Citizens for a Quieter Safer Lakeside 12654 Willow Road Lakeside, CA 92040 September 25, 2008 Supervisor Dianne Jacob County of San Diego 1600 Pacific Coast Highway San Diego, CA 92101 Re: Willow Road and Scenic Highway Element of San Diego County General Plan Dear Supervisor Jacob: Willow Road is listed as a SCENIC HIGHWAY in the San Diego County General Plan. SAN DIEGO COUNTY SCENIC HIGHWAY ELEMENT The County’s objectives, policies and action programs are documented in the SCENIC HIGHWAY ELEMENT, the CIRCULATION ELEMENT and the LAKESIDE COMMUNITY PLAN. Two of the primary findings are: 1 San Diego County’s abundant scenic resources need to be protected and 2 The County’s scenic resources are gradually diminishing. One of the primary objectives is to: Protect and enhance scenic resources within both rural and urban scenic highway corridors. Over the last five years, Willow Road has seen a significant reduction in its scenic resources and this needs to be reviewed by the County. SDG&E MIGUEL-MISSION TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT One of the primary scenic views from Willow Road is the 2000 foot mountain that overlooks Stelzer County Park and Willow Road. The SDG&E Miguel-Mission 230kV Transmission Line Project constructed a large transmission tower on this mountain at the same time citizens of Willow Road were overwhelmed with the Moreno-Lakeside Pipeline Project, that went bankrupt, and the Wildcat Canyon Road Improvement

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Project EIR/EA. The result of the massive new tower is a marked degradation in the scenic vista from Willow Road. MORENO-LAKESIDE PIPELINE PROJECT The SDCWA (San Diego County Water Authority) spent two years (2003 and 2004) constructing a massive 5 foot water pipeline project on Willow Road. It can supply up to 80 million gallons per day of untreated water. During that time the original company went bankrupt and the project had to be re-started. This project created extreme stress on Willow Road as well as to the residents. It has caused the most amount of visual and environmental damage on Willow Road in the last five years. The following five areas are notable: 1 2 3 4

Trees along Willow Road on Pillsbury Ranch Trees along Willow Road near Lady Lane Trees at the Willow Road curve near Dollar Court Trees near Moreno Ave and SDCWA ditch

WILLOW ROAD TRAFFIC COLLISIONS Collisions on Willow Road, from out of control traffic, have also contributed the problem. Most of these collisions are never documented but here are a few that are: 1 2 3 4 5

Collision Report #07-07-0011 (mature shade tree, chain fence, pipe fence) Collision Report #07-08-0021 (two wooden fences) Collision Report #05-04-0195 (tree and horse arena pipe fence) Collision Report# DEAD_HORSE (wooden fence) Numerous unreported collisions on Willow Road and Pillsbury Ranch have damaged power poles and fences. Most have gone unreported, but the damage remains.

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS The Final EIR/EA for the Wildcat Canyon Road Improvement Project required the DPW to provide “traffic calming” for Willow Road. During the traffic calming meetings the DPW, residents made a number of requests which the DPW rejected. Among those suggestions are the following two related to scenic and environmental issues: 1 Rural/Rustic/Western Style Construction The Pillsbury Ranch suggested that whenever possible any construction should be given a Western Style which would make the new construction more in harmony with the Lakeside Community Plan, the multiple horse arenas on Willow Road and also aid in conforming to our status as a “Scenic Road.” This suggestion was rejected by the DPW. 2 Vegetation not included in traffic circle or walkways 2

Vegetation included in the traffic calming was requested, but was rejected by the DPW. The current traffic island and two traffic circles are very unsightly and look very temporary. Even now, after four years, people keep asking when the traffic calming will be completed. The bases need to be filled in with concrete so they look finished and the drivers take them seriously. The traffic circles and island have a completely empty interior. Whenever it rains the traffic island accumulates water inside and this water drains across the eastbound lane, for days after the entire roadway is dry. This creates another dangerous condition on Willow Road that does not need to be there. DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND LAND USE In the year 2000, the Barona Casino placed a large sign on Willow Road (at Moreno) that directed traffic to the Casino. Willow Road residents filed a complaint with the DPLU and the sign (after review) was declared illegal. However, the DPLU allowed the illegal sign to remain for a full five years until it was removed in May 2005. That was in violation of the sign laws as well as the County policies for a scenic road. This was visual blight at its worst. BARONA CASINO – $250,000,000 CASINO, FUMES, NOISE and TRASH The massive expansion of the Barona Casino, Golf Course and Resort in 2003 was a major contributor to the traffic along Willow Road and the many dangerous conditions. It has also been a major contributor to the visual and environmental problems with trash, fumes and noise. Pillsbury Ranch has to pay an employee several hours per day to remove trash from Willow Road as well as Wildcat Canyon Road and Ashwood Street. The fumes (from vehicle exhausts and brakes) are many times during the day overwhelming! If you stand near the road you will become nauseous. The noise around the Pillsbury Ranch next to the intersection of Willow and Wildcat is also above any acceptable limits. CONCLUSION Whereas: 1 Willow Road is a San Diego County Scenic Highway, 2 The quality of life for Willow Road residents, because of reduction in scenic resources, has been severely reduced in the last five years from projects and activities from outside organizations, 3 San Diego County has been the major contributor to this visual and environmental damage (in the guise of the San Diego County Water Authority), 4 The County has spent $20,000,000 in the last five years on projects on Willow Road (and adjacent roads) and some of that has contributed directly to the loss of scenic resources and quality of life,

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5 Many of these negative results on Willow Road have made the traffic calming effort more difficult, and 6 The County’s 2008-20013 Strategic Plan has three strategic initiatives: (A) KIDS- Improve opportunities for children, (B) THE ENVIRONMENT – Manage resources to ensure environmental preservation, quality of life and economic development, and (C) SAFE AND LIVABLE COMMUNITIES – Provide safe and livable communities. It is requested, by the residents along Willow Road, that the County review this situation and suggest mitigation measures. Many of these damages, if left untreated, will be added to the CEQA cumulative effects of future EIRs in the area.

Thank you for your consideration of this request. Sincerely,

Ronald N. Webb [email protected] cc: Spanbauer, Collins, Pillsbury, Tilley, Van Nostrand, Ekard, Pennings

"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about the things that matter." - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

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