It’s Time for Public Access to Crystal Cove’s El Morro

Re “El Morro Seeks to Stave Off Eviction,” May 13:

The article fails to mention that there is support from a large coalition of environmental groups for the state park plan for environmental restoration and public access at El Morro. Supporters include the Laguna Beach Chapter of Surfrider Foundation, Laguna Greenbelt, Laguna Canyon Conservancy, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club, the Planning and Conservation League, Orange County Coastkeeper, Friends of the Irvine Coast, and Alliance to Rescue Crystal Cove.

A good source of information regarding the state park plan is the Web site created by Laguna Greenbelt: www.yourbeach.org.

The state park plan replaces nearly 300 trailers with a 60-unit campground, restores the degraded El Moro canyon and creek, and removes paved surfaces and an inadequate waste-water treatment system that contribute to water quality problems.

The people of California have waited 24 years for access to their state park property. The slick PR campaign mounted by the wealthy trailer park residents only serves to obscure the residents’ selfish attempt to continue to deny the public access to this land.

Rick Wilson

Chairman, Laguna Beach chapter, Surfrider Foundation

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I was amused to read that the residents’ coalition for El Morro has stated it is including “funding for 50 new units of low-cost housing” in its quest to keep the trailer park.

Years ago, in their request for the county’s permission to build, the developers of the property on Selva Road and Pacific Coast Highway in Dana Point stated that there would be a percentage set aside for low-cost housing.

Try to locate those units now!

Apparently, the language was such that it didn’t have to stay low-cost after the initial purchase.

Mae Nikaido

Laguna Beach

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Every coastal city faces the challenge of providing affordable housing. It would be an unfortunate precedent to take over part of a state park to solve Laguna Beach’s problem.

Newport Beach also has affordable-housing needs. Should it take a segment at the north end of the park to meet them?

To suggest that any part of Crystal Cove State Park should be used for this purpose is ludicrous.

It is time for the efforts of a few people to retain private rights over public land to cease.

Nancy Gardner

Chairwoman, Newport Beach chapter, Surfrider Foundation