Photo: Drew Schneier
On a bright Monday morning, the McMillin Companies Event Center at San Diego’s Liberty Station buzzed with a contagious energy. The massive venue resembled a cathedral; vaulted ceilings more than 20 feet high, light beaming in from the windows along the exterior walls. It was a fitting space for yet another round in the fight to save one of surfing’s most hallowed of grounds: Trestles.
Attendees, ranging from eager groms to seasoned activists had shuffled into the event hall with hand-drawn signs and “Save Trestles” t-shirts, prepared for another heated exchange between the TCA and advocates for a clean and accessible San Onofre State Park. Rather, what they entered in to was more of a one-sided trouncing. State Park supporters absolutely overwhelmed the opposition, with only a handful of TCA representatives attending the hearing. In all, some 120 activists showed up and 29 spoke, sharing their stories about the importance of protecting San Onofre. This was in addition to the 2,766 individuals and 17 organizations that had previously written letters in opposition to the toll road extension. Conversely, the Board received only four letters in favor of the project.
Photo: Drew Schneier
By mid-afternoon, after a 10 minute deliberation period, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board voted unanimously (6 to 0) to adopt findings that reinforced its decision of June 2013, rejecting the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) in its attempts to secure a Waste Discharge Requirements permit for its Tesoro Extension project. The extension is part of a seemingly never-ending ploy by the TCA to create a 16-mile toll road that would run through San Onofre State Beach, California’s fifth most popular state park, and home to the iconic Trestles surf break.
In a powerful showcase, twenty-nine advocates, including several members of the Surfrider Foundation and Save San Onofre Coalition, spoke to oppose to the toll road. Waiting their turn in what was already becoming a long day, they shared stories that spanned from their family’s connections to San Onofre State Park to the environmental impacts the toll road would undoubtedly have on local watersheds.
“The Board responded to the overwhelming evidence that the Tesoro Extension is no more than an attempt to commence construction of a larger, environmentally destructive that has been rejected by the Board and every other agency that has considered the project to-date,” said Elizabeth Goldstein in a press release by the Save San Onofre Coalition.
“This project needs to be rethought from the ground up, or abandoned, rather than twisted to accommodate every rejection the TCA experiences.”
This was far from the first time Surfrider and coastal activists had to show up, stand up and fight for our beloved Trestles, and it may not be the last. We must stay vigilant and continue to work to protect this mecca of surfing and unique stretch of the Southern California coast. Should the TCA or anyone else once again attempt to compromise our ability to surf Trestles or to bring our families to the State Park, the Surfrider Foundation will be there.
In the immortal words of Tom Petty: we won’t back down.
Photo: Drew Schneier
