L.A. Times The issues behind O.C.’s toll road plan

Posted: November 17th, 2008
November 17, 2008
The contentious proposal to extend a toll road 16 miles, part of that through San Onofre State Beach in northern San Diego County, has been moving slowly through the bureaucratic process for decades. The $1.3-billion road is intended to connect Rancho Santa Margarita in southern Orange County with Interstate 5 at Basilone Road just south of San Clemente.          

The U.S. Department of Commerce is now considering whether to override the state Coastal Commission’s rejection of the project this year. Summarized below are key aspects of the dispute.

– Susannah Rosenblatt 
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Native Americans         

Former Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer filed a lawsuit in 2006 with the support of the state Native American Heritage Commission to block the road, which would cut through Panhe, a sacred ceremonial site. One of four tribal factions agreed to settle with the Transportation Corridor Agencies.

* Pro-road: The toll road agency says it has been working with Orange County tribes for more than a decade to try to avoid sacred areas. The agency says federal law offers better protection for cultural resources than state law.

* Anti-road: Native American groups and their supporters lament the potential loss of Panhe. 

Read the rest of this story covering the Environment, Surfing, Camping, Native Americans, Traffic, Security, and Politics on the L.A. Times website.
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Visit www.savepanhe.org and www.savesanonofre.org.
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