August 30, 2008 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

	2008 Alert #16

Toll Road Public Hearing Scheduled for September 22, 2008 Please Attend and Request Time to Speak Background  The proposed Foothill-South toll road in Orange and San Diego Counties is one of the most environmentally destructive and unnecessary transportation projects in California history. The road would run 4 miles down the length of San Onofre State Beach, effectively destroying the interior of the park and the San Mateo Campground. It would also run right through protected habitat in the Donna O’Neil Conservancy and drive endangered species toward extinction. Alternatives exist. Earlier this year, at a momentous public hearing in Del Mar, the California Coastal Commission determined that the toll road was inconsistent with the federal Coastal Zone Management Act. The toll road agency has appealed this decision to the federal Secretary of Commerce. After much delay, the Commerce Dept. has finally scheduled a public hearing - once again in Del Mar. Action requested Please attend the hearing, along with your friends, family, and neighbors. We need to show how many people care about the state park and its wildlife. However, in order to speak at the hearing, Commerce is requiring the submittal of a written request in advance. Only letters will be accepted - no emails or faxes - and must arrive by Sept. 12. This is highly unusual but instructions and suggested talking points for your testimony are below. We hope you will elect to speak out. Date:  September 22, 2008 Location:  O’Brien Hall at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, 2260 Jimmy Durante Boulevard, Del Mar, CA 92014 Directions:  http://www.sdfair.com/index.php?fuseaction=maps.home Time:  10:30 AM - 8:30 PM (suggest arrival by 10 AM) Parking:  On-site available at $9 Relax and travel by free chartered bus For further information, contact Robin Everett <robin.everett@sierraclub.org> and let her know your location. How to request an opportunity to speak  A letter must be received in Washington, DC no later than Sept. 12, 2008. Be sure to include all the information indicated below. Organization representatives must submit the request on letterhead. Please mail by Sept. 5, or use overnight. SAMPLE LETTER   ____________________________ August 28, 2008 Thomas Street NOAA Office of General Counsel for Ocean Services 1305 East-West Highway, Room 6111 Silver Spring, MD 20910 RE:  Federal Consistency Appeal by Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agency Dear Mr. Street: I wish to speak at the public hearing on September 22, 2008 in Del Mar, California, and will be speaking as an [individual/representative of an organization/elected official]. Organization representatives add: I certify that the organization has authorized me to testify on its behalf. Full Name Title, if any (for elected officials, official title) Organization, if any (for elected official, name of public office) Address Thank you. Sincerely, ____________________________    Talking points for testimony (3 minutes for individuals, 5 minutes for organizational representatives and elected officials) Please personalize for relevance to you and your community. Please deny the TCA’s request to override the determination by the California Coastal Commission that the proposed Foothill-South toll road is inconsistent with the Coastal Zone Management Act.  The toll road is not of national significance. Rather, it is a local matter. Its purpose is to reduce local traffic. Thus, it does not advance the interest of the nation as a whole. The immense harm from this project far outweighs any marginal benefit. The toll road will, according to the Calif. Parks Dept., cause the abandonment of the popular San Mateo Campground and effectively destroy 2/3rds of San Onofre State Beach. With 2.4 million visitors per year, there is no evidence that the public has any need of the toll road for accessing our state park. The road has severe effects on endangered species and for this reason, the US Fish and Wildlife Service has recommended alternative routes. Due to erosion and sedimentation, it threatens a world-renowned surfing beach and the multi-million dollar industry it supports. Because the toll road ruins a sacred site, it will literally deprive Native Americans of their religion.  Reasonable alternatives are available.  These alternatives include widening Interstate 5 - the most logical way to relieve congestion on this route - or via “Central” alignments to the west. The displacement numbers for structures generated by TCA are wildly exaggerated, and according to the Army Corps of Engineers, “there are other practicable alternatives available to TCA that would achieve the overall project purpose.” Alternative approaches have been validated by the former design chief for the New York State Department of Transportation. The toll road is not necessary for national security. Rather, the toll road would be a permanent encroachment upon the training mission of the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton.  According to General JL Jones of the Marine Corps, the toll road will “hinder our ability to prepare for war.”  The Marine Corps has also commented in writing that the toll road mitigation is not necessary for national security.  Thank you for participating in this campaign.  Please pass along!

Posted in Hotels, Commentary, News | Print | No Comments »

August 30, 2008 by Bill Gould, Publisher.

Black Rock City, Nevada - At about 11pm last night, on my way home from The Merc in Old Town Temecula, I received a call from Nevada on my personal cell phone. Normally I would have ignored it, however something possessed me to answer it and I am glad I did.

It was Captain Tuesday, one of our esteemed writers and he was speaking by satellite phone from Black Rock City at the Burning Man Festival. Tuesday described the truck he was calling from as having a huge antenna and a license plate that said ‘phone’. He made mention that the reason none of them (PT Rothschild, Matt Peirce or Himself) had posted an article was not that they were in danger, missing or anything like that - it was just a simple case of a very poor wi-fi signal and a lot of users. So instead of  wasting time waiting for a good signal, they have been on separate adventures and taking notes so when they get back home they will have plenty of writing to do for all of you to read.

He did give me a few little bits of info. He informed me they have all had a wonderful time thus far and look forward to The Man burning tonight.  He had no complaints what so ever, and if you know Tuesday or have read his writing, you know that is an amazing thing. Things must be going very well indeed. He made mention that as a camp they will be watching The Man burn together and that they should be home by Monday night, maybe Tuesday at the latest.

On a side note, I am anxious to see them and hear the stories from the Playa. I see this adventure from the outsiders point of view, having never been to Burning Man before. I bought them supplies and water for the trip, with the thought in the back of my mind that I should mentally take notes. I see this as an journey I would one day like to take, having done some back country backpacking in the past and having been on tour with my band in small cars, I am no stranger to the rough side of adventure. I do see this as an immense challenge, both psychologically and physically - one that I have a great desire to take on. All of the Full Value REVIEW crew at the Burning Man Festival have told me that I have no choice, that I have to go next year. Based on the fact that on a daily basis during the past week I have been cursing all of their names as I have been stuck here, doing all the work, all alone, while they are having a life changing experience in the Nevada desert - I might very well agree with them. Safe travels home my dear friends, make the most of these moments; you are the envy of thousands of readers - and your Editor!

Posted in Burning Man, Food, Commentary, Music, News | Print | No Comments »

August 23, 2008 by PT Rothschild.

“TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE …”

Temecula, CA – “Twas the night before leaving for Burning Man (BMP) and all through the house, the creature stirring was me, as quick as a mouse.”

A flyer I saw earlier in the week when I swept the scene for the latest 411 and got around the newest ‘smokeshop’ in town, The Glass Warehouse, billed as going to be Southern California’s largest, caught my eye . The flyer touted a new band, Peter Puffington & The Rocketship Explosion, and the attention-grabbing artwork beckoned my curiosity. Getting dropped off early helped me to get a closer look at this month’s Neighbors’ mag cover-story artist Paul Jay Price, who had his work on exhibit there inside The Merc.

To my surprise, Bill, owner of Full Value Entertainment and sponsor of the show, was off at an Anaheim Angel’s game, and the Capt. was in charge. Since it was the same Capt. Tuesday as is going to be one of my teammates on the BMP adventure, I thought this was a good sign since he is a ‘burner’. I wasn’t proven wrong as the night wore on.

First up were The Kunder Thunts (can u spot the word play here?), who were local and pretty hardcore. A small crowd of close fans cheered their friends on, except one little girl who had her hands clapped over her ears. Her daddy led her out and they reappeared once Mouthful of Snow took the stage.

MOS, though not old enough for their voices to drop yet, showed amazing maturity and skill beyond their years as they thrilled the increased crowd who applauded each song. Though some major tech difficulties happened (corrected by the use of an ‘Original’ Universal Finger Light’s steady bright blue beam), MOS showed quick adaptability when they turned to rocking out instrumentally, bringing a standing ovation from the impressed crowd.

I thought of Bill and remembered how we sometimes spoke of seeing a remarkable show with maybe 10 people in attendance on occasion. This time a remarkable show was seen by a much larger crowd, but Bill wasn’t there. It was also the bass player Andy’s birthday which maybe added that extra endorphin to the evening as they followed an old Madlins tradition and did a brand new song for the first time live.

It can be said a band’s name says a lot, and the band that MOS replaced at the last minute was named 40 Years Too Late. Guess we’ll see them sometime in 2048. Then the night revealed its biggest surprise, the debut show of Peter Puffington & The Rocketship Explosion.

Peter and crew, an amiable trio when I talked to them before the set, took the stage, entertaining the now SRO crowd with a very original sound and some very original songs. Peter’s throaty vocals coupled with a funky rock sound delivered the songs perfectly and lent well to the one Neal Young cover about the Kent State shooting of yesteryear.

Then after congratulating the boys on their first performance, it was off to meet Pete’s family who live atop one of Murrieta’s ‘hogbacks’. The view from there is a magnificent 360, and the dad tells me he has to go to all the city council meetings to make sure the city doesn’t ‘develop’ his land from under his feet. What a world we live in. Then it was off to the ‘after party’ and there I remembered the more ‘down-home’ partying style of Murr-ville, as a beer pong tourney started up and I saw the girls play a brand new drinking game with more quirky rules than a squash match. I love Murrieta, 2.

So now, as I climb into the vehicle and get ready to blast off to BMP with the Capt. saying, “give her medium power, aim for the second star to the right, and then straight on to the Clovis Quadrant, Queen Francie is waiting,” it’s time to say ‘stay tuned Sports Fans… get ready for The Burning Man Project!’

Posted in Burning Man, Family Attractions, Music | Print | No Comments »