By East County Magazine / April 26, 2012
April 26, 2012 (San Diego) — U.S. Congressman and Mayoral candidate Bob Filner spoke in front of the San Diego Planning Commission today to oppose the “Quail Brush” Power Plant, slated for construction next to the San Diego Mission Trails Regional Park. The site is within the City of San Diego, but will have negative impacts in neighboring Santee. The Planning Commission was deliberating on the decision to re-zone the proposed location from “open space” to “industrial use.”
Filner joined environmental groups, community organizations, and the entire Santee City Council in opposing the power plant. The proposed location is a few hundred yards from West Hills High and the West Hills Little League baseball fields. “There is absolutely no reason why we should be exposing our children to dangerous and life-threatening toxins and decreasing our local air quality,” said Filner.
The power plant would be a few feet from Mission Trails Park. Filner warned of the threat posed by pollution to the park:
“Mission Trails Park is a local natural treasure, enjoyed by cyclists, runners, and nature enthusiasts. It is wrong for us to knowingly harm the environmental quality of the park.”
Filner noted that the power plant is wholly inconsistent with the community plan and identity, and poses a serious public safety hazard. “Installing a gas-powered plant in an area ravaged by the 2003 wildfires makes little sense. As a region, we should be investing in solar power and clean energy, not threatening our environment and the health of our communities,” said Filner.
Filner called on the City of San Diego to embrace the challenge of becoming America’s “Greenest” City.
“As Mayor, I will direct the city to work with the School District, the County, and the Port to bring clean power to public buildings and to help make solar power accessible to all.”
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I hate to read things like “change the zoning from open space to industrial.”
There’s no going back, and opens the door to more development. I swear, if it were a crime to destroy the last dregs of wildlands here, the whole council would be wearing pink. I mean, stripes.
Filner just stole my vote away from Fletcher.
I think that the other candidates would probably be ok if it was the 1950s, but its not 1950.
Electing Bob Filner for Mayor is our city’s and region’s best chance to become renewable electricity self-sufficient and to develop ways for people to live and make livings that are life-support system sustaining instead of causing it damage and stress.
Jim
Voting for Bob as Mayor is a no-brainer.
I have enjoyed frequenting Mission Trails for decades now and I never thought it would come to this. A power plant on top of a city park. Really???!!!! As a City Council member, Bob was instrumental in helping to form the Mission Trails Regional Park Foundation back in 1988. He’s known for decades that our park must be protected. With Bob as our Mayor we would not have to suffer the anxiety of Sempra and Cogentrix riding roughshod and strong-arming our community into their insidious plan.
The idea of a North Carolina company (Cogentrix) deciding that the best place to put a power plant is right next to Mission Trails – is preposterous – and alarming. They think that painting this football-field-sized abomination and its eleven 100-foot smokestacks green will make everything all right. Which just shows how little they know about San Diego. They need to be told to pack up their toys and go home. And Bob is just the guy to do it.