Dear Friends, This is a very important election year, and within the next few weeks, most of you reading this will have an opportunity to cast votes that will make a difference. Vote-by-Mail begins May 5th. Then the actual primary day voting occurs on June 5th. California voters have a full month to be heard. Do the most important thing for the planet and the state: Vote for candidates who will work for the environment. We’re here to help if you are wondering which candidates those are. Every election year, at the local and state chapter levels, dozens of Sierra Club volunteers join committees, prepare questionnaires, contact campaigns, interview candidates, and then make decisions about who among those running will be best for the environment. This year is particularly important because there are a number of key statewide seats open. Our volunteers completed their endorsement process for some of the positions, and are working on others. You can find all of the Sierra Club backed candidates for statewide office and the legislature by clicking here. I’m excited to tell you about a few top endorsements that have been completed: Governor: Gavin Newsom. Newsom is the current lieutenant governor and before that he was mayor of San Francisco. Newsom helped carve new policy for renewable energy and environmental protection as mayor, notably he made SF the first city in California to ban single-use plastic grocery bags. We have watched him grow into his role as lieutenant governor and become a strong voice for protecting the state’s coastal waters from polluters, including the oil and gas industry. He’s ready to be governor and help California continue its environmental leadership. Lieutenant Governor: Jeff Bleich. Bleich is a lawyer whose most recent political job was as U.S. ambassador to Australia during the Obama Administration. Bleich’s environmental record dates back to his early career, when he worked for the Conservation Law Foundation. He understands environmental issues deeply. In California, the lieutenant governor sits on key commissions that have profound impacts on the state’s environmental policy, including the States Lands Commission. Bleich’s commitment and track record on the environment will serve California well on those commissions. Attorney General: Xavier Becerra (incumbent). California's current Attorney General has been in the job just over a year, but it has been quite a year. Appointed to the post by the governor after Kamala Harris moved to the U.S. Senate, Becerra has been on the frontlines of fighting the Trump Administration through the courts, including Trump's efforts to dismantle environmental protection. Becerra has done a good job and deserves to be elected to a full term as AG. Secretary of State: Alex Padilla (incumbent). When he first ran for Secretary of State in 2014, Padilla promised to update the way that office provides campaign finance information and improve Californians’ access to voting. He has delivered that and more. We endorsed Alex Padilla in 2014 and we enthusiastically endorse him again in 2018. Controller: Betty Yee (incumbent). Sierra Club endorsed Betty Yee in 2014, when she was the underdog and won by a paper-thin margin, and we remain glad we did. As controller Yee sits on important boards and commissions whose actions affect environmental policy, such as the State Lands Commission and the California Public Employees Retirement System Board. She has a strong reputation in Sacramento for really understanding policy and policymaking, and how to get things done. She has demonstrated her commitment to reduce California’s dependence on fossil fuels through her actions and leadership on the State Lands Commission. We enthusiastically endorse Betty Yee for a second term as California’s controller. We also take positions on ballot measures. This June, there are two on which Sierra Club California has taken a position: Proposition 68: California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection and Outdoor Access for All Act of 2018--SUPPORT. We strongly support this measure. Its title, long as it is, says it all. It will provide a $4 billion bond to address water, climate protection, coastal and parks improvements. We supported the legislation that created this measure, and now we wholeheartedly support this measure. Yes on Proposition 68. Proposition 70: Greenhouse Gas Reduction Reserve Fund--OPPOSE. This is a stinker. We oppose this, just as we opposed the legislation that allowed this to go on the ballot. If this measure passes, it will give climate deniers in the legislature the opportunity in 2024 to decide where to direct funds that were created by climate change policies. Do you think they’ll point those funds to actions that will reduce climate pollution? Don’t count on it. Vote this bad measure down. No on Proposition 70. For details on these and other endorsements and positions, click here. And plan to vote. It’s one of the most important actions you can take for California this year. Not registered? Go here to register online. But hurry, the deadline is approaching. Sincerely, Kathryn Phillips DirectorSierra Club California at 909 12th Street, Suite 202, Sacramento, CA 95814.

APRIL 2018 Fundraising

    

Sierra Club / Santa Margarita Group

Your local Sierra Club, the Santa Margarita Group, has chosen the month of April to make a special annual appeal for financial support that would apply to specific local projects and campaigns.  

As a Group of the San Gorgonio Chapter of the Sierra Club, we do not receive funds from the National organization and have to support our local projects and activities through our own fundraising efforts.

Below are some of the many activities we sponsor to engage YOU, our members, in exciting learning experiences. Most are FREE or require only a nominal fee.

Community Engagement    

·                   Monthly informational speakers   

·                   Outings- social activities and field trips 

·                   Hikes- led by experienced leaders for all abilities

Education

·                   Creating a network of local educators, formal and informal,  called Stewards of Environmental Education and Discovery (S.E.E.D.)

·                   Classroom participation of hummingbird feeders and bird talks

·                   Partnering with Environmental Educators Collaboration to share information regarding  opportunities, projects, and funding

·                   Provide outings and field trips through our Meetup, called, “Outdoor Families”

·                   Tabling at events in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties

·                   Student internship program available to high school and college students through Mt. San Jacinto Community College

Energy

·                     Sharing information about clean energy and related issues

Local Habitat Protection

·                     Partner programs with the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve

·                     Watch-dog private and public lands for illegal land use

Trails

·                     Developing the Murrieta Creek Regional Trail

Transportation

·                     Participating in T-Now meetings with Riverside Transit Agency

·                     Focus attention on developing an electric commuter train from Ontario Riverside to San Diego through the Temecula Valley

·                     Seeking ways to improve the local infrastructure of public transportation to alleviate traffic density, poor air quality, and provide an alternative to cars.

Trees

·                     Tree City USA project through the Arbor Day Foundation

Wildlife

·                     Supporting the effort to nominate the pallid bat as California’s STATE BAT.

·                     Supporting Federal, State, County agencies and non-profits in efforts to create a regional

 wildlife crossing system for I-15 and connectivity of wildlife corridors

·                     Discussing the use of open space and habitat preservation at City Council

meetings and with developers

These projects and MORE are entirely funded by your donations. We receive NO money from the National, State, or Chapter levels. We have no paid staff or overhead so we can put your dollars to use immediately!!!

These projects and MORE are entirely funded by your donations. We receive NO money from the National, State, or Chapter levels. We have no paid staff or overhead so we can put your dollars to use immediately!!!

 

These projects and MORE are entirely funded by your donations. We receive NO money from the National, State, or
Chapter levels. We have no paid staff or overhead so we can put your dollars to use immediately!!!

WILL YOU HELP?

We’d love a contribution of $20, $35, $50, $100 or more. (Note: not tax-deductible)

Please write your check to Sierra Club, Santa Margarita Group today!

Send it to:

SMG Treasurer, 40335 Garrison Dr, Temecula, CA 92591.

You may also donate on our website using PayPal:  www.sierraclubsmg.org

If you prefer to give a tax-deductible donation, please make your check out to:

The Sierra Club Foundation / Santa Margarita Group

These funds will be directed to our Murrieta Creek Regional Trail project, our educator’s network “S.E.E.D”,
and educational projects.

CONTACT INFORMATION

SierraClubSMG@gmail.com

www.sierraclubsmg.org

Sierra Club, Santa Margarita Group, Report for Palm and Pine Publication, April 2018

Sierra Club, Santa Margarita Group

Michael H. Momeni

Our Nomination/Election Committee for 2017 was Michael Momeni, George McMackin, and Robert Audibert.  Our 2018 Committee members are Pam Nelson, Elena Garcia, and Scott Smith.

Elected Executive Committee (Ex-Com) members for the years 2018-2019 are Pam Nelson, Teri Biancardi, Elena Garcia, and Margaret Meyncke.  Except for Margaret, the others were incumbents.  George McMackin, Bob Audibert, and Michael Momeni were elected for a two-year term in 2017 Ex-Com Election.

Ex-Com re-appointed Pam Nelson and Teri Biancardi as the Chair and the Vice-Chair for the Santa Margarita Group. The Treasurer is George McMackin and Robert Audibert is the Hike Coordinator and the hike leader. Elena Garcia is the Secretary. 

Committees Reports:

Outreach Committee (Pam Nelson, Margaret Meyncke, Caren Hanson, Elena Garcia)

--Earth Day Celebration (Caren Hanson, organizer)

Saturday, April 21, 2018, from 11 AM to 4 pm, to be held at Vail Headquarters, 32115 Temecula Parkway in Temecula. This location is between Walmart and Kohl's, Temecula, in a busy shopping center. 

For this event, we are teaming up with Murrieta Arts Council.  We will have 34 different vendors from the two organizations, plus musical performances throughout the day.   There will be speakers discussing various topics related to conservation and nature and activities geared for kids of varying ages.

-- Picnic+ field day: Live Oak Park (Elena Garcia, organizer) on June 24^th.

--4th of July Celebration (Margaret Meyncke)

Conservation Committee (Pam/ Nelson, Teri Biancardi, Michael Momeni, Laurie Webster, Margaret Meyncke):

1. Wildlife crossings: Pechanga purchased the Temecula Creek Inn—305 acres, Golf Course, Temecula Creek Inn, and Restaurant.  This action will allow continued wildlife passage through the Interstate 15 underpass.  Previously a proposal to subdivide the Golf Course for development would have completely removed the wildlife passage in this region.

2. Altair update:  March 8th was the first CEQA settlement meeting and a court date will be set soon. Pam Nelson is offering tours of the areas impacted by the project. We've appreciated donations from our members.  These donations are being used for future wildlife crossing activities and projects and lawsuit expenses.

3. Trails (Pam Nelson and Teri Biancardi): Murrieta Creek Regional Trail signs are being constructed, thanks to donations from our Group, New Day Solar, Subaru and the Temecula Valley Woman’s Club.   

4. Tree City project: (Margaret Meyncke and Chris Rios).

5.  Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumping System is back!  Nevada Hydro has proposed this silly scheme to use the problematic waters of Lake Elsinore and deface a large section of the lakefront as well as pristine canyon areas in the Santa Ana Mountains.  

Education Committee (Pam Nelson and Teri Biancardi):

1. Science Day at SMER will be on April 29^th, 2018; Teri Biancardi is the coordinator of this activity.  High School and college students will learn about our watershed and how to measure water quality.

2.  Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve (SMER) tours are occurring.  Pam has led one group of over 35 people with the help of Beth Cobb and Diane (docents at SMER) on the new View Loop trail and some added a trip down to the gorge.  Another group will go on the tour on April 14^th.  We will offer more in May.

Political Action (Elena Garcia):

The Political Committee of the Santa Margarita Group has been raising awareness at its monthly meetings that there are elections coming up! The California primaries are on June 5 and the national mid-term elections are on November 6. We need qualified candidates to run for office and then to seek the official endorsement of the Sierra Club. As part of the San Gorgonio Chapter’s Political Committee, we are taking an active part in the process of vetting and endorsing candidates for local, state and federal offices. There is nothing better than we can do as Sierra Club members and environmentally conscious citizens than to VOTE FOR CANDIDATES THAT SUPPORT OUR CREDO AND IDEALS.   

Transportation (Michael Momeni):

The proceedings of the Transportation Workshop in October 2017, Temecula California was published in Regional Commuter Electric Train Connecting Riverside and San Diego through the Temecula Valley Corridor. 

The second Transportation Workshop has been proposed for September 2018 in Temecula, California.

General Monthly Speaker Meeting (Pam Nelson):

Our general meetings have been lots of fun and informative.  We've had over-flow crowds at our meetings due to our teacher network (SEED) encouraging students and parents to attend.  We've had all ages and great subjects.  Our upcoming meetings Molly Clemens, a UC Davis graduate student working on a project at SMER (April), are Diana Lindsay a local author (May) speaking about her books on local area trails and Anza Borrego,  and a rain-catchment presentation at our June meeting.

Past presentations:

February:  Speaker, John Garrett, provided insight into the 2018 Astronomical events for this year.

March: Speaker, Alex Tardy provided insight into “What's up with our Crazy Weather?” Alex has been working for the National Weather Service part of NOAA, for the last 24 years.

Hiking (Robert Audibert):

January 27, Calcite mine Hike:

 We traveled through an amazing slot canyon at the mine area, which is a plateau with spectacular rock formations and great views of the Salton Sea, hikers had time to explore the area.

February 24, Sitton Peak Hike
This was a 10-mile out and back, moderate to difficult hike, to Sitton Peak.  Although the peak stands only 3,273', it has a commanding 360-degree view which also includes views of the ocean.

Threat to Lake Elsinore: Save the Lake

The Santa Margarita Group of the Sierra Club would like to make you aware of a potential threat to Lake Elsinore’s namesake attraction and thriving eco-system, the lake itself. An activist group from Lake Elsinore will hold an open meeting in opposition to the project on February 26, 2018, at 7 pm, in the VFW Hall in Wildomar. Sierra Club member and spokesperson for “Save Our Lake,” Linda Ridenour writes, “Now it is our turn to weigh in with the authorities on the madness of changing our lake into a pumped storage project for the benefit of a few entrepreneurs who would turn our lake into a muddy pond to benefit San Diego’s electric energy needs. The City, the Water District, several homeowner groups have all responded to the threat, and now it is our turn to speak up and demand our rights.” Questions regarding the meeting should be directed to Pete Dawson at (951) 202-1584. The following excerpts from reporter Michael Williams description of the project are taken from the August 25, 2017, issue of the Press-Enterprise: The Vista-based firm Nevada Hydro recently submitted a Notice of Intent to File (a) License Application to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on behalf of its Lake Elsinore Advanced Pumped Storage project, popularly known as LEAPS. Nevada Hydro’s plan calls for construction of a reservoir atop the mountains west of Lake Elsinore and an underground power plant with turbines on the lake’s western edge. Water from the reservoir would be released downhill to the lake to turn the turbines, generating up to 500 megawatts during peak demand for electricity, which would be conveyed over power lines to Southern California Edison’s and San Diego Gas & Electric’s systems. Water would be pumped from the lake up to the reservoir at night when electrical costs are cheaper. The project surfaced in the late 1980s and finally reached the commission for a decision in July 2011. The commissioners dismissed the application but allowed the proponents to reapply. The complete article can be found at: https://www.pe.com/2017/08/25/dormant-lake-elsinore-electricity-project-powered-up-again/ An update to this information can be found at https://www.pe.com/2018/01/13/revived-lake-elsinore-hydroelectric-project-renews-fears-over-popular-lakes-future/

Press Release: Transportation Workshop

Transportation Experts Address Rail Service for I-15 Corridor

By Mary-Ellen (Elena) Garcia

The dream of traveling quickly and efficiently between Ontario and San Diego on a publicly-funded rail service is, it seems, tantalizingly possible but also challenging to implement. This seems to be the logical conclusion of a half-day workshop held on October 27, 2017, sponsored by the Santa Margarita Group of the Sierra Club. Michael Momeni, Ph.D., workshop organizer, gathered a panel of four experts to address various aspects of such a commuter rail system, including its technical, political, and economic issues. What follows here is a summary of their remarks.

John Rogers, P.E., F.ASCE Los Angeles Section President, addressed the geotechnical considerations of such a project. If a rail line of 106 miles were projected, connecting Rancho Cucamonga and Mission Valley (San Diego), the line would intersect with 9 freeways or highways; 97 highways or watercourse crossings and three railroad crossings.  Ideally it would connect destination hubs between the two end points, such as San Bernardino, Riverside, Corona and so on. Considerations for riders to get to and from the line would include issues such as parking a vehicle, using local public transportation, and ride sharing, to name a few. Right-of-way issues would include the fact that freeway medians could only support either light- or high-speed rail, but not both.  Further, stations on medians would need to provide elevators or stairs for passengers and access from and to parking or loading/unloading areas. Final considerations were the geological realities found along  the 1-15 corridor, such as earthquake fault lines, landslide areas, soil liquefaction, potential for dam inundation and seismic settlement.  This presentation included 17 maps showing where there were potential locations for different types of these geologic constraints.

 John Standiford, Deputy Executive Director for the Riverside County Transportation Commission (RCTC), spoke about the next generation rail study and the countywide long-range transportation plan. The RCTC is a member of the Southern California Rail Authority, or MetroLink, and is collaborating with the CalTrans Division of Rail on the Coachella Valley-San Gorgonio Pass Rail Study, which will identify and  prioritize rail investments through 2040. The goal of the study is to provide daily train service between Los Angeles’s Union Station and the Coachella Valley. Currently a service development plan is being studied, with anticipated approval by NEPA/CEQA in 2019. The Next Generation Rail Study hopes to identify other high-traffic corridors in the county and to discuss alternative transportation technologies for investment and infrastructure implementation.

Steve Fox, Senior Regional Planner for the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), discussed the Los Angeles-San Bernardino Inter-County Transit and Rail Connectivity Study. Significant improvements in rail service and highway infrastructure are already underway or are being planned for the inter-county corridor. L.A. Metro and the San Bernardino Transportation Authority have joined in this study with a number of goals, one seeking to evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of providing both light rail and commuter rail service in the same corridor. Another is to make sure that transportation planning benefits residents of San Bernardino County and serves the Ontario Airport. An overarching goal, subsuming interim study objectives, is to determine the optimum mix of commuter rail, light rail, BRT, and express bus in the corridor. Fleshing out various aspects of the study, slides detailed the inter-county objectives, travel market analysis and transportation alternatives and also presented several maps of potential configurations.

The last speaker was Michelle Boehm, Southern California Regional Director of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, who spoke on high-speed rail development from Ontario to San Diego. The Authority is responsible for planning, designing, building and operating the high-speed rail system, which will run from San Francisco to the Los Angeles basin in under three hours. It will eventually extend to Sacramento and San Diego, 800 miles in all. It will connect all major population centers in California, tie local economies together, provide new mobility options, establish long-term economic growth, and help revitalize station areas.

The Los Angeles to San Diego project section via the Inland Empire is part of Phase 2 of the California High-Speed Rail system. It will connect Los Angeles and San Diego in just 1 hour 20 minutes, and close the existing passenger rail gap between the Inland Empire and San Diego County. This system will use 100% renewable energy, virtually eliminating emissions and improving air quality. Routing alternatives along the approximately 170-mile corridor are currently being evaluated. Stations are being considered in locations including Ontario Airport, San Bernardino, Riverside, Corona, Murrieta, Escondido, and San Diego. The various aspects of the projects, including maps, economic impacts, small business participation, and increased job opportunities, are detailed in the many slides that illustrate her presentation.

Organizer Momeni, Chair of the Transportation Task Force for the Santa Margarita Group, advocates commuter rail for the Inland Empire as he writes:” It would stimulate economic development within the corridor. It would reduce the use of Interstate 15/215 by single commuters.  It would link to the existing commuter train services both in San Diego and Los Angeles counties.  It would improve air quality within the region by removing a large number of commuter cars from the highways. It would improve the safety and quality of life for commuters.”  It was not surprising that his dream was supported by much of what had been covered when the workshop wrapped up at 2:00 pm.

For more information on speakers and copies of the slides used in their presentations, see:

https://sites.google.com/view/commuter-train-via-temecula/home

Lawsuit Challenges Development That Could Doom California's Santa Ana Mountain Lions

TEMECULA, Calif.— Conservation organizations sued the city of Temecula today for approving the Altair housing development, which would endanger the local mountain lion population by disrupting critical wildlife corridors. The groups include the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club, Mountain Lion Foundation and Cougar Connection.

Please read the following article:

http://www.biologicaldiversity.org/news/press_releases/2018/altair-housing-development-01-11-2018.php