In addition to drastically effecting San Onofre State Beach and the San Mateo Creek, the proposed toll road expansion will damage sacred Native American sites and the 9,000 year old Village of Panhe, devastate the habitats of several endangered species, impair the waves at Trestles and reduce access to surrounding surf breaks all while setting a dangerous precedent for the California State Park system.

“We are looking forward to the Department of Commerce hearing,” says Mark Rauscher, Assistant Environmental Director for the Surfrider Foundation. “The Department of Commerce has already heard from the experts, now it is time for them to hear directly from the public how the TCA’s proposed alignment for the Foothill-South Toll Road is fundamentally flawed.”

The fight against the toll road has been going on for several years, with its most notable victory this past February when the California Coastal Commission struck down the proposed six-lane highway on grounds that it violates the Coastal Act. Over 3,000 people opposing the toll road attended the fourteen-hour hearing, making it the largest in the Commission’s history. With the Department of Commerce hearing fast approaching, toll road opponents are anticipating a similarly large turnout so the Federal Government can see first hand how many people are invested in protecting a State Park and a pristine watershed. The Surfrider Foundation, along with its coalition partners, want to ensure the Federal Government upholds important California environmental laws and supports the Coastal Commission decision.

On the day of the event, the Surfrider Foundation along with other groups opposing the extension of the 241 Toll Road will be running busses to transport supporters to and from the hearing.

For more information on the Save Trestles Campaign, go to www.savetrestles.org or www.surfrider.org.

Well, I guess Arnold got pissed and last week he booted his brother-in-law, Bobby Shriver, and actor Clint Eastwood off a state parks commission that also voted to oppose the controversial toll road.

This may make thinks tough around the Schwarzenegger/Shriver household during the holidays this year! I hope Arnold thought this one through as Maria may withhold a little something-something from her boy Arnold for firing her bro….

Shriver and Eastwood served salary-free on the State Park and Recreation Commission which is charged with approving plans for California’s parks and recommending ways to protect and develop the system.

I guess these guys had a brain and felt the same as many residents that putting a 6 lane toll road through a beautiful and much-used state park was a bad idea… but not the Governator!

Shriver said he was bummed that he could no longer work to protect our park system from developers and said, “It shows you how strong these developers were that were able to arm-wrestle the governor into firing us”.

Who’s the girly-man now, Arnold?!?