LAGUNA BEACH : Rally to Protest Toll Road Planned

Calling 1992 “a year of imminent danger” because construction could begin on a toll road that would eventually cut through Laguna Canyon, environmentalists say they plan to stage a rally next month near the proposed corridor site.

On Tuesday, Councilwomen Lida Lenney and Ann Christoph will ask their colleagues to declare Feb. 29 as “Toll Road Awareness Day” and to set aside $2,000 to help pay for the event.

“It’s important for people to remember Laguna Canyon has not been saved if there’s a toll road plowing through its heart,” said Michael Phillips, executive director of the Laguna Canyon Conservancy.

Phillips said some residents assume that there will be no development in the canyon because of an agreement between Laguna Beach and the Irvine Co., which allowed the city to buy canyon land once slated for a housing tract. But that agreement does not affect construction of the proposed San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor, which would cut through the canyon near where the homes would have been built.

“Laguna Canyon is not saved,” Phillips said, “and 1992 is a year of imminent danger unless we remain vigilant.”

The six-lane tollway would stretch 17 1/2 miles from Jamboree Road in Newport Beach to Interstate 5 at the northern edge of San Juan Capistrano.

A spokesman for the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which is charged with building the toll road, said Friday that many people are aware of plans for the corridor since large signs have long been posted in the canyon where the road will be built.

“We have signs prominently displayed at the corridor crossing and have had for months,” Mike Stockstill said. “It’s pretty tough to miss those signs.”

The rally is being planned for 10 a.m. at Sycamore Flats, a clearing along Laguna Canyon Road just east of El Toro Road. Sycamore Flats is where marchers congregated in November, 1989, when about 7,500 people from throughout the county converged on the canyon to protest development.

The proposed rally date of Feb. 29 comes three days after an Orange County Superior Court judge is expected to rule on whether the tollway’s state environmental impact report passes final muster. The document is being challenged by several local agencies.

Phillips said the judge’s decision could set the tone for the rally. “It could be a celebration party,” he said. “It could be a time to man the barricades.”