It’s been brought to our attention that we left out a few important items from our previous update. Please let me add the following:
While we are working on our issues with the fields, the Friends of the San Dieguito River Valley have also been diligently pursuing their suit against the city and Surf Cup, which is now pending. The premise of their complaint is that the city did not mandate an EIR (Environmental Impact Report) before the 28 year lease was granted to Surf Cup. This certainly seems unbelievable when we live in a coastal area that is rightly sensitive to the environment and especially, an area that includes our own river trail. With the added days of use, increased hours of activities, on going construction, and the thousands of additional attendees and cars coming in since the lease was signed, one would think this sensitive area is potentially being negatively impacted. The environmental impact on the fields and the river park should always be an important part of our conversation.
Also, note the comments below regarding the fencing around the fields- in addition to being unsightly, the fences hamper the natural flow and migration of wild life and birds. In the past, we saw hundreds of birds use the fields during their winter migrations. They are now almost completely absent.
Regarding traffic: I have also been reminded that Via de la Valle is part of SR6. This road is being blocked with the signs that Surf Cup puts out for tournaments, such as: Reduce Speed, Expect Delays, Avoid Parking, etc. Their signs block the entrance to The Polo club homes at Porta Delgado at times, making the resident’s entry and exit more difficult and dangerous. That stretch of road is in disrepair with crumbling shoulder and pot holes- it is not holding up to the impact of all the traffic. Please see the attached note from Jim Desmond from the Coast news- his note sounds like he really does want to hear from us and this would be an excellent subject to share with him! This spot near the entry to the Polo Club homes was the scene of two recent accidents that could have been disastrous if it had been in the middle of a tournament day:
