Toll Road Agency Holds Secret Meeting To Approve Project

We learned last week that the TCA held a "Special Meeting" to approve plans for their so-called "Tesoro Extension," the first 5 miles of the 241 Toll Road that would end up paving over a large portion of San Onofre State Beach and connect with I-5 near Trestles.

Previously we were assured multiple times that the TCA would hold public workshops and have an open comment period to take input on this project before approving. Instead, they put an agenda on their website with less than 48 hours notice, notified nobody, and then held a vote.

Here you can see the TCA's Environmental Director Valarie McFall explaining to community members last summer how there would be a lengthy process allowing the public to weigh in.




This behavior, while not entirely unexpected of them, is outrageous!  They are clearly trying to bypass public scrutiny in order to get started building their previously rejected road. Thousands of people went to the Coastal Commission and Commerce Dep't meetings in 2008 to express their views on this project, but the TCA is now locking them out.

Not only is this the wrong way for an agency to conduct business, but the TCA is already on shaky financial feet (as recently reported in the LA Times) and have no real plan for getting out of their mountain of debt. Now, rather than listening to cooler heads, they make a unilateral decision to take on hundreds of millions more in debt in an effort to steamroll their way towards San Onofre and Trestles.

If you are disturbed by this behavior we encourage you to send the TCA an email with your thoughts.  Let them know that you are outraged at the lack of public input for the Tesoro Extension and that you wish to have the opportunity to weigh in on their plans.  Send your email today to clerkoftheboard@thetollroads.com

Show Up March 13 to Stop the Toll Road (again)

We need your help!  Last week we told you how the TCA is trying to build the first 5 mile segment of the 241 toll road.  Many of you have sent letters to the Regional Water Board asking them to deny this foolhardy project.  Next Wednesday the Regional Board will have a meeting to decide that permit and we need you there!

If you live in southern California, come to the water board hearing next Wednesday, March 13th, at 9:00 a.m. and speak out against the toll road. The hearing will be held at

March 13th, 9:00 AM
Costa Mesa City Council Chambers
77 Fair Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626

You don't need to speak (unless you want to) but a strong show of support will go a long way.

We encourage you to arrive early if you plan to testify so you can fill out a speaker card. If  you don’t plan to speak, please come any time in the morning. TCA will give their presentation sometime after the meeting starts at 9:00; and an organized presentation from environmentalists will be given directly after TCA—followed by public comment (which is when you can speak).

Please wear either a blue shirt or an old Save Trestles/Save San O shirt for solidarity.

Toll Road Developers at it Again. Help Stop Them!

The TCA is like the game whack-a-mole.  No matter how many times you knock down those persistant-little-moles, they continue to pop up.  And so it goes with the TCA’s mistaken plan to build their road.  Yes, the same road that was rejected by the California Coastal Commission and the Bush Administration in 2008.  Since 2011, the TCA has been proposing to build the road in “segments”—five miles at a time. Surfrider has been writing about their misguided plans on our Save Trestles blog.  Of course, we are also working with the Save San Onofre Coalition to monitor their moves and strategically stop their plans.  

“Segmenting” is illegal under state and federal law. Not only does TCA’s plan circumvent important laws, this approach makes absolutely no planning sense.  The road would create a “cul-de-sac of traffic” for San Juan Capistrano and would actually end at a road that is not even built yet!

TCA’s segmentation plan= poor urban planning!

But here are two more kickers 1.), TCA doesn’t have any financial plans or environmental permits to build this “segment”, AND 2.) TCA is being investigated by the state of California to determine “the long-term financial viability of the agency” (via a government oversight panel chaired by state Treasurer Bill Lockyer,).

Despite not having any plans, money, or political support, the TCA blindly believes they can build their road in segments.  Clearly, The TCA is operating under the false assumption that public resistance to their road has died down.  Did they forget about the insurmountable community opposition that brought out thousands of people to attend state and federal hearings in 2008?

The TCA recently filed an environmental permit with the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) for the first section of the road (this is one of many permits they need to obtain).  Their RWQCB application is grossly inadequate—TCA is overlooking impacts to important wetlands, the San Juan Creek, and the surrounding watershed (which could potentially affect the coastal zone).

We need your help to remind the TCA (and decision makers) that the public doesn’t want their toll road.

The RWQCB will be hearing TCA’s application March 13 (in Costa Mesa at 9am).   WE NEED YOU TO ATTEND!  Please mark your calendars. Surfrider will be launching an “action alert” so you can write the RQWCB.  We will also be developing talking points that can be used during public comment at the hearing on March 13.

Keep checking this blog for updates, and if you have questions about the hearing and/or the TCA’s new plan, contact Stefanie at:  Ssekich@surfrider.org. 

Break out your old Save Trestles tee shirts and join us March 13! 

Toll Road Agency Under Investigation by the State Treasure

Before we jump into the news about the State Treasure investigating the Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), we want to bring up a few points about how this agency is a burden to you, the taxpayer.

A longstanding promise of the TCA is that the roads they build will one day be paid off and “belong to the people of California”. 

However, the timeline of that promise keeps changing. 

Just recently, the TCA Foothill Eastern Board of Directors voted to refinance their debt and bonds—this “restructuring” would effectively push out their debt an additional 13 years.

It’s important to note that while we are waiting to obtain these “free roads” we will continue paying for the upkeep TCA’s roads.  Caltrans (who is funded by our tax dollars) maintains all TCA roadways.  Remember in 2001 when storm drain filters on 73 Toll Road failed and had to be replaced?  Oh yeah, we taxpayers spent $13.5 million to fix their problem.  

And lets not forget how the TCA constantly claims that they do not rely on public funds for their roads, yet over the past several years we have seen them try to obtain federal grants and subsidies (via the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and other federal programs). 

Surfrider is highlighting the financial burdens and pitfalls of this agency because quite frankly the news about the State Treasure investing TCA is huge.  As the Orange County Register reports, it’s very a rare investigation, noting:  “This is the first time in recent memory that the commission has examined the finances of a local agency, said Dressler, the treasurer's spokesman.”  The LA Times notes that Wall Street ratings agencies have labeled the San Joaquin Hills toll road's “junk bonds” and the Foothill-Eastern corridor’s bonds are low investment grade. 

Surfrider regularly attends TCA Board meetings.  During the meetings they paint a rosy picture of their finances—glossing over low ridership, the increase in tolls, and now they are glossing over the investigation of the State Treasure. 

While it’s hard to say exactly what the investigation will find, things are not looking good for the TCA. 

TCA Shenanigans

Over the last few months, Surfrider has been writing about TCA’s plan to build the road in segments.  We routinely attend their Board meetings to keep an eye on them.  Here’s our first blog describing TCA’s plan. In a nutshell, TCA is proposing to complete the road in 4 segments (the same road that was rejected by Coastal Commission and Bush administration).  However, they admit they don’t know where the last segment of the road will be located.   During their public Board meetings, TCA laments that the last section will be the most challenging since the road will essentially be located somewhere near San Onofre State Beach and Camp Pendleton (and as you know, both locations have strong opposition). 

Despite not having a plan for the last segment, they vow to complete the road. Sounds like horrible planning and engineering to Surfrider!

Now, as if the segmentation plan wasn’t bad enough, TCA is also working with high-paid lobbyists to circumvent the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and other environmental measures.  Apparently they are trying to get language into the current transportation bill that would streamline the environmental review process of NEPA-- essentially allowing the first segment of the road to move forward more quickly.  Our Save San Onofre Coalition has been steadfastly watching the transportation bill.  We recently sent a letter to Senator Boxer (who oversees the conference committee drafting the transportation bill) and we urged her to continue working toward a strong bill that does not include drastic environmental streamlining language.  For what it’s worth, the reality of NEPA exemptions coming to fruition is low and we are confident Senator Boxer and other Committee members will oppose gutting environmental laws that benefit our county as a whole. 

TCA also has the audacity to pursue environmental streamlining for an Army Corps of Engineers permit.  Congressman Filner became aware of the TCA's attempts to shorten the Army Corps permit and he wrote a letter urging them to not allow an abbreviated process—stressing the importance of both environmental and public review of the project.    You can view his letter here. 

While much of this blog details the convoluted regulatory processes, the “take home message” is that the TCA has numerous hurdles to clear in order to build the first section of the road.  Our Save San Onofre coalition (the exact same people who defeated the road in 2008) meets regularly to strategize. We have many tricks up our sleeve to ensure the TCA segmentation approach is never visualized.   In October, the TCA will officially vote at their Board of Directors meeting to go forward with the segment plan based on their funding, engineer plans and possibility of obtaining environmental permits.  Surfrider and our Coalition partners will keep you abreast of their plans.  Of course, we’ll let you apprised of our efforts and when we will need your help to (once again) stop the TCA madness.  

Wave Energy Project at San Onofre is Dead (for now?)

Last year a local company came forward with a plan to put a wave energy facility in the ocean just offshore of San Onofre and Trestles. The proposal was for several thousand Ocean Wave Electricity Generation (OWEG) units to capture the energy carried by the waves that hit this spectacular stretch of coast. There were myriad questions related to impacts on the surf, boaters, fishermen, wildlife etc. that needed to be answered as part of the permitting process. This process would likely take many millions of dollars to get through.

Well, just this week the agency in charge of the permit, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) stopped the proposal from going forward, stating that the company simply does not have the money or ability to be able to do all of those studies. Surfrider Foundation was a formal participant and stakeholder in the permit process and agrees with that decision.

Chad Nelsen, Surfrider's Environmental Director, states: “The Surfrider Foundation approaches all renewable energy projects with an open mind because we feel that they have the potential to provide a sustainable source of clean energy. However, we also want to make sure that all projects are conducted in a way that takes any and all potential impacts to the coastal environment or recreation into account.”

Views of Trestles

JD over at the Upper Trestles blog posts daily reports and pictures of the surf at Uppers. I've always loved that he also takes pictures of the San Mateo Creek and its lagoon while he's down there. Lucky for us he compiled those pics into a couple great slideshows displaying the daily nuance of the waves and creek through 2011. (Scroll down to see the videos after clicking through)

Why Trestles Matters: A Thanksgiving Tale

Rad story from Serge Dedina of Wildcoast

Why Trestles Matters

Yesterday after about over 200MGD of sewage polluted water flowed out of the TJ River, my sons, Israel 15 and Daniel 13, and their friend Jake 15, boarded a bus in Imperial Beach with their boards, backbacks, and bicycles.

Five hours later they departed the bus at the Carls Jr. in San Clemente for a two-day surf safari at Trestles and campout at San Mateo Campground.

This is the text I received last night:

“All is well..roasting wieners by a roaring fire and sipping hot choco and got perfect three to four foot trestles with four people.”

If there is any reason to stop the Toll Road, it is so generations of kids can have the best adventures of their lives at Trestles/San Mateo/and San Onofre and experience California as it is supposed to be.

So thanks to all of your for “Saving Trestles” and your ongoing commitment to making sure a toll road doesn’t plow through one of the last best places on the planet.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Serge Dedina, Ph.D.
Executive Director
WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE

Here's the IB Groms enjoying the clean water and waves at Trestles.

Let's Remember Why the Toll Road Would Be So Bad For the Coast

I thought this might be a good opportunity to go back and remind ourselves of all the reasons that the 241 Toll Road is bad for the coast and bad for California. Listen to former Coastal Commission Director Peter Douglas eloquently describe all of the damage that would be caused by building their unneeded and unwanted highway.

Mr. Douglas says very clearly: "This toll road project is precisely the kind of project the Coastal Act was intended to prevent."

Listen below to his introduction from the Coastal Commission meeting in Del Mar that so many of you attended. Thanks again for all the support!

Toll Road Nirvana? Not Possible...

From Save Trestles Guru... Jerry Collamer 

Trestles, Coastal Parks, and Underwater Parks.

[Re-cap of email sent to Trestles Supporters] A few weeks ago, Surfrider wrote with an update about possible toll road plans. At a recent Board of Directors meeting TCA officially approved a study to start building the first four miles of the 241 toll road. Even though their own Board approved plans to investigate building the first section of the road, it doesn't mean it's going to happen (not on our clock)!! The TCA is (once again) full of delusions of grandeur by thinking they can cut up the road, break environmental laws, and also obtain permits to start the first segment. Well, it's not that simple! TCA has a long road ahead of them (pun) in terms of completing an Environmental Impact Report, (which will take many, many months) and then actually obtaining the permits to build. In the meantime, Surfrider and our partners are pulling out all the stops to monitor them and be at every fork of the road (pun). In the near future, we will be reaching out to you with specific ways to help. After all, it was YOU that stopped this road in the first place! It was YOU who showed up (with thousands of your friends)…and it was YOU who wrote thousands of letters to decision makers over the years to ensure the toad was never be built. Our Coalition wrote an official statement regarding the TCA's new plans…read it here Park Closures. You have probably noticed a trend in our emails…they often contain information about parks. That's partly because most of our supporters are not only environmentalists, but are also recreationalists… and we know how you care for Parks (just look how you protected San Onofre and Trestles!)! Over the past year, we informed you about some state parks slated for closure because of budget issues. We recently obtained the list of coastal parks closing. There are about 12 parks closing that provide coastal access and 8 of those parks are designated as "state beaches". California has a total of 63 state beaches, so essentially the state is planning to close about 13% of our state beaches! Before you look at that list, think about what a closed coastal park closure look like? Here's the visual: gates will be locked, facilities will be closed (bathroom, kiosks, all utilities, etc)…and all park Staff will be gone. Now visualize what will happen to the parks…there will be no one to pick up trash, save lives, or make sure the natural resources are protected. Even though this is a bleak reality, there is a Coalition of organization working on mitigating those impacts. You can help. Become a supporter of the Save our State Parks Coalition. here Coastal Parks Closing: Garrapata, Gray Whale Cove, Greenwood, Manchester, McGrath, Morro Strand, Moss Landing, Russian Gulch, Tomales Bay, Twin Lakes, Westport-Union Landing, and Zmudowski. Underwater Parks….(aka Marine Protected Areas) There could be more fish in the lineup soon! To help improve our ocean's health and preserve coastal resources for future generations, the State is creating Marine Protected Area (MPAs). Join Surfrider Foundation and Reef Check California as we explore newly established MPAs throughout southern California. We'll look at maps, videos, photos and discuss regulations. The State will begin enforcing MPAs in January. In order to educate communities about the new MPAs hitting the water, we are holding meetings throughout the region. Go here to find a meeting near you, during the month of November.

Get a Grip TCA

Last week activists from Surfrider Foundation and NRDC spoke at the TCA's board meeting before they approved a study to start building the first four miles of the 241 toll road. Apparently we touched a nerve when we reminded them that State and Federal agencies have said that they can't build their road through to San Onofre State Beach and Trestles.

Here's an audio clip of Tustin Mayor Jerry Amante responding to our comments. Of course, Jerry is also the one who loves to extol the virtues of pavement. Let us know what you think in the comments.

A Piecemeal Toll Road is Still a Toll Road

Local activist Steve Netherby wrote this great summary of the issue in response to the TCA's latest proposal to get the toll road moving...


Pretty clever: build it in pieces so we'll say, "You've built it this far, you might as well go ahead and finish it." Go here to vote NO on the toll road; here's why:

TCA (Transportation Corridor Agencies) knows how you boil a frog. You don't throw it into boiling water; it'll jump out. You put it in nice cool water and turn up the heat a little at a time. The frog adapts and accepts. Then it boils.

Don't try to build it all at once they say; we've seen that won't fly. Build it to San Juan; when it funnels traffic onto their already clogged local streets, they'll clamor to have it continued to Pico in San Clemente (we named that the "Extortion Alignment" when they tried it before); Pico's traffic mess would get even messier, so they'll say, send the traffic on to the I-5! Thus, we're boiled.

This bankrupt proposal has been turned down by the California Coastal Commission for the watershed and coastal destruction it would cause. It's been turned down by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce as a terrible transportation idea and because it would violate a Native American sacred site. Camp Pendleton has said no to it. It's drawn decades of protests from Surfrider, Sierra Club, Natural Resources Defense Council, Trout Unlimited, local groups like Friends of the Foothills, and thousands of citizens from California, across the country, and around the world.

It would destroy San Clemente's neighbor, The Richard and Donna O'Neill Conservancy (bulldozing tops off the hills to fill the valleys); San Onofre State Beach (TCA lobbyists are in Washington, D.C. right now, trying to persuade the Navy department to end the park's lease); the Christianitos and San Mateo drainages; immense tracts of priceless South Orange County and North San Diego backcountry; and Trestles—the Yosemite of surfing.

On top of all that, it would, if continued to its proposed confluence with Interstate 5 south of San Clemente, create an El Toro Y of the south, snarling traffic for miles north through San Clemente ... back toward the original El Toro Y!

But this should surprise no one, especially the TCA. Years ago, I attended the Laguna Beach luncheon where Supervisor Pat Bates introduced new TCA CEO Thomas Margro to business leaders and fellow Orange County politicians. Margro didn't say on that occasion, "I'm here to solve Orange County's transportation problems." Instead, he said, "I'm here to deliver the Foothill South toll road!" Regardless of cost and consequences ... especially to our environment and quality of life, but also to the TCA itself: TCA board member Beth Krom of the Irvine City Council warned her colleagues—including San Clemente's toll-road yes-man Councilman Jim Dahl—that floating more bonds would place the agency in a precarious financial position (a position TCA is very familiar with, as toll-road use [therefore traffic reduction on I-5] never lives up to their blue-sky projections). Please go here to vote NO on the TCA's toll-road scheme.
There are alternatives to this boondoggle that will actually help our traffic situation and create even more jobs: Local officials are working to close the funding gap in order to complete La Pata north out of San Clemente to the Ortega. This will also give San Clementeans another northern exit route in the event of a radiation accident at San Onofre Nuclear Generating Plant (SONGS). And when I-5 is widened through San Clemente, as planned, it will actually speed traffic, instead of adding to it, as the toll road (and the development that would follow it) inevitably would.

Please forward this to at least 10 people, go here to cast your vote against the toll road, and, as the fight against the TCA heats up, do all you can to help us "Save Trestles" and "Stop the Toll Road"—AGAIN.

Thank you.

Steve

TCA's Newest Plan.

 
As reported last week, TCA officially voted yes to move forward with building the first four miles of the road.  Here is the statement from our Save San Onofre Coalition.

“More pavement is always better than less pavement”.

You probably figured out Surfrider didn’t say, “more pavement is always better than less pavement”. And you probably realized it was the desperate toll road developers at the Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) that would even think, let alone say something so out of touch. Yesterday Surfrider Foundation along with Natural Resource Defense Council attended TCA’s Finance and Operations Committee meeting to learn they are proposing to build the first 4 miles of their once denied project. Their new cockamamie plan aims to build the road from Oso Parkway to just north of Ortega Highway.

We know. It’s utterly baffling. It's clear the TCA is proposing an illegal piecemeal project that has already been rejected by the California Coastal Commission and the Bush Administration. Their hubris is actually pretty amazing—they are trying to evade the law by breaking up the road into little chunks.

Let’s just say in a crazy, pretend world, they obtained all the permits to build the first segment of the road. There would still be major environmental impacts. In addition to substantial grading of the terrain, there would be impacts on San Juan Creek. Even the TCA’s own engineer admitted there are engineering and environmental challenges at San Juan Creek near Ortega Highway.

Plus, ending the road near Ortega doesn’t make traffic sense! Anyone who drives this area can tell you that. Even members of the Board of Directors will tell you that Ortega Highway is not a highly functioning road and it couldn’t handle the extra traffic (a few members outright admitted this yesterday).

Now, to compound an already senseless situation, they are proposing harebrained funding schemes. One mechanism of funding is based on future traffic models for the area. Funding would be calculated by taking “projected” daily trips multiplied by tolls. This scheme, founded on cooked numbers, tries to justify building the project, rather than objectively predicting actual demand. TCA once again admitted a downfall by acknowledging none of their traffic models have ever been correct. Yet they want to obtain funding on faulty models?

As if the TCA hasn’t made enough missteps with this piecemeal plan, they are also overlooking public input (just like they did with the first go-around of the project). Since being denied at the state and Federal level, the TCA has been touting their “outreach” efforts. Yet, they are allowing only one week to do more outreach before the Board fully approves the segment measure. How is that consistent with their “extensive outreach models”?

And since we are living in hard economic times with money woes dominating news cycles and dinner-table conversations, it’s worth pointing out that the TCA has been seeking Federal funding through the TIFIA program over the years. That’s our public money, people! This flagrantly contradicts their claim that they do not rely on public funds.

Well, despite hearing this bothersome news, we can actually thank the TCA. Thanks TCA for giving us a new saying that we will make into a mockery for a tee shirt design (i.e. “more pavement is better than less pavement”). And thank you once again for bringing together our tightly organized Save San Onofre Coalition. We, and the surrounding communities, are united in opposition to this piecemeal plan and will not stop fighting until it’s dead (again).

Where are the Jobs?

A few months ago, the TCA shamelessly capitalized on Japan's Earthquake/Tsunami tragedy to try and scare South County residents into supporting their preferred alignment for the SR-241 completion.  Thankfully that effort failed to gain the desired traction and the TCA quickly abandoned it.  Now the predatory vultures are circling once again – this time around the national employment crisis.

According to a recent report by the TCA, Beacons Economics concluded that the completion of the SR-241 toll road would create 13,663 jobs in Orange County.  Alas, what the TCA failed to mention in their media communications announcing their report's findings is that the other traffic alternatives, including a widening of the existing Interstate 5 highway, would result in a comparable, if not greater number of jobs!

Flashback to 2008, when TCA CEO Tom Margro stood before the California Coastal Commission during a hearing on the proposed SR-241 project.  During questioning by Commission member Steve Blank, Margro was forced to admit that all construction projects, whether they were related to SR-241 or not, would create jobs. 

Have a look for yourself:

What's more, because the TCA has non-compete clauses written into their agreements with Cal Trans,  the state is currently being prevented from moving forward with the I-5 widening and other projects.  Not only is this working to stymy job creation, it is delaying improvements that could provide some much needed traffic solutions to South County!

As we have stated before – the TCA does not care about solving mobility issues.  If they did they would be supporting solutions such as increasing municipal transportation, HOV lanes and alternative projects.

Nor does the TCA care about solving the jobs issue in Southern California.  If they did they wouldn't be standing in the way of the CalTrans beginning to work on infrastructure projects that could put Californians back to work NOW, not several years from now.

To be clear, the TCA only cares about one thing – building toll roads…whether they are needed or not.