PROTECT YOUR COMMUNITY'S RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS

This message is going out to all in Riverside and San Diego County.

This is a CALL TO ACTION!

 We are asking you to read the following information and urging you to

write letters to our elected officials.

This important information involves protecting the future of CEQA

(California Environmental Quality Act) which is our bulwark against

Liberty quarry!

PLEASE take time to do this as soon as possible.

PROTECTING YOUR COMMUNITY’S RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEWS

Imagine someone wanting to build a chemical plant on your community’s only

wildlife preserve, or next to your child’s elementary school.  What if they told you that you would have NO say in the matter.

You would have NO chance to ask WHAT this project would do to air quality or traffic or your drinking water.

That would be unacceptable!

Well, that is exactly what a new slate of bills recently introduced into the California Legislature seeks to do.  If any one of these laws passes,

the Secretary of Business, Transportation and Housing Administration would be allowed to select 25 development projects per year and grant

them immunity from California’s Environmental Quality Act, the state’s fundamental law giving citizens the ability to review the environmental

impacts of proposed development.

If passed, your community would never get a chance to hold developers and project proponents accountable for impacts on water quality,

open space, air quality, traffic congestion, noise, and any other effects.

Think about the effects of new power plants, land fills, quarries, dams and so on and on.  Projects would be exempt from mitigation, form legal

action, from ANY consequences.

The first two of these bills are SB 1010 and AB 1805.  These bills will be going before the House and the Senate soon.  WE NEED YOUR HELP

TO MAKE SURE THEY ARE KILLED!

Everyone, PLEASE write your elected officials and tell them to STOP both these bills and others that will follow.

We cannot allow what has taken years to accomplish to be destroyed.  Let’s make ourselves heard ! 

Please pass this on to your e mail lists and to all friends and acquaintances.

For more information go to www.nogravelquarry.com

WRITE to:   The Honorable Dennis Hollingsworth             The Honorable Kevin Jeffries

                  State Legislature                                            State Legislature

                  California State Capitol,  Room 5064              California State Capitol, Room 5128

                  Sacramento, CA  95814                                  Sacramento, CA  95814

Here is a sample letter.  It is best if you can use your own words.

                     I am strongly opposed to both AB 1805 and SB 1010, as well

                     as  others that follow.

                     Both of these bills, along with others that follow, seek to undermine

                     the ability of California residents to review the environmental impacts

                     of major developments in our communities as well as to participate

                     in decisions that affect our communities. 

PALA RACEWAY - EMAIL CAMPAIGN

As we have not seen any corrective action from the Pala Tribe of Mission Indians or Pala Raceway about the continuing noise problem, it is time to voice our opposition in a different way.  Letting this situation continue without our community taking action will undoubtedly result in no corrective action at all.

Below, please find what we believe will be an easy way for each person to register noise problems as they occur.  It is our hope that this process will bring the proper attention to the consistency of the noise problem.

Whenever you feel the noise from Pala Raceway is a issue, please send an email with a simple statement such as: “The noise from Pala Raceway was very loud in the Rainbow Crest area today."  You may send the email when it occurs, at the end of the day or several times a day if you feel that the noise merits it.

Your emails should be sent to:

palaracewaynoise@gmail.com 


Each month, our emails will be summarized and a report WITHOUT NAMES will be distributed back to the community, Feinstein, the county, etc..  As such, please keep your email statements very simple so they may be tallied easier.

We would appreciate your assistance by forwarding this email to anyone who may be impacted by the noise from Pala Raceway but are not on the email listing.

Please Note:  No email responses to questions, comments, etc. will be sent from palaracewaynoise@gmail.com.  

SIERRA SUNDAY - STONE BREWING COMPANY

 SIERRA  SUNDAY

         …sipping, savoring and socializing…                              

                             March 7, 4-6 pm

                                     at                         

                         STONE BREWING Company

             1999 Citracado Parkway in Escondido, Ca      

         

    Tour Stone Brewery's sparkling, modern  microbrewery with SMG's                    

          private tour. 

     Taste Stone’s gourmet beers including Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale, Ruination    

          IPA, or their signature Arrogant Bastard Ale. Wine will also be served.

     Savour 2  Bistro appetizers featuring local organic ingredients against              

          the backdrop of live music.

     Socialize with members and guests as you peruse The Raffle Tables

          benefiting SMG's local causes.

            Cost is $25 per person but space is limited to 40 participants

                     Advance reservation and payment required

                    You do not have to be a Sierra Club member to attend

                      

                                For reservations email Lynn Davis

                         (sierrasunday@gmail.com) or call 760-728-9941

                                                        and

                                      Pay by credit card thru PayPal

                               at our website (www.sierraclubsmg.org)

                                                         or

                                          Pay by check and mail to

                                 Sierra Club, Santa Margarita Group

                           31915 Rancho California Road, Ste. 200-133

                                           Temecula, CA 92591

THERMO-GEL FIRE PROTECTION

FIRE RETARDANT PRODUCTS reviewed in L.A. Times article 11/25/07:
THERMO-GEL, by Fire Etc. of San Diego. Class A, 5-8 hr duration, coverage 4,000sf. Kit . Used by San Bernardino Cty, State Dept of Forestry. 
Fire Etc. also makes a Pool Pump, $1295. Contact www.fire-etc.com or 619-525-7286.

TEMECULA ANNEXATION UPDATE

Annexation of land flanking mine site to proceed with company's blessing

Tim O'Leary

Valley News Staff

Friday, January 22^nd, 2010.
Issue 03, Volume 14.

A bid to dramatically expand Temecula's boundary by adding a 7-square-mile swath to its south side may proceed without any organized opposition.
That course was set when the City Council recently voted to submit a new application to a Riverside County boundary-setting agency. The same day, a key player in a years-long land use controversy announced it will not oppose the 4,500-acre annexation this time around.
If the Santa Margarita annexation proceeds as expected, it would be an anticlimactic finish to a proposal that has cost both sides more than $650,000 and sparked one of the longest Local Agency Formation Commission hearings in recent memory.
And if all goes as expected, the granite-strewn area that stretches from the existing city limits to the San Diego County border west of Interstate 15 could become part of Temecula by the end of this year.
"It's possible," Patrick Richardson, Temecula's planning and redevelopment director, said after the council's Jan. 12 action.
That would boost Temecula's size to about 35 square miles. The 20-year-old city's population jumped and it grew to 28 square miles years ago when the Redhawk, Vail Ranch and Roripaugh Ranch annexations were completed.
The proposed Santa Margarita annexation has been debated for years. At the heart of the area is a 155-acre site where a construction and mining company hopes to extract 270 million tons of sand, gravel and other materials over a 75-year period.
The proposed Liberty Quarry has drawn widespread opposition from environmentalists and development-wary residents.
They backed the city's efforts to annex land the quarry site, which anchors a rock-strewn bluff behind a California Highway Patrol truck inspection and weigh station near the San Diego County community of Rainbow.
The mine site flanks a sensitive San Diego State University nature reserve and research station that is split by the Santa Margarita River. The river, which is formed by the merger of several creeks, flows about 27 miles to the coast.
Mine foes say Liberty Quarry would also increase air pollution, boost area truck traffic, mar scenic views and also deplete scarce regional water supplies.
Granite officials and other mine supporters cite a growing need for construction materials and a desire to reduce the miles that sand and gravel must currently be shipped to reach local construction and road building sites. They also point to the jobs and future tax revenues that Liberty Quarry would bring to the area.
The original annexation application - which included the quarry site - was denied by LAFCO June 4. That hearing lasted nearly 10 hours and drew comments from more than Advertisement100 speakers.
Granite Construction Co., which hopes to open Liberty Quarry, opposed that annexation request because it would have placed oversight of the quarry land use plan in the city's hands rather than the county. The company currently operates mines in Indio and the Pala area.
Granite officials feared such a step because the city planned to put a zoning change in place that would have prevented mining from occurring in the annexation area for several years.
Temecula spent more than $365,000 over a period of several years on annexation-related studies, reports, application fees and other costs, city records show. Faced with the prospect of having its mine site rezoned, Granite officials said they felt compelled to spend more than $300,000 to counter the city's annexation plan.
The June LAFCO decision meant that county officials will continue to review the mine development plan. The current timetable calls for the first hearings on the quarry plan to occur this summer. Those hearings would be held by the county Planning Commission. That panel would make approval or denial recommendations to the county Board of Supervisors.
The recent council action means the proposed annexation will proceed on a separate review track that unfolds about the same time as the quarry review.
City officials were buoyed by a statement released by Granite that it would support Temecula's revised annexation plan.
"That's great," Richardson said when he learned of the statement.
The statement released by a Granite spokesperson said: "Liberty Quarry would like to support the city's annexation request, and we look forward to reviewing the city's report to learn more about their plans. We hope that they will consider taking advantage of the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve's vast potential and look to San Diego County's Mission Trails Regional Park as a great example of a successful outdoor attraction."
Keep in mind that the words, "Liberty quarry would LIKE to support the city's annexation request" does NOT mean they WILL;  just another of Granite's "trick words."  Gary Johnson said at the annexation hearing in June, "We would like to support the city's annexation plan, but, we can't." 
The combined actions - the council vote and Granite's statement - also pleased a leader of a grassroots group that has opposed the quarry and backed the annexation plan. I am quite sure that Granite's statement "pleased" no one that I am aware of.
"I'd say it (the annexation) is a done deal," said Kathleen Hamilton, a leader of the Save Our Southwest Hills community group.
Barring any unexpected delays, LAFCO commissioners could review the annexation proposal in July or August, George Spiliotis, the agency's chief executive, said in a Tuesday telephone interview. If approved then, the annexation could take effect two to three months later after some administrative steps are completed, he said.
Temecula expects to spend another $34,000 in fees, staff and legal fees and other costs to complete the annexation process, according to a city report.

APPLE GLAZED PORK AND YAM MASH

INGREDIENTS:

3 MEDIUM GARNETYAMS OR SWEET POTATOES (1-1/4 LB. TOTAL),

PEELED, CUT INTO ¾ INCH CUBES

¼ CUP SKIM MILK

¼ C. PACKED LIGHT BROWN SUGAR

2 TSP. UNSALTED BUTTER

¾ TSP. EACH KOSHER SALT AND FRESH GROUND BLACK PEPPER

½ CUP FROZEN APPLE JUICE CONCENTRATE, THAWED

2 TBSP. YELLOW MUSTARD

1 TBSP GRATED ONION OR SHALLOT

½ TSP. EACH GROUND CUMIN & APPLE PIE SPICE  (OR CINNAMON, NUTMEG, PUMPKIN SPICE, CLOVE)

3 LARGE GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES, CUT CROSSWISE INTO 4 THICK SLICES

8 (2 OZ.) THIN-CUT BONELESS LOIN PORK CHOPS (1/2 “ THICK)

OLIVE OIL COOKING SPRAY

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Yams - Combine yams and milk in a 2-quart glass measure or bowl:  cover with vented plastic wrap.  Microwave on high 10 minutes; let stand 5 minutes.  Add sugar, butter and ¼ tsp.  each of the salt & pepper; mash until smooth.  Keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, heat a double stovetop grill pan over medium heat.  Adjust oven rack 6” from broiler source; heat broiler.
3. In a 2-cup glass measure, whisk juice concentrate, mustard, onion, cumin, and spice; microwave on high 3 minutes or until glaze boils and begins to thicken.  Arrange apple slices on broiler pan rack; bruch apples with glaze.  Broil 3 minutes, turn slices, then brush with more glaze. Broil second side 3 minutes or until lightly browned and tender.
4. Meanwhile, season pork chops on both sides with remaining salt & pepper and lightly coat with cooking spray. Grill pork chops 7 minutes; turning once and brushing with remaining glaze, until just barely pink in thickest part when cut with a knife.  Serve with apple slizes and mashed yams.

Makes 4 servings.

Each serving:  495 calories, 10 g. fat, 27 grams protein, 78 grams carbs

SPAGHETTI DINNER

Friday, January 22^nd

5:30 – 7:30 p.m.

@ Rainbow Community Church

FUNDRAISER -4- CAMBODIA MISSION TRIP

$5 per person

$20 per family (4-6 people)

Meal Includes:

Spaghetti Dinner

Salad

Garlic Bread

Drink

& Dessert…yum!

We will have a SILENT AUCTION

And also show a short film of Cambodia

All proceeds will benefit a local group heading for Cambodia

to lend a Loving & Helping hand to those in need.

NO GRAVEL QUARRY.COM

CEQA/NEPA and Public comment Writing Workshop

Sat., January 23, 9:30AM to l:30PM

8304 Clairmont Mesa Blvd, #103

(just West of Hwy. 163)

Hosted by San Diego Sierra Club

This training is for anyone who wants to learn to be a more effective voice regarding the environmental impacts of projects.  Led by a panel of scientific and legal experts, provides an introduction to CEQA (the CA Environmental Quality Act) and related regional environmental laws, including the Endangered Species Act.  Includes practical guidance on how to effectively comment on EIRs, and provides valuable resources for local projects near your neigborhood.  No experience required, all are welcome!  Workshop fee is $12 for members, $15 non-members, lunch is included.

RSVP to:

creiff@sierraclubsandiego.org or (858) 569-6005

FUN FILM FRIDAY AT RAINBOW CHURCH

Goal of Friday Family Fun Film night: Pure Fun. Have the kids laugh together in a church event.
Movie tonight: Ice Age 3 (Dinosaurs)

Pizza starts at 6:30pm
Movie starts: 7pm