On the heels of a huge public hearing at which EHL testified, the California Parks and Recreation Commission strongly opposed extending the Foothill tollroad through San Onofre State Beach.



The Orange County Transportation Corridor Agency (TCA) intends to bisect most of San Onofre State Beach – at the border of San Diego and Orange Counties – with a highway. The impact on the popular San Mateo campground would be ruinous, if not causing outright abandonment. This low cost coastal recreation cannot be replaced.
 
The road would also push the highly endangered Pacific pocket mouse toward extinction and cause severe impacts to the California gnatcatcher. Major portions of the nearby Donna O’Neill Land Conservancy would be lost. Despite this devastation, the TCA has failed to properly evaluate alternatives, such as widening Interstate 5.

At a hearing in San Clemente, more than 1000 people turned out to protect the park. Later, on November 18, 2005, the Commission unanimously asked Governor Schwarzenegger and the Attorney General to take all necessary steps, including litigation, to protect this resource. While its role is advisory in this matter, a powerful message was sent to the Governor.