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Beach Preservation, Climate Action

TAKE ACTION

SAVE DEL MAR'S BEACHES FROM ANNIHILATION

Dear San Diego Beach Lover,

Don’t allow SANDAG to derail our shoreline! This is serious. SANDAG recently backpedaled from their previous commitment to relocate the train off of Del Mar’s eroding bluffs. They’re now considering keeping the train in place indefinitely, despite over 20 years of costly, continuous, beach-killing bluff stabilization work to prevent the railroad from collapsing onto the beach. 

Keeping the train in place would continue this unending struggle against Mother Nature, requiring deep trenching into the bluffs and building seawalls across almost 1.7 miles of beach. In addition to forever destroying the bluffs’ natural beauty, the seawalls would subject the beach to accelerated erosion and eventually, permanent beach loss, as sea levels continue to rise.

The current seawalls will be removed if the train is relocated, but leaving it in place means more will be added... permanently.

If you believe our beaches must be preserved, please let SANDAG know that this “Del Mar Double Track Reinforced” option is completely unacceptable. Fortunately, SANDAG is still moving forward to study several options that stick to their original plan, to reroute the train off the bluffs via a tunnel. Now’s the time for us to speak up and let them know you are supportive of these efforts that will keep sand on Del Mar’s beaches. 

Improving rail transportation and preserving our beaches is not mutually exclusive. SANDAG can - and must - do both! Moving the train will achieve a win-win for our coastline and for sustainable, improved public transit.

If you agree, please follow the instructions below to submit a public comment to SANDAG in strong opposition to reinforcing the train on the bluffs and permanently destroying Del Mar's beaches. Then forward this email to your friends and ask them to do the same!

Bluff collapses like the one above are becoming more frequent due to rising seas & our changing climate... the train must be moved to a safer location!

SUBMIT A WRITTEN COMMENT

(Please send by MONDAY, JUNE 30. Comments can also be emailed to lossancomments@sandag.org, Subject: SDLRR Project NOP)

Comments/Talking Points: (Even a short statement will be impactful. Personalized emails are always the most effective so please modify as you see fit, feel free to use any of our bullet points, or use the instant templates underneath)

• The new Del Mar Double Track Reinforced Alternative would mean certain doom for the bluffs and beaches that over a million people, including myself, visit each year.
• Clearly this cannot be considered the least environmentally damaging alternative for purposes of this Draft EIR. Trenching, stabilizing, and armoring the bluffs would impose grave, irreversible impacts that cannot be mitigated in the following categories: Aesthetics, Geology and Soils, Land Use and Planning, Biological Resources, and Recreation.
• Trenching and double tracking the train along bluffs is unlawful in California because it disregards Coastal Act Section 30253(b), which requires new development to ensure stability and structural integrity without reliance on protective devices that substantially alter natural landforms along bluffs and cliffs. 
• The option of leaving the train in place has been eliminated from consideration multiple times in the past 15 years. Please discard this option from consideration and move forward with the tunnel alternatives, which are environmentally superior because they ensure the long-term viability of the LOSSAN corridor while preserving precious coastal resources. 
• Surfrider, the Coastal Commission, and CA State Parks all oppose this option because it will destroy irreplaceable coastal resources, including Del Mar's unique coastal bluffs and the public beaches below. I am 100% in agreement that these environmental impacts cannot be mitigated. Sea level rise and the need to preserve our coastal resources necessitates relocating the train to a safer location, not only to preserve the beach for future generations, but also to preserve the LOSSAN rail corridor by getting it off the bluffs and away from rising seas.

Instantaneous Option

Feel free to edit as you see fit. Don't forget to sign with your name! 

We suggest the following strategy: last name A-I use #1, J-R use #2, S-Z use #3.

And don't forget to forward to at least one friend!

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR BEACHES!