City to Post Warnings About Shells in Canyon

Nearly five years after two boys were killed by leftover military ordnance in a Tierrasanta canyon, the city of San Diego has agreed to erect signs in open areas of the suburban neighborhood to warn about the possible dangers of abandoned shells.

The city’s decision comes several months after it agreed to pay $2.5 million as part of a $6.3-million settlement of lawsuits stemming from the December, 1983, explosion that killed 8-year-olds Matthew Smith and Corey Peake.

During negotiations over the settlements, the city steadfastly refused the requests of the boys’ parents that signs be posted around the canyons. The city’s position was labeled “totally outrageous” by Superior Court Judge Dennis Adams.

But now the city is willing to post the signs, and word of the municipal change of heart has come less than a week after a crew from ABC-TV’s “20/20” magazine program came to produce a story on the trouble with leftover ordnance.

“Certainly, the lawsuit and the years of investigation preparing for that didn’t get their (the city’s) attention, didn’t rattle their cages,” said Suzanne Gillick-Pew, mother of Matthew Smith. “It is rather ironic that, just this week, things are starting to happen.”

Cruz Gonzales, director of the city’s Risk Management Department, said city officials are willing to pay the $3,000 to $5,000 to post 80 to 100 signs throughout Tierrasanta canyons.

Yet Gonzalez on Thursday tried to downplay the change in the city’s position, saying officials still believe the signs aren’t necessary, because of other programs to educate Tierrasanta residents about the ordnance dangers.

Among those other measures, said Gonzalez, are lectures given by firefighters at Tierrasanta schools each year. He said that those visits will be increased to twice a year and that the city has also decided to erect displays about the shells in the Tierrasanta library and the new recreation center.

“The signs are just a small part of the overall issue,” said Gonzalez. “We don’t want to blow this out of proportion.”

‘Willing to Go Along’

When asked about the presence of “20/20” TV crews, Gonzalez said, “They had absolutely nothing to do with anything.”

Rather, Gonzalez said, the decision to post the signs evolved in discussions with representatives of the Tierrasanta Town Council.

“After all the dust has settled about the cases . . . we talked about the possibility of signs,” said Gonzalez. “If it made the community that much better, if it was support of it, we were willing to go along with it. That’s what I’m saying. It’s not that big of a deal.”

Gonzalez said the signs will vary in size, with some 3 feet tall and 18 inches wide. They will be posted at the head of walking trails and in more remote parts of the canyons.

He said the signs will recount the history of Tierrasanta being used as a practice artillery range during World War II and the Korean War. It will also describe the leftover shells and urge anyone who finds any of them to call the 911 emergency number. The signs will be up in a few months, he said.

Gonzalez said the signs will be considered informational rather than warning signs.

Looking for a Logo

“There’s a fine line in there,” he said. “We’re telling people how it got where it’s at and what they should do. A warning sign would be very bold and say: ‘Warning: Do Not Touch. Call 911.’ ”

Gonzalez also said the city will try to find a picture or a “catchy” logo to use on the signs. “You’re not going to see anything like a bomb with a line drawn through it,” he said. “We wouldn’t have anything like that.”

Gillick-Pew said Thursday that the city has been “blatantly irresponsible” by not posting signs before now. “I can just say it’s about time,” she said.

“They put up signs for other hazardous, dangerous situations, yet they knew about this situation and they didn’t act,” she said, adding that the city was notified about leftover ordnance as early as 1975.

Paula Garrison Tupper, an attorney who represented Gillick-Pew and her ex-husband, Robin Smith, noted that a crew from “20/20” arrived in San Diego late last week to interview people involved in the case, including city officials, and tape footage of the area where the children died.

Tupper said such publicity has spurred city officials to change their minds about the signs.

“I think that they weren’t aware how much attention would be paid to this situation, and now they’ve had to rethink their position and they realize the signs are a very small price to pay in saving the lives of a very small child,” Tupper said.

Contributing to this story was Times staff writer Jane Fritsch.