SPY OPTIC’S MIKE LOSNESS’ SAVE TRESTLES PAINTING AT THE CALIFORNIA SURF MUSEUM

Media Contact:
Valerie Gee
Spy Optic
(760) 804-8420 x1174
vgee@spyoptic.com


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Carlsbad, CA - October 23, 2008 - Spy Optic is pleased to announce its continued efforts to raise funds for the Save Trestles Surfrider Foundation campaign through Spy Optic’s partnership with Spy team rider Mike Losness.

For the month of November, Losness’ 48 x 36" mixed media canvas painting of Trestles will be on display at the California Surf Museum in Oceanside, California, and to kick off the First Annual California Surf Festival Celebrating Bruce Brown’s 50th Anniversary November 7-9th, 2008.

Donations to the Surfrider Foundation’s Save Trestles campaign will be accepted online through Spy Optic’s website until November 30th, 2008. Each five-dollar donation will enter you in a chance to win Losness’ painting and prize packs from Mike’s sponsors: Spy Optic, Body Glove, Adio and GFH Boards.

Mike’s painting tour this past summer throughout Southern California collected raffle ticket donations from local retail stops at Sun Diego, K-Five, Becker, Spyder, Surfside and ZJ Boarding House. All proceeds from the tour and through the end of November will be donated to the Surfrider Foundation.

California Surf Museum President Daryl Dick says, “The California Surf Museum is pleased to host the painting and give the public an opportunity to view this unique work of art dedicated to the preservation of a historical surfing landmark.”

Spy Optic is proud to be a part of the Help Save Trestles movement with the Surfrider Foundation, collaboratively working with the California Surf Museum to help preserve and protect our oceans and keep intact surfing communities and culture for the next generation of surfers.

For more information about the First Annual California Surf Festival, please visit www.californiasurffestival.com

For more information on Mike’s painting giveaway, please visit www.spyoptic.com/mikesart

For more information on the Surfrider Foundation and the Save Trestles campaign, please visit http://www.surfrider.org/


About Spy Optic
Spy Optic designs, develops and markets premium products for the action sports and youth lifestyle markets. Spy’s principal products, sunglasses and goggles, target the action sports market, including surfing, skateboarding, snowboarding, motocross, wakeboarding and skiing, and the youth lifestyle market within fashion, music, and entertainment. Spy’s innovative proprietary products utilize high-quality materials, handcrafted manufacturing processes and engineered optical lens technology to convey premium quality, contemporary style, and progressive design. Spy is a wholly owned subsidiary of Orange 21, Inc. (NASDAQ:ORNG).

About The Surfrider FoundationThe Surfrider Foundation is a non-profit grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and enjoyment of our world's oceans, waves and beaches. Founded in 1984 by a handful of visionary surfers in Malibu, California, the Surfrider Foundation now maintains over 50,000 members and 80 chapters worldwide.

About the California Surf Museum
Funds raised from the FUEL TV presents the First Annual California Surf Festival will assist the California Surf Museum in its growth. The new CSM location at 312 Pier View Way in Oceanside will expand exhibit area, add educational opportunities and increase archival space. The CSM Mission Statement is to serve as an international repository and resource center on the lifestyle sport of surfing through capturing, preserving and chronicling its art, culture and heritage for the education and enjoyment of future generations. CSM is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization located at 223 North Coast Highway, Oceanside, CA 92054; phone (760) 721-6876 or email csm@surfmuseum.org. Open daily 10-4; free admission. Please visit the website at http://www.surfmuseum.org/.


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Tis the Season!... Ready for Another Taxpayer Bailout?

Well, that's what toll road developers are asking the Federal Government for. The Transportation Corridor Systems' (TCS) recently requested funds under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA). In a nut shell, toll road developers applied for a Federal loan that would ultimately bailout the financially struggling agency--at YOUR expense. Remember how the TCS has been saying for decades it will not use "public funds"? Oops! Looks like a fib! The loan application is now pending at the U.S. Department of Transportation. The loan would:

1.) Pay for the "consolidation" of toll road agencies (the San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor Agency which operates State Route 73 and the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency which operates Routes 241, 261 and 133). The two underperforming agencies would use the loan to "consolidate" their $4.6 billion in existing debt.

2.) The $1.1 billion loan, if approved, would be the largest in the TIFIA program's 10-year history, would consume roughly half of the annual loan capacity for the program and would divert funding from other projects here in California and throughout the nation that are a high priority for producing new transportation infrastructure and jobs.

3.) The TCS has mislead the public regarding its toll roads by claiming that they would support themselves financially, and that taxpayers would never be asked to assume the risk of their failure. Now it is clear that the toll roads are falling far short of projected usage and revenues. TCS has responded by seeking a massive federal bailout that would put more than a billion dollars of taxpayer money at risk.

Surfrider and our Coalition partners are not the only people concerned about this massive bailout. Important decision makers are weighing in as well. Senator Barbra Boxer recently wrote a letter to the Department of Transportation saying: "It is my understanding that the funding provided by this loan would be used to stabilize the finances of the TCS's existing toll roads, a purpose that was not originally intended by the TIFIA loan program".


Now It's Your Turn to Weigh in! We Need You to Write Letters to the Editor and Post Blog Comments.

Talking Points and Themes to Consider:

****Why is the public being asked to help an agency who said they would never use taxpayer funds?

****Why is this loan being requested? If TCS is unable to manage its current finances, why are some politicians supporting TCS's plan to spend more than $1.6 billion on the proposed Foothill-South – a toll road to nowhere?

****Congress needs to ask – What have we learned from the current financial crisis about putting taxpayers at risk? In this time of scarce transportation funds and pressing economic priorities, why would the Federal Government even consider a massive bailout for a project that has already been built?

****Bottom Line: Taxpayer money should not be spent bailing out a haphazard agency. To read a fact sheet and more background information about this bailout click here

Who and Where to Write:

In addition to writing a letter, please post blog comments (using the article links below).
Send Letters To:

• Washington Post: letters@washpost.com
• Sacramento Bee: opinion@sacbee.com
• Los Angels Times: ocletters@latimes.com
• San Diego Union Tribune: letters@uniontrib.com
• Orange County Register: letters@ocregister.com
• North County Times: letters@nctimes.com.

Read Articles and Post Blogs here:

LA Times: click here
OC Register: click here
North County Times: click here
LA Times Opinion Blog: click here
OC Weekly: click here

Remember, the most effective Letters to the Editor is usually under 150 words. If you would like help crafting a letter, please email Stefanie: SSekich@surfrider.org

Annual Save Trestles from the Nightmare

A Little Humor to get us Through the Waiting Period.

Surfrider CEO Jim Moriarty speaks out at Commerce Hearing

Road to Nowhere - LA Times

The U.S. Commerce Department came, it saw (or at least heard), and now it gets to decide whether to allow the Foothill South toll road to be built even though the project was rejected by the state.

The Bush administration has displayed a generally hostile attitude toward public parks and environmental protection. So let this serve as a reminder that federal officials are not supposed to act as a second Coastal Commission in deciding the merits or demerits of the Foothill South. Their role is to determine solely whether the road is in the national interest.

This one's easy. The Foothill South is a toll road to nowhere through San Onofre State Beach in northern San Diego County, a particularly popular state park that despite its name also includes a large portion of undeveloped inland canyon. The road would traverse the length of this rustic canyon and cut through a private nature preserve in south Orange County and an ancient Native American village that is still used for ceremonies. Because the toll would be costly and the road would divert commuters away from the employment centers to which they most commonly drive, its ability to substantially reduce traffic on a chronically congested section of Interstate 5 is questionable; on the toll road most similar to this project, the San Joaquin Hills, ridership remains low. What about this is in the national interest?

True, Interstate 5 is a key north-south artery for commuter and international freight traffic. But drivers would be better served by a direct route, widening the I-5 through San Clemente with toll lanes. Residents of the city understandably deplore the idea, but this freeway already has been successfully widened through most of the rest of Orange County.

Despite arguments by the Transportation Corridor Agencies, the toll road would serve no significant purpose for Camp Pendleton, nor is it likely to provide a life-saving escape in case of an accident at the San Onofre nuclear plant. The plant has operated for decades and is scheduled to go out of service in 2022, just nine years after the earliest anticipated opening date for the toll road. Besides, why would San Clemente residents drive south toward San Onofre in order to pick up a road to get away from it?

The proposed Foothill South toll road is a throwback to outdated models of growth that have locked this region into a pattern of killer commutes, reliance on foreign oil and the production of pollutants that foul air quality and contribute to global warming, at the expense of precious open spaces and endangered species. It serves neither the state nor the nation well.

Trestles: Videos of the Good and Bad...Plus Media Coverage

Can you believe it's almost been two weeks since the hearing?

If you missed the hearing, you can check out a video done by Chris Cantore (longtime San Diego radio morning host). The ever-talented Chris is putting his creative juices into producing videos! Chris spent the summer as the "Official Ambassador for the Del Mar Scene" where he made videos featuring Ziggy Marley, Gavin Rossdale and others. Surfrider plans on partnering with Chris on other projects...thanks for all your support, Cantore! click here for the video

Things Haven't Slowed Down and We Need You to Stay Active…. The LA Time recently published a great opinion blog, and we need you to post a comment. Because of the ability to add lengthy comments, this blog provides an ideal place for you to share your thoughts on why the Secretary of Commerce needs to uphold the Coastal Commission decision. This is also a great opportunity for people who wanted to speak at the hearing but were not chosen. click here to read and post a comment.

While You're at It…. Check out what we've done...post more comments on You Tube...!

The Transportation Corridor Agencies doesn't webcast their Board of Directors meetings. BUT WE DO!! Since February 2008, we have been attending and filming their meetings providing some insight into how TCA conducts itself. The tapes show confusion about the basic finances of the toll roads, as well as debate over the $678,000 annual tab for lobbying the Federal Government to overturn the California Coastal Commission. After viewing these videos we are sure you will agree with us that it's time for the TCA to record and webcast its meetings so the public can keep a closer eye on these politicians. We encourage you to check out these clips and tell us what you think! Write the TCA and tell them you support webcasting all future board meetings. You have a right to know! click here for videos....