uphold the Commission's decision and deny the appeal - respect the public process that has already ruled on this project and respect our state's right to protect our citizens, our coast and our natural resources.

Huge thanks go out to our supporters, activists and legislators.

New Flash--Public Hearing Granted for Trestles

Very exciting news!

The Secretary of Commerce has granted a public hearing regarding the TCA's appeal of the California Coastal Commission decision. This is a huge boost for the Trestles campaign and a victory for the public. We owe this chance for another public hearing to you!

Thousands of you sent letters to the Secretary requesting a hearing--your overwhelming response played a significant role in helping the Commerce Department reach this decision--reaffirming the importance of public involvement. Toll road developers are opposed to a public hearing, preferring that a decision be made "behind closed doors"--proving they are less interested in hearing public concerns and more focused on pushing an ill-conceived proposal that does not meet California environmental law.

The TCA claims they didn't like the atmosphere at the Coastal Commission hearing. Yet, the TCA neglects to point out that hundreds of activists ceded their public comment time in deference to the Commission in order to ensure the Commissioners had plenty of time to deliberate and finish the meeting in a timely manner.

The CCC hearing drew more than 3,500 and was the largest in Commission history. Surfrider and our Coalition partners are planning for another large turnout at the Secretary of Commerce hearing to ensure the Federal Government sees first hand how many people are invested in protecting a State Park and a pristine watershed.

While Surfrider is energized by Secretary's decision to hold a hearing, we are focused and ready to keep the pressure on! The hearing will take place sometime during the summer or early fall. The location of the hearing will be either in Orange County or San Diego County. We'll keep you posted. Click hereto see an article from the LA Times. And click hereto see an article from the North County Times.

Thanks for your continuing support!

(Photo: Branimir Kvartuc)

Don't Forget to Send your Letter to the Dep't of Commerce

Easily send a letter by going here: http://actionnetwork.org/campaign/tollroadappeal0408

1971 article on the history of San Onofre State Beach

Very interesting to read about the politics. Huge kudos to President Nixon for sticking to his guns. Craig Van Note wrote this story in 1971, originally for the San Clemente Sun-Post, but this reprint is from Surfer Magazine.


And while we're at it, here's a couple pictures of the Duke visiting San Onofre in the 1930's.

Kelly Slater Partners with Eddie Vedder for Event to Support Trestles

On April 19th Kelly Slater launched his new foundation with an evening event featuring an acoustic performance by Eddie Vedder. They raised over $350,000 dollars to benefit several environmental groups, including the Save Trestles Campaign. Read the full story at Surfline and check out the highlight reel below..