Open Space Victory For Hobo Aliso Task Force
For ten years, the Hobo Aliso Task Force has been taking on developers, law firms, including Latham & Watkins, one of the largest and most powerful law firms in the world, paid lobbyists, the City of Laguna Beach and the Laguna Beach Fire Department. Ten years of tirelessly facing down their opponents paid off in a unanimous decision in favor or protecting one of the Earth's wild places--which are especially hard to come by in South Laguna. |
On December 16, 2010 at the San Francisco City Hall, the California Coastal Commission voted unanimously to approve a consent order for preservation and restoration of 75 acres in South Laguna known as Hobo Aliso Ridge. Surprisingly, it only takes one short sentence to sum up almost 10 years of environmental conflict, including but not limited to battling two developers, one of the largest and most powerful law firms in the world (Latham & Watkins), various other legal firms, multiple paid lobbyists, the City of Laguna Beach and the Laguna Beach Fire Department.
The Sierra Club's Save Hobo Aliso Task Force was formed in 2001 in response to rising concerns over development threats and ongoing Coastal Act violations associated with Hobo Aliso Ridge, an environmentally sensitive area that is connected to two wilderness parks - Laguna Coast Wilderness Park and Aliso Wood Canyon Wilderness Park. The task force has been involved with the protection and preservation of over 400 acres in this immediate area including the last natural creek in Orange County, Aliso Creek.
This is a brief description of the Hobo Aliso Ridge area from a 1992 biological assessment: In terms of habitat complexity, extent and ecosystem intactness, Hobo Canyon is the most significant of South Laguna's open spaces and is indeed among the most biologically valuable open spaces in the entire city.
Hobo Canyon, including its surrounding ridges, extending north to and including Goff Ridge and inland to and including the Moulton Meadows marine terrace, and the contiguous south-facing slope of Aliso Canyon down to the golf course is the single most significant habitat block in South Laguna. The area is rich in rare, threatened and endangered species and unique habitats, is the center of distribution and contains the largest extant stand of California threatened big-leaved crownbeard in the United States, and is broadly connected to the permanent protected space of the Laguna Greenbelt, thus insuring that wildlife diversity and use will continue to be high.
For nearly a decade the task force has had the ongoing support of the Sierra Club's Angeles Chapter and all of the Club's wonderful staff. As a team and sometimes as individuals we attended every meeting even remotely associated with this acreage and provided compelling testimony, meeting after meeting, month after month, and year after year. Saving these 75 acres (And we hope another 80+, but that's another story) is a true testimony to what environmental activists can accomplish when they are united and working towards a common goal. The task force did incur a difficult loss to its when Mark Massara's position as director of the Sierra Club's Coastal Programs was eliminated. There is no way the task force will ever be able to express our gratitude for Mark's unwavering support, strong counsel and when most needed, his incredibly positive attitude! He never doubted that we could save this land.
Removal of all of the unpermitted development began a week ago on Martin Luther King Day. Now wasn't that appropriate? In the words of Dr. King, 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.'
The Save Hobo Aliso Task Force has never been silent and is now involved in not only the monitoring of the removal of the unpermitted development from this highly sensitive area, but will also be involved in the restoration process as the offer to dedicate moves through the process. It's taken a decade to save the land and the timeline for restoration is unknown at this time, but we do know one thing--thanks to the work of the Sierra Club's Angeles Chapter, this land will not be bulldozed and destroyed in the name of development. We will remain vigilant as there is still an outstanding application for redevelopment and expansion of a golf course resort in Aliso Canyon, and we continue to battle an unpermitted lot line adjustment and various other Coastal Act violations at a nearby mobile home park in Hobo Canyon (the fifth Coastal Commission hearing on this matter was on February 9th in Chula Vista.)
Thank you to all of our brothers and sisters within the club that have attended meetings, testified at hearings, written letters, arranged and led educational hikes, assisted with grant requests and just been there as a sounding board when needed. It's taken a team to bring this environmental victory home and we hope this will send a positive signal to all of you out there fighting your own environmental battles. Stay focused and never waiver - you can save a piece of the planet and Mother Earth will show her gratitude in every sunrise and every sunset.
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Kenny Vawter (not verified)
April 3, 2022 - 10:09am
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