Trestles Beach: National Treasure or Toll Road Off-Ramp?

San Onofre and Trestles have been synonymous with California surfing since the 1930s. The area is world-renowned for its consistent, near perfect waves. A movement to pave over the park and beach with a toll road was rejected by the California Coastal Commission and Federal Commerce Department in 2008. We now have the opportunity to have it recognized for its historical contributions by being listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and stop that toll road project for good. 

Meanwhile, the State Water Boards denied the permit for the road to dump contaminated runoff into San Juan Creek (the first phase). Then they refinanced their almost-in-default bonds, agreeing to limit their ability to charge tolls on further segments, thus stopping the dream to pave the backcountry all the way to Trestles. Stay Tuned.

Recognizing Trestles…is Obvious

There’s not a surfer in America who doesn’t hold the US Marine Corps in high regard. And there’s not a surfer in the world who doesn’t hold Trestles’s famous surf breaks in high regard, whether they’ve surfed them or not, Trestles is globally revered.

President Nixon saw first hand, Trestles’s unique surfing environment and instructed the Navy to let the surfing world enjoy it. Rated one of the 12-great surf spots on the planet, Ronald Reagan when governor, dedicated San Mateo Campground (part & parcel of the Trestles experience), as mitigation for the precious beach acreage San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (S.O.N.G.S.) occupies at San Onofre. San Onofre Surf Club in fact predates the Navy’s ownership of Camp Pendleton.

Surfing at San Onofre / Trestles, is historic: from Trails’s campsites, north past S.O.N.G.S., to San’O surf beach, to the Marine’s beach club facility at Church, on up to Lowers, then Uppers, and finally Cottons Point, Marines and civilians surf Trestles together in perfect harmony. Recognition of Trestles’ historical significance in no way impedes, diminishes, or compromises the brave and valiant efforts of the US Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton. Registering Trestles as a Historic Place, is the most natural thing in the world, because Trestles is natural, and historic, and our treasure.

Everyone’s treasure. Pendleton’s 18-mile coastline affords abundant open beach for Marine training, miles from Trestles. Same as it’s always been. Recognizing Trestles as uniquely special, is as natural today as Marine surfers and civilian surfers trading waves at Trestles, with military maneuvers purposely kept miles away.

The only landing-crafts at Trestles are light weight, foam filled, fiberglass covered wave riding tools. The military knows, a popular state beach park is no place to practice war games. So they don’t. San Onofre State Beach Park, i.e. Trestles, is the peaceful, non military portion of Camp Pendleton, making it a one of a kind place, in a league of its own. And that’s historic. Registering that fact, is essential.

Click to Support Historic Designation for Trestles and San Onofre – Surfrider Action Alert

Urge Regional Water Board to Deny Toll Road Permit: Since 2011, the TCA has been proposing to build the road in “segments”—five miles at a time.  Their segmentation approach is a guise to build the entire road down to San Onofre State Beach.

Also see: Stupid Toll Road (STR-241) to Nowhere, Still Nowhere Fast

OC Supervisor Surfs the Stupid Zone

OC-Supe Moorlach Surfs the Stupid Zone by opposing the inclusion of Trestles surf beach into the National Registry of Historic Places. Why does he even care? He doesn’t surf. For sure, he doesn’t surf Trestles. In fact Trestles’ 2.5 miles; California’s Yosemite of Surfing, isn’t even in Moorlach’s political sphere of influence. It’s in a different county.

Is Moorlach’s water sogged ego sloshing over county lines? Apparently. He’s also considering a run for Governor (OCReg. Sunday Feb. 24, 2013).

But let’s get back to why Moorlach doesn’t want Trestles to become a Registered Historic Place. Because, if it’s registered as historically significant, Moorlach can’t pave a stupid OC toll road there.

Supe Moorlach doesn’t slosh alone in his waterlogged anti-Trestles Stupid Zone. OC’s state Senator Mimi Walters dog paddles in there too, along with every other OC over-development sappy, soggy brained politico.

FYI: to all Orange County politicos – Trestles, is in San Diego County.

So what gives?

What gives is: a defeated, age old, brain-dead toll road scheme to ruin Trestles, even though, their hair-brained toll road scam was pronounced dead half a decade ago by the Feds. And by our Coastal Commission. And by the Navy (they own Camp Pendleton) where Trestles lives.

But, like zombies, the Pave Trestles’ers keep coming back, haunting the soul of Southern California’s Yosemite of Surfing and all who cherish it.

Well, sorry Mr. OC Toll Road to Trestles, the State of California doesn’t agree with you.

California thinks Trestles is Historic:

Friday, Feb. 8th, 2013, in Sacramento, our state’s Historical Resource Commission nominated Trestles for inclusion into the National Register of Historic Places, despite Moorlach’s published plunge into the Stupid Zone.

OC toll road refresher course:

OC’s toll roads’ true purpose – to access open space for more and more land development in OC’s southern most part of the county, where tens of thousands of acres of pristine open space remain untouched.

OC toll roads have nothing to do with traffic relief. They never have. Because, what comes with more building? More traffic. Traffic purposely priced off OC toll roads, in order to cover TCA’s (toll roads) crushing debt burden. Toll roads most never see, subsidized by everyone’s highway tax dollars. Get it?

Everyone Pays, so a select few can drive TCA’s (Transportation Corridor Agency), 51-miles of mostly empty toll roads, while county traffic sits stalled on jam packed freeways, next to near-empty toll lanes, few can afford to drive on, that everyone pays for. Whew, talk about stupid.

OC’s 51-miles of under performing toll roads, are stupid. And we’re stupid, for allowing TCA’s sham, scam, OC toll road lie to continue. OC toll roads are – a real estate scam. Always have been. And until they’re turned into freeways, as promised, they will continue to over-congest our freeways, at our expense.

Origin of the political phrase – the Stupid Zone:

At a point in the 2012 Presidential election campaign, TV talk show host Joe Scarborough: Conservative Republican / ex Florida congressman, on his 6 a.m. TV broadcast, “Morning Joe,” a show specializing in, and dedicated to insider-Wash DC politics, labeled “his” 2012 Republican Party – the Stupid Party.

And or – The Party of Stupid.

Scarborough’s daily, scathing critiques of his party’s 2012 election missteps, misstatements, miss-every-things went unheeded as the world watched his Party of Stupid lunge over the electoral cliff, all the while believing they had the Presidential election locked (some so stupid, they continue to think it).

Arguably the grandest, most overexposed display of misguided campaigning (and most expensive) ever.

Post election, bewildered observers queried, “What the hell were they thinking?”

Scarborough’s apt Stupid Party labeling is a variation on the 1996 Clinton campaign slogan, “It’s the Economy, Stupid’ – a handwritten sign hanging over campaign director James Carville’s desk, reminding staffers – Don’t be Stupid. Ignore the Obvious, and Lose.

Most politicians are not stupid.

They are: Type-A personalities, determined to lead us, the unwashed masses, to their far, far better place of political profundity. Wouldn’t it be sweet if it were true.

But sadly, politicians are mere humans. Corroded by avarice, as fawning opportunists pump the politician’s inflated ego like a helium filled balloon – up, up, up, to that elusive, big leather chair of omnipotent power, while teetering precariously on the slippery ledge of Stupid. That Stupid-ledge, OC-Supe Moorlach plunged over when describing Trestles Surf Beach / San Onofre State Beach Park – California’s Yosemite of Surfing – not important to surf history. It need not be preserved.

Supe Moorlach’s clueless determination to sacrifice Trestles pristine coastal habitat; a renowned, global, surfing landmark, for the sake of another stupid toll road few would ever afford to drive, places him and his kind, in need of this 2013 earthly reality check:

“It’s The Environment, STUPID!!!”

Congratulations to Trestles for its nomination into the National Registration of Historic Places, and to all those battling OC’s pave-happy Politburo of Stupidity, who would pave over Yosemite if they could.

And this clown wants to be governor?

Stupid Alert: one more of’em just leaped off OC’s Stupid Political Ledge / Feb. 21, OCReg: Dana Point’s Diane Harkey (R) state assembly, filed Chapter-11 to avoid paying $100-million in owed liabilities, rumored; now wants to run for state Senate.

OC’s political clown show gets funnier with every passing day.

Late Breaking OC Political Stupid Moves News:

Lake Forest city councilman / ex-mayor Peter Herzog, arrested at his home for drunk driving (re: OCWeekly – Tues. Mar. 5, 2013). Blotto Behind the Wheel, Mr. Herzog was followed, zig zagging home, as observant citizens dialed 911. Mr. Herzog, a major player in OC’s toll road follies, as is Harkey and Moorlach, is scheduled for arraignment Mar. 14. The Stupid Show stumbles on.