NEWS RELEASE – PRESS RELEASE
May 14, 2003
COPY OF LAWSUIT IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST TO SAGE COUNCIL
CONTACTS:
Leeona Klippstein, Director 626-676-4116
Spirit of the Sage Council
Craig Sherman, Legal Counsel 619-702-7892
Representing Spirit of the Sage Council
Other Contact re Endangered Species – Ken Corey,
Supervisor for LA and Orange counties, U.S. Fish
& Wildlife Service 760- 431-9440
WATER WAR – Environmental Group Sues City to Protect Wildlife
Habitat from Arroyo Seco Development
This afternoon, a legal challenge to the City of Pasadena's
"Arroyo Seco Master Plan" was filed in the Los Angeles County
Superior Court. The lawsuit alleges that the City of Pasadena has
violated the California Environmental Quality Act when adopting the
Arroyo Seco Master Plan and the certifying the plan's Environmental
Impact Report (EIR) on April 14, 2003.
Representing, the Pasadena based nonprofit environmental
organization; Spirit of the Sage Council, attorney Craig Sherman of
San Diego stated "It's quite remarkable that the City would approve
a Master EIR for so many individual projects without adequate
information and assessment for each of those projects."
The Arroyo Seco Master Plan development project affects the entire
Arroyo Seco watershed, from the Angeles National Forest all the way
to South Pasadena, including the Rose Bowl area. Although the Master
Plan consists of five components 1) Hahamongna Watershed Park (aka
Upper Arroyo Seco), 2) Central Arroyo Master Plan, 3) Lower Arroyo
Master Plan, 4) Rose Bowl Use Plan, and 5) Arroyo Seco Guidelines,
there are dozens of associated projects that the City is approving
through the Arroyo Seco Master Plan and EIR.
The City claims in the Master Plan that a goal and objective will be
habitat preservation and restoration. However, such habitat
preservation is in direct conflict with the City's desire and
Master Plan goal to expand infrastructure projects in the Arroyo
Seco that will allow the City to sell more water to the sixteen
member Raymond Basin Water District Board and Metropolitan Water
District. According to the Hahamongna Watershed Park Plan, an
element of the over 2000 page Master Plan, there will be grading of
over 1,900-acres and removal of 3,000 cubic yards of soils every
year that supports the formation of Riversidean Alluvial Fan Sage
Scrub – a globally imperiled habitat that the State of California
has designated as "very threatened" with a high priority for
conservation. In addition, thirteen associated projects within the
Arroyo will impact federally designated "critical habitat"
for the endangered Southwestern Arroyo Toad.
Spirit of the Sage Council is renowned for the organization's
strong stance of endangered species protection in southern
California and nationally. Having testified before US Congress
regarding endangered species and habitat planning, the group's
director Leeona Klippstein has also been an advocate for the rights
of indigenous people to protect their culture. The Sage Council
currently has numerous other lawsuits to enforce environmental
regulations, including a case in the Washington D.C. federal court
challenging endangered species policies made by the U.S. Dept of the
Interior, another against the California Coastal Commission and City
of Los Angeles regarding the Catellus Corp. development of the West
Bluffs in Marina del Rey, and another challenge of the development
of the Ballona Wetlands, and against the City of Claremont, CA for
the approval of a park plan development. In 2000, the City of
Pasadena and former Mayor Chris Holden presented the Sage Council
with a Certificate of Recognition, during Earth Week, for all of
their good environmental work.
"For years the Sage Council, including Chief Vera Rocha of the
Shoshone-Gabrielino Nation has objected to the City's proposal to
destroy the sage habitats and flood the Arroyo Seco.
"Hahamongna" is the original name of the area, meaning fruitful
valley of flowing waters. Regardless of our group's concern and the
majority of the public that wants the Arroyo to remain wild, the
City has gone forward with a Project and Plans that will rob the
region, public and wildlife. Although our voices have been drowned
by the City Council, we hope that the Court will here us loudly and
stop the City from drowning the Arroyo Seco," stated Klippstein.
---
| 
