Bill to Block Highways in State Parks Passes Panel

A proposed law that could thwart plans to build a toll road through San Onofre State Beach won approval Tuesday from the same state Senate committee that rebuffed the measure two weeks ago.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Tom Hayden (D-Los Angeles), is aimed at protecting the state’s remaining parkland from the disruption and environmental harm wrought by traffic.

Orange County transportation planners, who want to build the Foothill South toll road through San Onofre, strongly oppose the measure. Environmentalists are equally vocal in supporting it.

The park contains some of the last unspoiled coastal land in Southern California. The road would split the park in two and use about 30% of its inland area.

Hayden said the “nasty spat” in Orange County had slowed the progress of his bill, which pertains to parks across California.

“It’s a looming statewide problem,” he said. “As the population of California grows and subdivisions expand into valleys, foothills and farmland, there’s going to be pressure to put roads through parks.”

The Senate Appropriations Committee, with two members missing, approved the measure 7 to 4 Tuesday and sent it to the Senate floor for consideration.

At the earlier committee hearing, four Democrats were out of the room for the vote, so Hayden asked for a second hearing. In addition to six Democrats, Sen. Bruce McPherson (R-Santa Cruz) voted for the bill, while four other Republicans opposed it.

McPherson, whose district has thousands of acres of state parks, said he favors the bill because it affords “protection against invasion onto our public lands.”

Originally, Hayden’s bill would have banned construction of any roads through parks without the permission of the state Department of Parks. But to win legislative support, he amended the measure to require approval from two Cabinet secretaries, one overseeing transportation and the other the environment.

Road projects would be approved if, among other reasons, they are aimed at preventing fires or if they don’t “substantially” lessen the recreational, natural and aesthetic value of the park.

Even without action by lawmakers, the Foothill South project faces months or years of federal scrutiny to determine whether it meets federal environmental standards, especially under clean water and endangered species laws.

Toll road proponents say sufficient environmental safeguards already are on the books. Besides, the Transportation Corridor Agencies, which would build the road, has a track record of taking precautions to protect the environment, said Mission Viejo Councilwoman Susan Withrow, a board member.

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Two Ways to Go

A bill making it tougher to build highways through state parks goes to the full state Senate after a committee approved it Tuesday.