EHL Newsletter, Fall 2004

Passing by only a fraction of a percent, the reauthorization of TransNet—the portion of the sale tax dedicated to transportation—will generate the huge sum of $880 million for desperately needed habitat protection in San Diego County.  EHL’s Michael Beck spearheaded the complex negotiation that resulted in this superb outcome.

Setting the stage for prolonged litigation, and negating 11 years of cooperative effort, the Orange County Board of Supervisors approved development that would chop up the most intact natural lands left along the south coast of California.

On August 31, 2004, the City of Rancho Palos Verdes finalized its portion of a Natural Community Conservation Plan for the Palos Verdes Peninsula.  Targeting the most important habitat lands on the peninsula for preservation, this was a giant step.

Attorney General Bill Lockyer came out strongly against the route preferred by the Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA), the road’s sponsor.  “The building of a multilane toll road through the heart of San Onofre State Beach is unacceptable . . . This small island of serenity in an area undergoing massive development must be protected.”

EHL Executive Director Dan Silver testified before the House Resources Committee regarding the effects of the Endangered Species Act on the Inland Empire.  He was the sole conservation representative to appear at the hearing, held in the City of Fontana.

Fresh Breeze   

    by Jess Morton