15 Years, Thousands of Activists, One Goal — Save Trestles Forever

After a marathon campaign of more than 15 years, the battle to Save Trestles came to fruition today when Governor Newsom signed AB 1426 into law. This new legislation will protect San Onofre State Beach and Trestles from any type of road construction. 

The valiant effort to Save Trestles has been a long and winding road (no pun intended). The first step in this battle was the formation of our mighty Save San Onofre Coalition (SSOC), which represents millions of people from local and national organizations. In 2005, SSOC first came together when over 1,000 activists showed up at a Parks and Recreation Commission hearing to speak out against a six-lane toll road that would have cut through San Onofre State Beach — damaging the last remaining undeveloped watershed in southern California, the world-famous surf break at Trestles Beach, multiple endangered species, and sacred Indigenous sites.

Over the course of a decade, SSOC mounted a historic activist-led opposition against the toll road development . In 2008, this formidable coalition organized the largest public turn out in Coastal Commission history, where over 3,500 people attended the Commission hearing and the road was unanimously rejected. Following the Coastal Commission vote, toll road developers appealed to overturn the Commission’s decision. But the appeal decision didn’t stop our activists. Once again, we organized — thousands of people attended the Department of Commerce hearing, voicing strong opposition to the toll road — and we won again.

SSOC continued our winning streak in 2013, 2014 and 2015, when both the State and Regional Water Quality Control Boards rejected TCA’s attempts to build the road in “segments.”

These victories, over the course of a decade, helped us achieve a landmark lawsuit settlement in 2016 that banned toll road developers from building in the park. Unfortunately, in 2017 two lawsuits were filed by the City of San Clemente and The Reserve Management Corporation to undo our park protections, and that is precisely why this new legislation is so important!

AB 1426 shores up protections we have fought so hard for, codifies the judicial decree that currently protects San Onofre State Beach, the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy, and the San Mateo Watershed, and validates nearly 20 years of grassroots advocacy.

The word “historic” is often overused, but in light of this legislation, today truly is a historic day. This legislation, and previous lawsuit settlements, is the culmination of years of hard work to Save Trestles and brings an end to one of the hardest fought, longest-lasting environmental battles in California’s history. This victory would have not been possible without the thousands of passionate and motivated advocates who stood our ground to FOREVER save Trestles.

Urge Governor Newsom to Permanently Protect San Onofre!

 

Surfrider and the Save San Onofre Coalition are thrilled to report that the California legislature passed a bill, AB 1426, that will permanently protect San Onofre State Beach. Now, this historic legislation is headed to Governor Newsom’s desk!  

 
Please help us urge the Governor to once and for all protect San Onofre State Beach—California’s 5th most visited state park that is home to the last undeveloped watershed in southern California, houses the world-famous Trestles Beach, endangered species, and contains sacred indigenous sites. 
 
As you may know, for numerous years Surfrider has fought to protect San Onofre from a six-lane toll road.  During our fight, we won many battles.  In 2008, thousands of activists defeated the toll road at the Coastal Commission hearing. In 2016, we successfully settled a lawsuit which secured an agreement that bans Toll Road Developers from building a road through the park. 
 
Unfortunately, two lawsuits have been filed to undo our park protections, and that is why we need the Governor to sign this legislation into law!
 
Send a message to Governor Newsom and urge him to permanently protect for San Onofre State Beach by signing AB 1426. 

 

Legislation Permanently Seeks to Protect San Onofre

“The coast is never saved, it is always being saved.” This statement was famously coined by former California Coastal Commission Executive Director, Peter Douglas. Surfrider can attest to the accuracy of this statement. Even when we have fought and won a battle to protect a special place, that victory must constantly be maintained. Which is now the case, as we fight to maintain our victory to Save Trestles forever.

For over 15 years, Surfrider has tirelessly fought to stop toll road construction through San Onofre State Beach. San Onofre State Beach, California’s 5th most visited state park, is home to the last remaining undeveloped watershed in southern California and houses ten federally-threatened or endangered species. The park is also home to the world-famous Trestles Beach and contains many sacred Native American sites.

Over the years, we have won many battles. In 2008, thousands of activists showed up to the Coastal Commission hearing, defeating the toll road. In 2016, we successfully settled a lawsuit which secured an agreement that bans Toll Road Developers from building a road through the park.


Unfortunately, two lawsuits have been filed to undo our historic park protections, leaving San Onofre State Beach vulnerable again. But we are not idly standing by and we have received help from Assemblymember Tasha Boerner-Horvath who introduced a bill that will shore up protections for San Onofre State Beach by codifying the judicial decree that currently protects San Onofre State Beach, the Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy, and the San Mateo Watershed.

Please send a message to your elected official and urge them to permanently protect for San Onofre State Beach and vote YES on AB 1426.

Camp Pendleton Supports Extension of Lease at San Onofre State Beach

Recently, Camp Pendleton issued a statement regarding an extension of the lease at San Onofre State Beach. The Surfrider Foundation was pleased to learn about the support to extend the lease three years for San Onofre State Beach. The original lease was set to expire in 2021. A lease extension is exciting to both Surfrider and our partners in the Save San Onofre Coalition who have been working together for more than 15 years to protect the 5th most visited state park from road construction. San Onofre is truly a world-class park—home to the last remaining undeveloped watershed in Southern California, world-famous Trestles Beach, and ten federally-threatened or endangered species. San Onofre State Beach also protects sensitive cultural resources, including the ancient Acjachemen village of Panhe. 

Surfrider believes a lease extenstion will provide the Department of the Navy (DON), which owns the Camp Pendleton property, with a path towards planning for a long-term lease renewal of San Onofre. The timing of the park lease extension would coincide with the decommissioning and dismantlement of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS). In 2024, an easement between Camp Pendleton and SONGS’ operators is set to expire. Surfrider believes a park lease extension will provide the DON with additional time to collectively analyze the issues regarding the park and SONGS leases.  

Over the years, Camp Pendleton has been an incredible steward of the land—mindful of public access while protecting the environment, endangered species and cultural resources. Surfrider looks forward to working with local stakeholders, including the DON, Camp Pendleton, California State Parks and the San Onofre Parks Foundation as a new future unfolds for San Onofre State Beach. As Surfrider has done for several decades, we will continue our work to protect this treasured park for generations to come. To learn more about the Save Trestles campaign over the years, go here.  

UPDATE ON TOLL ROAD DEVELOPMENTS OUTSIDE OF SAN ONOFRE STATE BEACH

At the TCA’s March 12 board meeting, they voted to narrow the scope of their planning process for south Orange County to a single alternative.   The Save San Onofre Coalition (SSOC) is pleased to see the developments unfold at this meeting. After public comment consisting of over 50 speakers, the TCA selected Alternative #22 un-tolled as its only project to move forward for analysis in Southern Orange County.

Alternative #22 would be an extension of the already existing Los Patrones Parkway from its current terminus at Cow Camp Rd to a new terminus at La Pata. OCTA would take the lead on construction of this extension which would remain a county arterial on which tolls would not be charged.

This decision came after many months of tension with residents, organizations, and governmental agencies. This move by the TCA marked an end to all of the alignments that had stirred local controversy.

Throughout this process, the SSOC  has steadfastly and successfully defended in court its hard-won agreements protecting San Onofre State Beach from roadway development.  Hopefully, TCA’s pursuit of Alternative #22 will persuade those challenging those protections to finally drop their lawsuits.

Thanks for your continued support to keep San Onofre State Beach free from any roadway construction. These protections would have been impossible without the support of conscientious and concerned citizens. And with your continued vigilance and support, the SSOC will continue to protect this park for future generations to come!