OC Blog

Loretta Sanchez Supporting the 241?

Apparently that's what a news release from Janet Nguyen's office is reporting which appeared on today's edition of the Viet Bao Daily News, a Vietnamese language newspaper based in Little Saigon.  Here the part about Loretta Sanchez promising Janet that she would support the completion of the 241 Foot Hill Toll Road which was sent over by a Vietnamese friend:

Trong hai ngày thứ Năm và thứ Sáu 8, 9 tháng 11, 07, Giám Sát Viên Janet Nguyễn hội luận với nhiều Thượng Nghị Sĩ, Dân Biểu Liên Bang, Phụ Tá Cao Cấp của các văn phòng như Dân Biểu Ken Calvert, Địa Hạt 44, thuộc Ủy Ban Tài Nguyên nội dung cuộc thảo luận liên quan đến việc phát triển đường Cao Tốc 241 để giải tỏa áp lực quá tải của ba xa lộ 5, 55,22 liên quan đến Địa Hạt 1 gồm 4 thành phố Santa Ana, Westminster, Garden Grove, và Midway City.

Trong cuộc gặp gỡ với Dân Biểu Loretta Sanchez, Địa Hạt 47, Bà Loretta Sanchez hứa sẽ hỗ trợ dự án đường cao tốc 241, vì địa hạt 44 của bà Loretta nằm cùng chung ranh giới với địa hạt 1, bà cũng hứa sẽ đi quan sát con đường cao tốc này với các Giám Sát Viên Quận Cam.

I didn't know that Janet Nguyen could be so charming...It is either that or she was fooled by Sanchez.  Maybe Quang or Bolsaman can translate the Vietnamese text in red for our readers.

Sen. Tom Harman Embraces 241 Toll Road Completion

I heard Friday evening that Sen. Tom Harman had changed his long-held position on completing the 241 toll road from opposition to support. I played phone-tag with his District Director, Cynthia Determan, over the weekend and was able to catch up with her a few minutes ago.

Cynthia confirmed Sen. Harman had indeed re-thought his position and endorsed completing the toll road, and she arranged for me to speak with the Senator about his change of heart.

Sen. Harman said it took place over the last couple of months and started with a helicopter tour of the proposed 241 completion alignment he took at the invitation of the Transportation Corridor Agencies (readers may recall I took the same tour about the same time) He said he had never toured the area before and the chopper tour gave him a good view of how the alignment did and didn't impact San Onofre State Park.

Foothill-South would protect San Clemente

The 241 Toll Road has proven to be a godsend both for firefighters and for families fleeing the flames (if you'll pardon my alliteration).  Firefighters have used the 241 as a staging area to battle the blaze and the 241 provides a firebreak protecting homes to the west, although the extreme high winds did cause the fire to jump the 241 in Irvine.

Thankfully, there is currently no fire east of San Clemente that threatens that community.  But if there were, the I-5 freeway would be the only escape route out of town and if that is gridlocked, there are no other alternatives. 

Despite 20 years of environmental analysis conducted by TCA, EPA, US Fish & Wildlife and others designed to protect the native plants and habitat of the Arroyo Toad and Pacific pocket mouse, it took just a few days of a fire to do more to damage tens of thousands of acres than the completion of a 16-mile roadway could ever do.  In fact without the 241 in the foothills of Lake Forest, the fire damage and destruction to both homes and wildlife would probably have been worse. 

The completion of the 241 would give our firefighters access to east San Clemente, it would provide a firebreak to protect the homes to the west, and it would provide an escape route for the residents.

Suddenly investing $20 million and 20 years into analyzing the protection of a two-inch mouse from a roadway is put into perspective.

I-5 Widening Study Deemed Bogus. Now, where are the alleged Steelhead Trout?

For more than a year, Foothill-South opponents have been hanging their hat on their "study" that "proves" the I-5 can be widened while demolishing just 31 homes (better to boot 31 families onto the streets than damage one hair on a flea-infested Pacific pocket mouse I always say!).  This study - conducted by Smart Mobility, a four-person engineering firm in Vermont, was used by the Coastal Commission as "proof" that Caltrans, the U.S. Federal Highway Administration and the Transportation Corridor Agencies didn't know what they were talking about when their 20 year, $20 million analysis of alternatives showed that more than 1,200 homes and businesses would have to be removed.

LA Times reporter Dan Weikel investigated and found that - shockingly - the Vermont engineers, who aren't even licensed to work in California, got it wrong.  The smoke and mirrors of this "study" have been blown away.

Now, which reporter will look into the allegation by Surfrider that the 241 will impact the Steelhead Trout in San Mateo Creek, when there is no evidence that they even exist there?  And what about the canard that having the 241 connect to the I-5 will change the shape of the waves coming into Trestles a half-mile away?  Apparently, if you've got green credentials you can get away with any allegation as fact and no one will call you on it.

Rep. Calvert: Unofficial Survey Finds 75% Disagree With Coastal Commissariat On 241 Completion

Found another item on the transom, this one from Rep. Ken Calvert's office:

Seventy-five Percent of Survey Respondents Disagree with Coastal Commission on 241 Foothill-South

WASHINGTON, DC. October 11, 2007 – Today Congressman Calvert (R-CA-44) released an unofficial survey of residents in California Congressional District 44 which includes parts of Riverside and Orange Counties.

The survey was distributed via an e-newsletter discussing the recent California Coastal Commission Staff Report recommending that commissioners deny certifying the Foothill-South Toll Road Project.  The Report concluded that that adding capacity to our freeway system will lead to more congestion.  The Staff Report also suggests that a better alternative to the Foothill-South is a proposal to expand Interstate 5 in San Clemente despite the fact it would require significant use of eminent domain to condemn long existing houses and businesses.  The report dismisses any concern about the broad use of eminent domain by stating it is a “more easily quantifiable social and economic mitigation.”

Diane Harkey On Completing The 241

This is from Diane Harkey's "OC Lite" newsletter that just came over the transom:

Tolling the Truth about Our Quality of Life

Good News! The October 11th California Coastal Commission Hearing regarding the SR 241 Tollroad completion has been postponed. So a delay is good news? Yes, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on this issue.

If you’ve been tuned in, you know that there has been an increasingly active movement by State Parks, Surfriders and others to halt the final 16 miles of the tollroad. Opponents site State Park and surf/beach annihilation as their call to arms. Most proponents and local residents merely assume things will work out, as they did with the SR 73, and the road will be built. After all, as in the SR 73 battle, opponents have time and emotion on their side, and proponents face delays that cost money and future political uncertainties – nothing new.

Shocker! Coastal Commission Staff Opposes Toll Road

Why do reporters always use this passive style in lead paragraphs?:

The proposed Foothill South toll road would likely drive an endangered mouse to extinction, wipe out vital habitat, shatter the peace of a popular campground and even worsen global warming, according to a report by the staff of the California Coastal Commission released today.

It leads the reader to believe what they are reading is a fact, rather than an opinion. I've never understood why journalists can't simply reverse the order and use the active voice:

The Coastal Commission staff claimed today that the proposed Foothill South toll road...

That's a more honest, accurate presentation, in my opinion.

TCA Offers To Help Pay For Extending San Onfore Beach Lease Extension

This just came over the transom from the OC Business Council:

As a part of ongoing efforts to complete the 241 Toll Road, the Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency Board of Directors offered $100 million today to fund improvements to the California State Parks System including funds to extend the lease at San Onofre State Beach Park and Trestles Beach. Preserving these areas will allow completion of the 241 in a way that is sensitive to the environment.

OC Tax To San Diego Mayor: Support 241 Completion

This came over the transom yesterday from the OC Taxpayers Association:

To:        The Honorable Jerry Sanders, Mayor, City of San Diego

From:        Reed Royalty, President, Orange County Taxpayers Association

Date:        September 24, 2007

Subject:    Extension of SR-241 Toll Road                                                                

Most public testimony on the proposed completion of the SR-241 Toll Road in the counties of
San Diego and Orange focuses on the environment.

The Orange County Taxpayers Association (OCTax) cares about our environment too.  That’s one reason we support toll roads.  Free-flowing traffic causes less pollution than stop-and-go traffic.  Just as importantly, it generates economic wealth that enables us to maintain our parks, beaches, housing, water and sanitary systems, flood control, landfills, recycling facilities, fire protection and other services that enhance the environment.  The worst ecological disasters occur in economically distressed areas.  Good roads, by their effect on our economy, are essential to our environment.

Here are additional reasons OCTax supports the completion of the 241 Toll Road.

241 Tollroad Opponents Hire Some Firepower

Opponents of completing the Foothill-South toll road have hired some high-powered political talent to assist their campaign to "save" Trestles, the habitat of the steelhead trout somebody thinks they saw once upon a time, the Arroyo Toad and anything else that might come in handy in stopping the 241.

Matt Klink of Cerrell Associates of Los Angeles and Joe Rodota of Forward Observer of Sacramento have been brought on board by...I don't know yet. I have calls in to both Klink and Rodota.

The Truth About Trestles

Opponents to the completion of the 241 Toll Road have long claimed that building this 16 mile roadway would impact the waves at Trestles.  Of course, they offer no science to back up those claims, but couch their warning by saying that as long as we are unsure of the impacts, nothing should be done.

Problem is, scientific studies show that the 241 completion will not impact the waves or the water quality at Trestles.  Dave Skelly, a coastal engineer (and one of the founding members of Surfrider) studied the impact of the 241 on Trestles and concluded that the waves will continue to roll in just like they've always done, even if the 241 connects to the I-5 a half-mile away. 

Flying Over The 241 Completion Route -- Part Two

Picking up where the previous post left off, here's a another, longer-range shot of San Mateo Creek from Trestles to the I-5, followed by my attempt to zoom in on the beach campground right next to the 5 freeway, where 90% of San Onofre State Beach visitors go.

And here's a shot of Camp Pendleton base housing, the security of which one anon commenter claims the completed 241 would place in jeopardy. You can glimpse Interstate 5 in the foreground.

The final segment is our flight inland along the proposed alignment (known as the "Green" alignment). This is where is it helpful to have watched the TCA simulation, since I pan away from the route in order to give a broader perspective on what's in the surrounding area that 241 completion opponents like to puff up as a latter-day Garden of Eden.

At about the :58 second mark, you'll see a housing tract in the upper left and a power station in the lower right. The 241 route will thread that particular needle. At the 2:11 mark you'll see Ortega Highway on the left. At about the 2:40 mark, we're coming up on Tesoro High School in the upper left, with the current terminus of the 241 ahead.

As readers know, I am strongly in favor of completing the 241 Foothill South toll road. It has been planned and studied for 20 years and is a needed addition to he regional transportation network. I don't expect hard-core 241 opponents to change their minds, but it is clear to me completing the 241 isn't going to destroy anything. It's another road through countryside that looks like every other part of Orange County. It's nice, but let's face it -- it ain't Yosemite. When the road is completed, people will continue to enjoy San Onofre State Beach as they have for decades.

Flying Over The 241 Completion Route - Part One

I had the opportunity last Thursday to tag along on a helicopter tour of the proposed 241 route given to Rep. Ken Calvert and Assemblyman Van Tran by the Transportation Corridor Agencies. I was asked by Assemblyman Tran's office if I wanted to join the tour. As someone who has been interested in this issue for quite some time, I jumped at the opportunity to get a birds-eye view of the controversial proposed route and get some footage with the Red County UnSteadiCam (apologies in advance for the shaky nature of the  footage. I was juggling operating the UnSteadiCam and a still camera).

Also on board, in addition to Calvert, Tran and yours truly, were two TCA staffers, David Lowe and I have momentarily forgotten the other staffer's name (apologies). And, of course, Evan the pilot.

The helicopter took off from Signature Flight Support at John Wayne Airport and headed off to the coast. We paralleled the beach at an altitude of a few hundred feet down to Trestles, where were circled for a few minutes while the pilot secured clearance from Camp Pendleton to proceed inland.

Since I lack computer graphics skills, readers might want to also sample this simulated fly-over video from TCA. It gives a more precise view of the alignment for mental comparison when watching the footage I took:

In this first segment, you'll see fabled Trestles (the railroad crossing above the lovely algae covered pond), followed by footage of the section of Interstate 5 where the 241 would connect with the freeway. You can also see San Mateo Creek, which American Rivers ranks as the Second Most Endangered River in these United States: "...San Mateo Creek supports world-class surfing and provides irreplaceable habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife." That's right -- apparently the presence of water is no longer necessary to be classified as a river, let alone provide a home for "a variety of fish." If you watch the YouTube video on the American Rivers, you'd think there was actually free-flowing creek in the state park, rather than a gulch that is dry 99% of the year.

The dusty field you see just beyond the I-5 is agricultural land the Marines have been leasing out. It stands between the San Mateo campground and base housing. In this next segment was shot during a another pass over Tresles, up the creek toward the future 241/I-5 connection, followed by more footage of the agricultural parcel and an attempted zoom-in on the San Mateo Campground at the end.

If you believe the hysteria emanating from the Surfrider Foundation and other 241 completion opponents, you could be forgiven for thinking the 241 actually touches the beach. As you can see from the video, that isn't remotely the case.

Watching The Watchers

It's pretty standard in politics to send observers to an opponent's press event, and yesterday's pro-241 toll road completion press conference was no exception.

Here's video I shot with the UnsteadiCam of the enviro video guy and his comrades:

As I left the press conference, he handed me what he called a "goodie bag": a plain brown lunch bag containing a press release, an 8-oz bottle of Arrowhead drinking water and a small tube of Banana Boat 30 SPF sunblock ("UltraSweatproof" - thanks!). There was also a Nutrigrain Cranberry, Raisin & Peanut Fruit & Nut Bar.

Yuck. Next time, make it chocolate chip.

Ken Calvert & Van Tran Call For Completing the 241 Toll Road

Yesterday I accompanied Rep. Ken Calvert and Assemblyman Van Tran a helicopter tour of the proposed completion route for the 241 Foothill South toll road. I'll post about the helo tour shortly, but in the meantime here is video of the press conference held afterward with Corona Councilman Jeff Miller:

RFK Jr. Rants In OC

Pat Brennan over at Total Buzz posted this exhaustive account of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. ranting about the apocalyptic consequences of completing the 241 tollroad and his environmentalism uber alles philosophy in general. I hope he arrived at the event via bicycle -- or at least drove an electric car.

Judging from the extremist rhetoric, I think ole' Bobby Jr. has seen Soylent Green one too many times -- talked with his cousin Bobby Shriver one too many times. Or both.

I'm surprised Kennedy didn't predict completing the 241 would lead to the destruction of human civilization and our domination by talking apes.

Then again, he might think that's a good thing.

SD Business Journal Tired of "Eco-Extremists" Delaying Foothill-South

The San Diego Business Journal's Editor-In-Chief Tom York blasted Foothill-South opponents for using lies and deception to delay the completion of the 241 Toll Road.  He specifically refers to the talking point used by project opponents that connecting the 241 to the I-5 will result in the "loss of the Trestles' surf break" and other outright lies that have no basis in reality.  It's good to finally see a journalist say, "the emperor has no clothes" and asking these activists to back up their indefensible claims that make good soundbites, but are simply untrue.

Eco-Extremists Have Made Proposed Foothill South Toll Road 10-Year Drive to ‘Nowheresville’

Editor’s Notebook — Tom York

North County drivers heading to and from Orange County on Interstate 5 are the forgotten motorists during weekday traffic updates.

They are neither here nor there when it comes to media attention … but the commute is growing in size, as anyone who has traveled the route at the most popular hours of the day can attest.

Continue reading "SD Business Journal Tired of "Eco-Extremists" Delaying Foothill-South" »

I picked this off the OC Business Council Indicator that just came over the transom:

Toll Road Supporters, Please Sign Here
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) has created a page on The Toll Roads and Foothill-South websites that includes the names of individuals who support completing the 241 Toll Road to San Clemente. TCA is also planning a publication in the near future that will additionally include names of Foothill-South supporters.

Add your name to the list of toll road supporters today by emailing authorization to use your name and city of residence to pines@thetollroads.com. For more information contact the TCA's Sheldon Pines at 949.754.3489.

Send in your name!

Red County/Riverside blogpen member Phil Paule posted about the AD71 GOP primary this week, specifically about candidate Neil Blais, a Rancho Santa Margarita councilman and generally considered one of the front-runners in the race:

At the Riverside County Republican Party meeting this Thursday (tonight) Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor is the guest speaker. In the spirit of being green this would be a great opportunity for some of the Orange County candidates for the 71st Assembly District like Neil Blais to car pool out to the Mission Inn  and meet real Riverside Republicans.

Readers may have seen Rep. Loretta Sanchez's letter to the editor in today's OC Register, responding to OCBC President Lucy Dunn's spot-on May 11 editorial about how Sanchez betrayed Orange County by ensuring Rep. Susan Davis' 241-killing amendment would pass the House Armed Services Committee.

It's a classic "I'm just..." defense. In this case, Loretta claims she's "just" ensuring the completion of the 241 tollroad will comply with state law -- pointing to the nominal purpose of the amendment while refusing to admit to its real purpose. But that's a red herring.

Chris Reed used to cover county government for the Orange County Register before moving on to become columns editor for the OCR editorial page, before joining the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial page -- where he pens "America's Finest Blog." He was a sharp, no-nonsense reporter, and is equally so as an editorialist/blogger.

H/T to liberal blogger Andrew Davey to pointing out this fine little post from Chris regarding San Diego Rep. Susan Davis' trespassing into Orange County to try and kill the 241 completion at the behest the Surfrider Foundation:

A reader sent this in:

I, for one, would like to see this billboard all along the I-5 in South County.

I included OC Business Council President Lucy Dunn's OC Register op-ed in today's News Roundup, but want to give it its own post because it's so good and Lucy does such a good job of responding to the enviros' utterly dishonest campaign against the 241 completion:

The Orange Grove: Sanchez Betrayed O.C. On Toll Road
The Foothill South extension underwent years of environmental reviews.

By LUCY DUNN
President and CEO, Orange County Business Council

Orange County was betrayed by one of its own early Thursday when Garden Grove Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of an amendment to the defense authorization bill that could effectively negate the Transportation Corridor Agencies' federal authority to build the Foothill South (241) Toll Road extension in south Orange County.

Purposely ignoring an outpouring of calls and e-mails from the Orange County Business Council, the TCA, labor unions, city chambers of commerce, businesses and concerned citizens expressing their collective opposition? Supporting an amendment proposed by a county outsider (San Diego Rep. Susan Davis)? What the hell was Sanchez thinking?

This just came over the transom from Rep. Darrell Issa:

ISSA BLASTS SPECIAL INTEREST AMENDMENT KILLING TRANSPORTATION PROJECT AND THREATENING CAMP PENDLETON

Washington, DC - Rep. Darrell Issa, today, made the following statement regarding the midnight passage of the amendment by Rep. Susan Davis in the House Armed Services Committee jeopardizing the agreed upon alignment of the Foothill South Toll Road:

"I adamantly oppose the Davis amendment which stripped out legislative language I worked to pass into law in 2001 to protect the preferred alignment of the Foothill South Toll Road from legislation being considered in the California State Legislature that sought to block its construction on land owned by the federal government.  I also urged Rep. Sanchez to oppose the Davis amendment."

As the completion of the 241 seemed more and more likely, the enviros sensed that they weren't winning.  They didn't have the support of Orange County where traffic congestion worsens every day.  They knew they wouldn't win in the courts (they have sued TCA 15 times to stop previous road project and lost all 15).  They knew that Camp Pendleton was federal land, so their liberal lefties in Sacramento couldn't help them.  So, like a three-year-old whose losing at Candyland, they just kicked over the board and said, "do-over!  new rules!" 

They recognize their best hope to keep Orange County in gridlock is to get the politicians in Sacramento to stop the project.  So they got their minion in San Diego (Congresswoman Davis) with the support of her Orange County collegue in Santa Ana (Congresswoman Sanchez) to hand over control of Pendleton to Sacramento.  Nullify the contract the state signed with the feds, and give the state and Coastal Commission control over the property.

When you're wrong, you're wrong -- and my previous post about Darrell Issa re4garding the Davis amendment was wrong.

I just got off the phone with my old friend Dale Neugebauer, who is Issa's chief-of-staff. Dale explained the OC Register's paragraph -- the basis for my blasting Darrell -- was misleading. Then again, it was based on what Loretta Sanchez told the Reg -- and Loretta's maintaining with a straight face that the Davis bill is only about ensuring the 241 completion complies with state law. Lesson: take what Loretta says with a boulder-size grain of salt.

Prior to the Davis Amendment, if the loonies in Sacramento passed some bizarre state law, the Marines at Camp Pendleton could fall back on federal law that stated that since Camp Pendleton was federal land, they were exempt.  Thanks to Congresswoman Davis, that is no longer the case.  She has put the Marines at the mercy of the politicians in Sacramento.

In 1971 when the feds agreed to lease a portion of Camp Pendleton to the state of California, it came with the caveat that an easement for a roadway through the inland portion was a part of it.  The state understood that and signed the lease.  Now the state is trying to change the lease after the fact.  In the past, the Marines had no worries because federal law trumped state law.  Thanks to Congresswomen Davis and Sanchez that is no longer the case.

Check out this paragraph from today's OC Register story about the Sanchez-Davis tag-team against the 241 tollroad completion:

Sanchez said she also decided to agree with Davis because Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who represents Camp Pendleton, said he had no problem with making the road builders follow all California laws.

Now that Darrell no longer represents Orange County, it seems he can't be bothered to help out his former constituents and supporters who want the 241 completed. And maybe someone can let Darrell know the 241 is complying with state law.

Steve Greenhut posts about Loretta over at Orange Punch:

Americans are used to complaining about their do-nothing Congress, but doing nothing is better than doing what Rep. Loretta Sanchez achieved this week: doing bad, expensive, counterproductive things.

After linking to some of our posts, Steve continues:

Isn't it time for Van Tran to start planning to run for this seat? It's time to have someone rational representing this district (no, Bob Dornan wasn't rational either).

Amen, brother.

This just came over the transom from OC Business Council President Lucy Dunn:

Well, I’m sorry to report that we LOST yesterday.  Loretta Sanchez ignored the calls of her Orange County friends and voted to derail the toll road in Congress yesterday, supporting a bad San Diego proposal.  TCA is assessing their alternatives now.  The Register’s headlines are flat wrong.  As you know, the toll road has been subject to more than complied with state environmental laws.  So this is a sham reason to mask an effort to undercut the process. 

We’ll continue to participate and keep you informed of “next steps.”  Thanks for your help on this one.

Lucy Dunn
President and CEO
Orange County Business Council

Give the Environmental Left credit: they've polluted the the debate over the 241 tollroad completion with so much misinformation that it's bleeding into mainstream media coverage.

There's a good example in today's OC Register story on efforts by Representatives Loretta Sanchez and Ken Calvert to broker a deal on San Diego Rep. Susan Davis's attempt to kill the tollroad completion (which failed, and Sanchez wound up siding with Davis against Orange County).

"Calvert said any changes in the existing law would scuttle the toll road, which would cut San Onofre State Beach park in half." [emphasis mine]

"Cut in half"? Someone e-mail OCR writers Dena Bunis and Pat Brennan a link to Dictionary.com.

A "half" is "one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole, as an object, or unit of measure or time; a part of a whole equal or almost equal to the remainder." Therefore, cutting San Onofre State Beach park in half is to divide it into equal parts.

The problem is, the OCR's claim is plain wrong.

Maybe someone can remind Rep. Loretta Sanchez she's an Orange County congresswoman, because she seems to have lost sight of that fact.

Sanchez supported San Diego Democratic Rep. Susan Davis' sneak attack on completing the 241 tollroad, which is probably the most EIR-ed transportation project in the world.

Here's what Rep. Ken Calvert had to say:

"I'm disappointed that my Orange County colleague, Rep. Sanchez, spoke in favor of the Davis amendment to kill the toll road and falsely asserted that the project is not subject to State law when in fact it is subject and has complied with CEQA."

Loretta is piling up a great record this week: Tax Americans to pay for Japanese war crimes? Sure! Side with a liberal San Diego congresswoman's shilling for Luddite enviros against the interests of Orange County? Sounds good to Loretta!

Gracias por nada, Loretta.

This just came over the transom from Congressman Ken Calvert's office:

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS HIJACK HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE MARKUP TO THWART THE FOOTHILL-SOUTH TOLL ROAD

WASHINGTON, DC.  May 9, 2007 - Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Corona) was outraged by the passage of an amendment introduced by Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) to repeal federal law that allowed the Department of the Navy to grant an easement at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.  The passage of the amendment represents a serious blow to two decades of work to develop a locally-preferred and environmentally sensitive route for the Foothill-South toll road.

"I am appalled by the fact that a member of Congress, who's not from Orange County, is trying to stop a key regional transportation project at the behest of special interest groups and in spite the project's strong support among local elected officials," said Rep. Calvert.  "Rep. Davis and her cadre of special interest groups are weakening the Marine Corps' authority and rights to manage its own land at Camp Pendleton."

I don't know if Rep. Loretta Sanchez has cast a vote or taken a position on fellow Democratic Rep. Susan Davis' (San Diego) bill to kill the completion of the 241 tollroad. You can read about that here.

Traditional Democratic constituencies are split on this issue. Labor unions support the tollroad completion -- those are jobs, after all. The enviros oppose it because that's what enviros do: oppose anything that disturbs the soil. After all, completing the tollroad might somehow impact the steelhead trout, which some guy thought he saw once more than 10 years ago.

In any case, let's hope Rep. Sanchez listens to labor and votes against the Davis amendment. Her district contains a lot of union voters, many of whom will probably get jobs working on the completion. And being an inland, rather than coastal, district, it isn't larded with affluent environmentalists who can afford to elevate the interests of critters above those of humans.

Here's hoping Rep. Sanchez will ignore the dishonest campagn being waged against the 241 by the enviros and do the right thing: vote for Orange County's interests by voting for the 241.

Last month it was San Rafael Assemblyman Jared Huffman.  This month its San Diego Congresswoman Susan Davis.  Politicians throughout California are battling over whether the state or the feds can throw up the best road blocks to stop Orange County from completing the 241, which would finally give commuters a choice.

TCA has  spent 16 years on its environmental review process... The 241 has only been on the Master Plan of Arterial Highways since 1981.  According to the Rancho Mission Viejo website, their 14,000 homes and five million square feet of offices, restaurants and shops could begin construction next year.  We need the 241 to connect to the I-5 and we need it now.

Davis is trying to get an amendment to the defense bill that would repeal legislation that allows the Marine Corps to grant an easement for the completion of the toll road.  Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is also on the Armed Services Committee and is the key vote that can stop Davis's amendment.

If you believe we need traffic relief in Orange County, call Congresswoman Sanchez's office today at 202-225-2965 and ask her to oppose Congresswoman Davis's amendment.  The vote is expected to occur later today.

Like Sheila Kuehl and Tom Hayden before him, Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) made a failed effort to pass leglislation in Sacramento that would stop Orange County from connecting the 241 to the I-5.

As the LA Times reported today, his anti-241 completion bill - AB1457 - was shelved in the hopes that he can gain support next year.  But while the GOP remains unified in opposition to his pro-traffic congestion bill, even his own party is split on whether this flawed legislation that lets the State Parks Director have veto power over traffic relief options is a good idea or not.

While the enviro-left continues to hunt for the steelhead trout in San Mateo Creek, believing that will be the silver bullet they need to stop the completion of the 241 Toll Road, they may have stumbled upon "evidence" of something perhaps even more endangered!  Fairies!

As reported in the LA Times today, two ceramic storybook villages were found in the San Mateo Wilderness.  No one knows where these villages have come from or who is maintaining them, but Mike Hazzard and Ed Schlegel will "keep an open mind" and suggest (tongue-in-cheek) maybe giraffes could be out there too.

I would suggest that considering their unrelenting yet fruitless pursuit of finding steelhead trout in San Mateo Creek, perhaps giraffes, fairies or pixies may be a more likely find.

State Parks apparently believes their mobility is more important than yours. 

The OC Register reported today (on the cover of the Local Section, yet not online) that the State Parks and the Metropolitan Water District have teamed up to support a road through the Chino Hills State Park to give these government workers an alternate route and emergency access to the Robert B. Diemer Water Treatment Plant.

Yet when it comes to connecting the 241 to the I-5 freeway and finally finishing the Orange County toll road system that has been on the plans since 1981, the same State Parks department is trying to stop this traffic relief project that would provide an alternate route and emergency escape route to us everyday commuters.

OCTA announced their continued support of Foothill-South last week with this letter from Chairwoman Carolyn Cavecche to Foothill-Eastern Chair Jim Thor.  A key quote from the letter: "In short, construction of the Foothill-South would provide congestion relief to the I-5 in south Orange County."

Foothill-South opponents claim that providing an alternative to I-5 won't relieve traffic (huh?) and have hung their hat on the fact that OCTA's traffic forecasts and TCA's traffic forecasts weren't identical.  As this memo makes clear, both OCTA's and TCA's forecasts predict similar traffic volume and congestion levels on I-5. 

The upshot of this is Foothill-South is needed to relieve traffic in south Orange County.   There is no money in the new Measure M to address traffic at the southern end of the county.  Nor is there money in the recent state transportation bond. 

Doing nothing won't solve the traffic problem - especially with 14,000 county-approved homes ready to be built in Rancho Mission Viejo.  OCTA knows that and that's why the county's lead transportation agency supports Foothill-South.

Download Foothill-Southltr2-27-07.pdf

My favorite parts of today's OC Register story on the latest delay in completing the 241 tollroad are these passages:

The fact that the road would loom over the San Onofre State Park campground, as well as slicing through the middle of the park, also was a major concern, [California Coastal Commission coastal analyst Mark Delplaine] said.

"Looms"? The road "looms over" the campground? It's not just near it, but loooms over it -- as in, to "rise before the vision with an appearance of great or portentous size."  Kind of like how the Dark Tower of Barad-Dur looms over the land of Mordor.

Not only that, this looming quality is apparently an actual "fact."

No, we wouldn't want to simply state that the Foothill-South comes within 385 feet of the inland San Onofre State Park campground. Reader must be convinced that it looms menacingly (is there any other kind of looming) over the campground.

Then there's the rhetoric of California Coastal Commission staffer Mark Delaplaine, which is pretty over-heated and hyperbolic for a guy who's supposed to be a presumably objective analyst.

"The campground is a huge issue," he said. "It's almost unconscionable from our perspective – a highway that close to a campground valued mostly for its pristineness. We think it destroys (the park). It becomes unusable. You're not going to want to go there. It's such a breath of fresh air in Southern California; just a priceless resource."

Why should Mr. Delaplaine even bother completing his staff report, when it is pretty obvious what conclusion he plans to reach?

It is so unconscionable for "a highway [to be] that close to a campground," I imagine Mr. Delalpaine would support demolishing the section of Interstate 5 that runs right by the beach camping portion of San Onofre State Park and moving it further inland. After all, the I-5 is much closer (225 feet) to the beach campground -- where 90%  of park visitors go -- than the 241 route is to the inland campground. And clearly those thousands of visitors don't think the I-5 "destroys" the popular beach campground and renders it "unusable."

Hmmm. The tollroad would be 385 feet from the comparatively lightly-used inland campground and will have a soundwall. The I-5 is 225 feet from the heavily-used beach campground (and has no soundwall).

Funny how that comparison never makes it into news stories.

As for "

Sign Up To Support 241 Tollroad Completion

I picked this off the OC Business Council Indicator that just came over the transom:

Toll Road Supporters, Please Sign Here
The Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) has created a page on The Toll Roads and Foothill-South websites that includes the names of individuals who support completing the 241 Toll Road to San Clemente. TCA is also planning a publication in the near future that will additionally include names of Foothill-South supporters.

Add your name to the list of toll road supporters today by emailing authorization to use your name and city of residence to pines@thetollroads.com. For more information contact the TCA's Sheldon Pines at 949.754.3489.

Send in your name!

AD71 Watch: Can Blais Get Traction In Riverside County?

Red County/Riverside blogpen member Phil Paule posted about the AD71 GOP primary this week, specifically about candidate Neil Blais, a Rancho Santa Margarita councilman and generally considered one of the front-runners in the race:

At the Riverside County Republican Party meeting this Thursday (tonight) Costa Mesa Mayor Allan Mansoor is the guest speaker. In the spirit of being green this would be a great opportunity for some of the Orange County candidates for the 71st Assembly District like Neil Blais to car pool out to the Mission Inn  and meet real Riverside Republicans.

Come Clean, Loretta

Readers may have seen Rep. Loretta Sanchez's letter to the editor in today's OC Register, responding to OCBC President Lucy Dunn's spot-on May 11 editorial about how Sanchez betrayed Orange County by ensuring Rep. Susan Davis' 241-killing amendment would pass the House Armed Services Committee.

It's a classic "I'm just..." defense. In this case, Loretta claims she's "just" ensuring the completion of the 241 tollroad will comply with state law -- pointing to the nominal purpose of the amendment while refusing to admit to its real purpose. But that's a red herring.

Union-Tribune Blogger Chris Reed Speaks Truth To Idiocy Re the 241

Chris Reed used to cover county government for the Orange County Register before moving on to become columns editor for the OCR editorial page, before joining the San Diego Union-Tribune editorial page -- where he pens "America's Finest Blog." He was a sharp, no-nonsense reporter, and is equally so as an editorialist/blogger.

H/T to liberal blogger Andrew Davey to pointing out this fine little post from Chris regarding San Diego Rep. Susan Davis' trespassing into Orange County to try and kill the 241 completion at the behest the Surfrider Foundation:

Soon To Be Seen On Interstate 5?

A reader sent this in:

I, for one, would like to see this billboard all along the I-5 in South County.

OCBC's Lucy Dunn On Sanchez's Tollroad Betrayal

I included OC Business Council President Lucy Dunn's OC Register op-ed in today's News Roundup, but want to give it its own post because it's so good and Lucy does such a good job of responding to the enviros' utterly dishonest campaign against the 241 completion:

The Orange Grove: Sanchez Betrayed O.C. On Toll Road
The Foothill South extension underwent years of environmental reviews.

By LUCY DUNN
President and CEO, Orange County Business Council

Orange County was betrayed by one of its own early Thursday when Garden Grove Democratic Rep. Loretta Sanchez, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, voted in favor of an amendment to the defense authorization bill that could effectively negate the Transportation Corridor Agencies' federal authority to build the Foothill South (241) Toll Road extension in south Orange County.

Purposely ignoring an outpouring of calls and e-mails from the Orange County Business Council, the TCA, labor unions, city chambers of commerce, businesses and concerned citizens expressing their collective opposition? Supporting an amendment proposed by a county outsider (San Diego Rep. Susan Davis)? What the hell was Sanchez thinking?

Issa Blasts Anti-241 Amendment Cooked Up By Davis and Enviros

This just came over the transom from Rep. Darrell Issa:

ISSA BLASTS SPECIAL INTEREST AMENDMENT KILLING TRANSPORTATION PROJECT AND THREATENING CAMP PENDLETON

Washington, DC - Rep. Darrell Issa, today, made the following statement regarding the midnight passage of the amendment by Rep. Susan Davis in the House Armed Services Committee jeopardizing the agreed upon alignment of the Foothill South Toll Road:

"I adamantly oppose the Davis amendment which stripped out legislative language I worked to pass into law in 2001 to protect the preferred alignment of the Foothill South Toll Road from legislation being considered in the California State Legislature that sought to block its construction on land owned by the federal government.  I also urged Rep. Sanchez to oppose the Davis amendment."

Enviros couldn't win, so they changed the rules

As the completion of the 241 seemed more and more likely, the enviros sensed that they weren't winning.  They didn't have the support of Orange County where traffic congestion worsens every day.  They knew they wouldn't win in the courts (they have sued TCA 15 times to stop previous road project and lost all 15).  They knew that Camp Pendleton was federal land, so their liberal lefties in Sacramento couldn't help them.  So, like a three-year-old whose losing at Candyland, they just kicked over the board and said, "do-over!  new rules!" 

They recognize their best hope to keep Orange County in gridlock is to get the politicians in Sacramento to stop the project.  So they got their minion in San Diego (Congresswoman Davis) with the support of her Orange County collegue in Santa Ana (Congresswoman Sanchez) to hand over control of Pendleton to Sacramento.  Nullify the contract the state signed with the feds, and give the state and Coastal Commission control over the property.

I Was Wrong: Thank You, Darrell Issa

When you're wrong, you're wrong -- and my previous post about Darrell Issa re4garding the Davis amendment was wrong.

I just got off the phone with my old friend Dale Neugebauer, who is Issa's chief-of-staff. Dale explained the OC Register's paragraph -- the basis for my blasting Darrell -- was misleading. Then again, it was based on what Loretta Sanchez told the Reg -- and Loretta's maintaining with a straight face that the Davis bill is only about ensuring the 241 completion complies with state law. Lesson: take what Loretta says with a boulder-size grain of salt.

Loretta gives Libs in Sacramento control over Marines at Pendleton

Prior to the Davis Amendment, if the loonies in Sacramento passed some bizarre state law, the Marines at Camp Pendleton could fall back on federal law that stated that since Camp Pendleton was federal land, they were exempt.  Thanks to Congresswoman Davis, that is no longer the case.  She has put the Marines at the mercy of the politicians in Sacramento.

In 1971 when the feds agreed to lease a portion of Camp Pendleton to the state of California, it came with the caveat that an easement for a roadway through the inland portion was a part of it.  The state understood that and signed the lease.  Now the state is trying to change the lease after the fact.  In the past, the Marines had no worries because federal law trumped state law.  Thanks to Congresswomen Davis and Sanchez that is no longer the case.

Thanks For Nothing, Darrell Issa

Check out this paragraph from today's OC Register story about the Sanchez-Davis tag-team against the 241 tollroad completion:

Sanchez said she also decided to agree with Davis because Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, who represents Camp Pendleton, said he had no problem with making the road builders follow all California laws.

Now that Darrell no longer represents Orange County, it seems he can't be bothered to help out his former constituents and supporters who want the 241 completed. And maybe someone can let Darrell know the 241 is complying with state law.

Greenhut On Loretta Lunacy

Steve Greenhut posts about Loretta over at Orange Punch:

Americans are used to complaining about their do-nothing Congress, but doing nothing is better than doing what Rep. Loretta Sanchez achieved this week: doing bad, expensive, counterproductive things.

After linking to some of our posts, Steve continues:

Isn't it time for Van Tran to start planning to run for this seat? It's time to have someone rational representing this district (no, Bob Dornan wasn't rational either).

Amen, brother.

OC Business Council Slams Sanchez

This just came over the transom from OC Business Council President Lucy Dunn:

Well, I’m sorry to report that we LOST yesterday.  Loretta Sanchez ignored the calls of her Orange County friends and voted to derail the toll road in Congress yesterday, supporting a bad San Diego proposal.  TCA is assessing their alternatives now.  The Register’s headlines are flat wrong.  As you know, the toll road has been subject to more than complied with state environmental laws.  So this is a sham reason to mask an effort to undercut the process. 

We’ll continue to participate and keep you informed of “next steps.”  Thanks for your help on this one.

Lucy Dunn
President and CEO
Orange County Business Council

OC Register Needs A Dictionary

Give the Environmental Left credit: they've polluted the the debate over the 241 tollroad completion with so much misinformation that it's bleeding into mainstream media coverage.

There's a good example in today's OC Register story on efforts by Representatives Loretta Sanchez and Ken Calvert to broker a deal on San Diego Rep. Susan Davis's attempt to kill the tollroad completion (which failed, and Sanchez wound up siding with Davis against Orange County).

"Calvert said any changes in the existing law would scuttle the toll road, which would cut San Onofre State Beach park in half." [emphasis mine]

"Cut in half"? Someone e-mail OCR writers Dena Bunis and Pat Brennan a link to Dictionary.com.

A "half" is "one of two equal or approximately equal parts of a divisible whole, as an object, or unit of measure or time; a part of a whole equal or almost equal to the remainder." Therefore, cutting San Onofre State Beach park in half is to divide it into equal parts.

The problem is, the OCR's claim is plain wrong.

Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-San Diego

Maybe someone can remind Rep. Loretta Sanchez she's an Orange County congresswoman, because she seems to have lost sight of that fact.

Sanchez supported San Diego Democratic Rep. Susan Davis' sneak attack on completing the 241 tollroad, which is probably the most EIR-ed transportation project in the world.

Here's what Rep. Ken Calvert had to say:

"I'm disappointed that my Orange County colleague, Rep. Sanchez, spoke in favor of the Davis amendment to kill the toll road and falsely asserted that the project is not subject to State law when in fact it is subject and has complied with CEQA."

Loretta is piling up a great record this week: Tax Americans to pay for Japanese war crimes? Sure! Side with a liberal San Diego congresswoman's shilling for Luddite enviros against the interests of Orange County? Sounds good to Loretta!

Gracias por nada, Loretta.

Ken Calvert Denounces Passage Of Amendment To Kill 241 Completion

This just came over the transom from Congressman Ken Calvert's office:

SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS HIJACK HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE MARKUP TO THWART THE FOOTHILL-SOUTH TOLL ROAD

WASHINGTON, DC.  May 9, 2007 - Today, Congressman Ken Calvert (R-Corona) was outraged by the passage of an amendment introduced by Rep. Susan Davis (D-San Diego) to repeal federal law that allowed the Department of the Navy to grant an easement at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California.  The passage of the amendment represents a serious blow to two decades of work to develop a locally-preferred and environmentally sensitive route for the Foothill-South toll road.

"I am appalled by the fact that a member of Congress, who's not from Orange County, is trying to stop a key regional transportation project at the behest of special interest groups and in spite the project's strong support among local elected officials," said Rep. Calvert.  "Rep. Davis and her cadre of special interest groups are weakening the Marine Corps' authority and rights to manage its own land at Camp Pendleton."

What Will Sanchez Do On Davis's Anti-241 Bill?

I don't know if Rep. Loretta Sanchez has cast a vote or taken a position on fellow Democratic Rep. Susan Davis' (San Diego) bill to kill the completion of the 241 tollroad. You can read about that here.

Traditional Democratic constituencies are split on this issue. Labor unions support the tollroad completion -- those are jobs, after all. The enviros oppose it because that's what enviros do: oppose anything that disturbs the soil. After all, completing the tollroad might somehow impact the steelhead trout, which some guy thought he saw once more than 10 years ago.

In any case, let's hope Rep. Sanchez listens to labor and votes against the Davis amendment. Her district contains a lot of union voters, many of whom will probably get jobs working on the completion. And being an inland, rather than coastal, district, it isn't larded with affluent environmentalists who can afford to elevate the interests of critters above those of humans.

Here's hoping Rep. Sanchez will ignore the dishonest campagn being waged against the 241 by the enviros and do the right thing: vote for Orange County's interests by voting for the 241.

Congresswoman Davis Attacks Traffic Relief Project

Last month it was San Rafael Assemblyman Jared Huffman.  This month its San Diego Congresswoman Susan Davis.  Politicians throughout California are battling over whether the state or the feds can throw up the best road blocks to stop Orange County from completing the 241, which would finally give commuters a choice.

TCA has  spent 16 years on its environmental review process... The 241 has only been on the Master Plan of Arterial Highways since 1981.  According to the Rancho Mission Viejo website, their 14,000 homes and five million square feet of offices, restaurants and shops could begin construction next year.  We need the 241 to connect to the I-5 and we need it now.

Davis is trying to get an amendment to the defense bill that would repeal legislation that allows the Marine Corps to grant an easement for the completion of the toll road.  Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez is also on the Armed Services Committee and is the key vote that can stop Davis's amendment.

If you believe we need traffic relief in Orange County, call Congresswoman Sanchez's office today at 202-225-2965 and ask her to oppose Congresswoman Davis's amendment.  The vote is expected to occur later today.

Northern Calif. Dem unable to control OC Toll Road

Like Sheila Kuehl and Tom Hayden before him, Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) made a failed effort to pass leglislation in Sacramento that would stop Orange County from connecting the 241 to the I-5.

As the LA Times reported today, his anti-241 completion bill - AB1457 - was shelved in the hopes that he can gain support next year.  But while the GOP remains unified in opposition to his pro-traffic congestion bill, even his own party is split on whether this flawed legislation that lets the State Parks Director have veto power over traffic relief options is a good idea or not.

Fairies, Pixies and Gnomes, Oh My!

While the enviro-left continues to hunt for the steelhead trout in San Mateo Creek, believing that will be the silver bullet they need to stop the completion of the 241 Toll Road, they may have stumbled upon "evidence" of something perhaps even more endangered!  Fairies!

As reported in the LA Times today, two ceramic storybook villages were found in the San Mateo Wilderness.  No one knows where these villages have come from or who is maintaining them, but Mike Hazzard and Ed Schlegel will "keep an open mind" and suggest (tongue-in-cheek) maybe giraffes could be out there too.

I would suggest that considering their unrelenting yet fruitless pursuit of finding steelhead trout in San Mateo Creek, perhaps giraffes, fairies or pixies may be a more likely find.

Yeah, But This Is OUR road!

State Parks apparently believes their mobility is more important than yours. 

The OC Register reported today (on the cover of the Local Section, yet not online) that the State Parks and the Metropolitan Water District have teamed up to support a road through the Chino Hills State Park to give these government workers an alternate route and emergency access to the Robert B. Diemer Water Treatment Plant.

Yet when it comes to connecting the 241 to the I-5 freeway and finally finishing the Orange County toll road system that has been on the plans since 1981, the same State Parks department is trying to stop this traffic relief project that would provide an alternate route and emergency escape route to us everyday commuters.

OCTA Says Foothill-South Is Needed

OCTA announced their continued support of Foothill-South last week with this letter from Chairwoman Carolyn Cavecche to Foothill-Eastern Chair Jim Thor.  A key quote from the letter: "In short, construction of the Foothill-South would provide congestion relief to the I-5 in south Orange County."

Foothill-South opponents claim that providing an alternative to I-5 won't relieve traffic (huh?) and have hung their hat on the fact that OCTA's traffic forecasts and TCA's traffic forecasts weren't identical.  As this memo makes clear, both OCTA's and TCA's forecasts predict similar traffic volume and congestion levels on I-5. 

The upshot of this is Foothill-South is needed to relieve traffic in south Orange County.   There is no money in the new Measure M to address traffic at the southern end of the county.  Nor is there money in the recent state transportation bond. 

Doing nothing won't solve the traffic problem - especially with 14,000 county-approved homes ready to be built in Rancho Mission Viejo.  OCTA knows that and that's why the county's lead transportation agency supports Foothill-South.

Download Foothill-Southltr2-27-07.pdf

Overheated And Absurd On The 241 Tollroad Completion

My favorite parts of today's OC Register story on the latest delay in completing the 241 tollroad are these passages:

The fact that the road would loom over the San Onofre State Park campground, as well as slicing through the middle of the park, also was a major concern, [California Coastal Commission coastal analyst Mark Delplaine] said.

"Looms"? The road "looms over" the campground? It's not just near it, but loooms over it -- as in, to "rise before the vision with an appearance of great or portentous size."  Kind of like how the Dark Tower of Barad-Dur looms over the land of Mordor.

Not only that, this looming quality is apparently an actual "fact."

No, we wouldn't want to simply state that the Foothill-South comes within 385 feet of the inland San Onofre State Park campground. Reader must be convinced that it looms menacingly (is there any other kind of looming) over the campground.

Then there's the rhetoric of California Coastal Commission staffer Mark Delaplaine, which is pretty over-heated and hyperbolic for a guy who's supposed to be a presumably objective analyst.

"The campground is a huge issue," he said. "It's almost unconscionable from our perspective – a highway that close to a campground valued mostly for its pristineness. We think it destroys (the park). It becomes unusable. You're not going to want to go there. It's such a breath of fresh air in Southern California; just a priceless resource."

Why should Mr. Delaplaine even bother completing his staff report, when it is pretty obvious what conclusion he plans to reach?

It is so unconscionable for "a highway [to be] that close to a campground," I imagine Mr. Delalpaine would support demolishing the section of Interstate 5 that runs right by the beach camping portion of San Onofre State Park and moving it further inland. After all, the I-5 is much closer (225 feet) to the beach campground -- where 90%  of park visitors go -- than the 241 route is to the inland campground. And clearly those thousands of visitors don't think the I-5 "destroys" the popular beach campground and renders it "unusable."

Hmmm. The tollroad would be 385 feet from the comparatively lightly-used inland campground and will have a soundwall. The I-5 is 225 feet from the heavily-used beach campground (and has no soundwall).

Funny how that comparison never makes it into news stories.

As for "