Please donate one dollar to the Banning Ranch Conservancy

The Banning Ranch Conservancy is filing a lawsuit against the city of Newport Beach. Please donate just one dollar to the Banning Ranch Conservancy. www.BanningRanchConservancy.org is where you can go to donate. Thank you for your support.

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day to all the wonderful people who fight for a better environment. It's not about the economy; instead, it is about the environment. If we do not have a healthy environment then all else fails. Big oil and smooth talking developers are attempting to pave over our last piece of coastal open space. Were this to happen then the local environment would tip in a catastrophic direction. Love the earth because it is the only one we have.

California's Largest Greenhouse Gas Polluters

The California Air Resources Board released the Top 100 largest CO2-emitting facilities in California and Aera Energy, the company that lead developer Mike Mohler said was dedicated to cleaning up the environment, when he spoke to the Newport Beach Chapter of the Surfrider foundation, made the list three times. Making this list three times is not an honor but a disgrace. Furthermore, Shell Oil and Exxon Mobil, who together own Aera, were ranked numbers 2 and 7. Yet, it has been Aera Energy who has been telling the public that they believe taking the last piece of open space we have is a great idea. Judging by the CARB's Top 100 list only shows that Aera Energy could care less about the environment, let alone saving it. Please contact the Newport Beach City Council and urge them to save the entire Banning Ranch property.

A Profile In Courage: Rembering Dr. Jan Vandersloot

Jan Vandersloot will be remembered for being many things to many people; he was a husband, father, physician and unyielding, tireless fighter for the environment. When Jan suddenly passed away on November 4th, the world lost a wonderful man. If you did not know Jan then you may have seen the products of his labors when you walked at Bolsa Chica State Park, rode your bike through Fairview Park, or when you surfed the waters off of Huntington Beach, CA.

To Jan there was no part of nature that was too small to protect. Jan fought hard to protect today's environment so that future generations can enjoy it. He was not timid towards any challenge and always came forth with new ideas and bold environmental projects.

The last time I saw Jan was at the Fall walking tour at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa, CA. Although Jan had been to Fairview Park a countless amount of times, he was ecstatic to be there, it was as if it was his first time at the park. Jan was busy taking pictures of tour-goers, as well as, plants and park wildlife. You could see how Jan was passionately in love with nature.

Jan's creditability was beyond reproach, and whenever he was at a California Coastal Commission hearing or a Newport Beach City Council meeting, everyone listened to what he had to say. Everyone listened because Jan was always well-studied and prepared with the subject at hand. Jan had a way about him that exuded nothing but grace and class. He spoke with a thoughtful meter and listened to everything you had to say. While Jan was Orange County's undisputed environmental leader there was no arrogance about him whatsoever.

In a world that , at times, is eager to devour and pave over the environment, it was Jan who was the calming voice of reason that told us to slow down and think about what is being done to nature. Jan blended courage and passion in his strong commitment to nature. Jan showed that we can bond through nature and become whole again with the environment. During Jan's life he showed that one person can make a remarkable and positive difference in the world.

Banning Ranch: Sunset Ridge EIR and Public Comments

The draft EIR for Sunset Ridge Park, which is located on the outermost section of Banning Ranch, is now available. This park will be the first development of Banning Ranch and with it comes loss of open space, increased traffic to/from the park, and light and noise pollution just to name a few.

The public has until Dec 11, 2009 to enter their comments.

The City of Newport Beach has completed the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the proposed Sunset Ridge Park Project to be located at the northwest corner of Superior Avenue and West Coast Highway. The DEIR has been prepared to examine potential environmental impacts generated by the proposed project in relation to the following Environmental Analysis Checklist categories: Land Use and Planning, Traffic and Circulation, Aesthetics, Air Quality, Biological Resources, Cultural Resources, Geology and Soils, Global Climate Change, Hazards and Hazardous Materials, Hydrology and Water Quality, Population, Noise, Public Services and Utilities, and Service Systems, Mineral Resources, and Recreation.
Download complete notice: Notice of Availability (NOA) of the DEIR

The DEIR is available on the City's website http://www.newportbeachca.gov/index.aspx?page=942 located under Sunset Ridge Park. Comments on the adequacy of the DEIR will be accepted by the City between October 27, 2009 and December 11, 2009.

Comments on the DEIR should be sent to the attention of Janet Johnson Brown, Associate Planner, Newport Beach Planning Department, 3300 Newport Boulevard, Newport Beach, CA 92658-8915.

For more information, please contact the Planning Department at (949) 644-3200.

1,375 homes and a hotel. Where's the water going to come from?

For all the big talk about how easy a slam dunk it is going to be to build 1,375 homes and a 70 room hotel on Banning Ranch, the smooth talking developers have neglected to discuss one crucial detail ---- where is the water going to come from? California is in its fourth year of drought, farmers in the Central Valley are being cut off from water supplies that has resulted in a $703 million dollar loss in agriculture gross revenue, and 21,000 statewide jobs have been lost due to the drought, yet AERA, Brooks Street, and Cherokee seem to think a water shortage doesn't apply to their project.

The drought is expected to continue with reservoir storage levels far below standards and the runoff level expected to be dangerously deficient this year. But that is not stopping AERA Energy and Brook Street Development team from adding more stress to our region's water crisis.

Contact the Newport Beach City Council and urge them to VOTE NO on the proposed Banning Ranch development.

Banning Ranch Death Road

The picture here details where the roads and tract homes will be constructed. The road, highlighted in red, is now being called "The Banning Ranch Death Road." This road will only fragment the already small ecosystem that thrives on Banning Ranch, devastate the wildlife, and add up to 45, 000 average daily trips to our already clogged streets. Don't let the smooth talking developers tell you this project is good for the area--- it's not!!! The proposed development on the Banning Ranch property is the most ill-conceived project that Orange County has ever seen. Contact the Newport Beach City Council and advocate that this project be denied.

Note that proposed project calls for another stop light to be installed on PCH. So the smooth talking developers want to increase traffic on PCH then add another red light.

This project must be stopped.