United States Department of Agriculture Los Padres National Forest Supervisor’s Office ““1980 Old Mission Drive Solvang, CA 93463 805-968-6640 Fax: 805-961-5729File Code: 1950 Date: April 9, 2025 Dear Interested Party:The Los Padres National Forest (LPNF) is pleased to announce availability of the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project. Formerly called the Ecological Restoration Project, the draft EA evaluates the environmental effects of the proposed project. The objective of this letter is to provide notification of the opportunity to comment on the draft EA pursuant to 36 CFR 218.The LPNF Wildfire Risk Reduction Project aims to increase community/infrastructure protection and wildfire containment opportunities by establishing fuelbreaks, defense zones, and improve vegetation resilience and the health of forested areas from environmental stressors. With these goals in mind, the LPNF proposes (Alternative 2) a series of vegetation treatments on approximately 90,796 acres of land administered by the LPNF within Kern, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties. Treatments include mechanical thinning, hand thinning, chipping and grinding, piling and burning, mastication, mowing and weed-whipping, prescribed fire, targeted grazing, and planting and seeding. The LPNF anticipates up to 10,000 acres of treatments on average would be implemented annually for multiple years. The draft EA evaluates the environmental effects of two alternatives: the no action alternative (Alternative 1) and the proposed action (Alternative 2).The draft EA, supporting analysis, and other information is available for review online at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/projects/lpnf/landmanagement/projects; click the View Project link for the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project. The draft EA can also be viewed at the LPNF Supervisor’s Office, located at 1980 Old Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463.The LPNF will host informational meetings prior to the 30-day public comment period. The meetings will begin with a presentation on the project followed by an open house session. Forest Service staff will be present to answer questions and maps of the project area available for viewing. Please note that no comments will be accepted at these meetings.April 21, 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Santa Maria Public Library, 421 South McClelland Street, Santa Maria, CA 93454April 22, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, Teams Live virtual meeting, Join MeetingApril 23, 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Big Sur Lodge Conference Room, 47225 Highway One, Big Sur, CA 93920. Parking is limited at the conference room. Park at the main lodge parking lot and walk up.April 24, 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM, Mt. Pinos Ranger District Office, 34580 Lockwood Valley Rd., Frazier Park, CA 93225How to Comment and TimeframeThis project is subject to comment pursuant to 36 CFR 218, Subparts A and B. Only those who submit timely project-specific written comments during a designated public comment period are eligible to file an objection. Specific written comments should be written within the scope of the proposed actions, have a direct relationship to the proposed actions, and must include supporting reasons for the Responsible Official to consider (36 CFR 218.2). The Forest Service will accept comments on this proposal for 30-days (projected May 2 to June 2) following publication of the opportunity to comment legal notice in the Santa Barbara Independent, newspaper of record, which is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period. Commenters should not rely upon dates or time frame information provided by any other source. It is the commenter’s responsibility to ensure timely receipt of comments (36 CFR 218.25).Comments may be submitted electronically online via the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project website (see link and directions above). From the project website, click on the ‘Comment/Object on Project’ link located on the right-hand side under the ‘Get Connected’ box. Alternatively, you can use the following link to submit electronic comment: https://cara.fs2c.usda.gov/Public/CommentInput?Project=62369. Comments may also be mailed to the LPNF Supervisor’s Office, Attn: Kyle Kinports; 1980 Old Mission Drive, Solvang, CA 93463; or hand delivered to the LPNF Supervisor’s Office (address shown above) during business hours (Monday- Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm PST). Individuals or representatives of an entity submitting comments must sign the comments or verify identity upon request.Comments received in response to this solicitation, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposed action. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide the LPNF with the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent environmental documents.For questions concerning this proposal, please contact Kyle Kinports at 805-961-5710. Thank you for your interest and participation in the management of the LPNF.Sincerely, Roman Torres Forest SupervisorDownload the announcement HERE (PDF)  United States Department of AgricultureLos Padres National Forest Supervisor’s Office1980 Old Mission Drive Solvang, CA 93463 805-968-6640 Fax: 805-961-5729

As we begin another week of a country gone crazy, don’t forget to breathe.

From: Drabinski, Kevin@DOT <Kevin.Drabinski@dot.ca.gov>
Sent: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 10:45 AM
Subject: News Release (Monterey County) Three Full Overnight Closures of Hwy. 1 at Rocky Creek Tuesday April 15 thru Thursday April 17

Date:	Wednesday, April 9, 2025
District:	05 – Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Benito, and Santa Cruz Counties
Contact:	Kevin Drabinski or Jim Shivers
Phone:	(805) 549-3138 or (805) 549-3237

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

UPDATE #34

THREE OVERNIGHT CLOSURES OF HIGHWAY 1 AT ROCKY CREEK

SET FOR TUESDAY THRU THURSDAY APRIL 15, 16, AND 17 

MONTEREY COUNTY – Caltrans is continuing with emergency repairs to Highway 1 near the Rocky Creek Bridge, 12 miles south of Carmel. Caltrans previously stabilized and reinforced Highway 1 at this location after a March 30, 2024, slipout resulted in a loss of a section of the southbound lane. The southbound lane of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek was reopened to travel on March 8, 2025, after completion of the southbound viaduct structure.

Crews have recently moved to extended shifts of 10 and 12 hours each and have added an overnight shift throughout the week in order to accelerate completion of the northbound viaduct structure.

Three Upcoming Full Overnight Closures of Hwy. 1 at Rocky Creek 

Three full overnight closures of Highway 1 at Rocky Creek are scheduled from 10 pm to 6 am on the following dates: Tuesday, April 15, Wednesday, April 16, and Thursday, April 17.

During these overnight closures, vacuum trucks will occupy the southbound travel lane and remove rock and water from holes left by the removal of the temporary shoring piles. These temporary shoring piles were the vertical structures driven into the ground to support excavation work, prevent soil collapse, and ensure stability during construction. These holes will then be backfilled with concrete during daytime shifts in coming weeks.

The estimate for completion of the Rocky Creek viaduct is summer 2025 and is dependent on conditions encountered during construction. The contractor for this project is Gordon N. Ball, Inc. of Walnut Creek, CA.

Travelers are reminded that over 100 miles of Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast remain open and accessible. Travelers from northern California will find easy access to historic bridges, waterfalls, restaurants, and lodging amenities.

Travelers from southern California will find that the highway brings them directly within reach of the unparalleled views, lodging amenities, and natural wonders of Lucia, the Camaldoli Hermitage, Gorda, Ragged Point, San Simeon, and Cambria.

Road information and updates can also be found on Caltrans District 5 Social Media platforms: X/Twitter at: @CaltransD5, Facebook at: Caltrans Central Coast (District 5) and Instagram at: Caltrans_D5

FROM KSBW”The order calls for a 25% increase of timber quotas across the country’s national forests. A map that was issued with the order shows large portions of California have been targeted, including the Los Padres national forest.

“We’re aware of the new direction but have not yet received guidance on how to implement it,” wrote an official with the Los Padres National Forest in response to KSBW’s inquiry.

In 2018, during Trump’s first administration, the Forest Service approved a large commercial logging project in the southern region of the Los Padres National Forest – the first of its kind in over a decade.”

Rock Knocker passed on 4/3 in the early morning hours while he slept.

It was a huge success.

Photo by Elsa Rivera

From Joyce Vance:

“First, a reminder about the importance of peaceful, nonviolent protests, the approach successfully adopted by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., to fuel the civil rights movement in the 1960s. When Dr. King organized sit-ins in public spaces in Birmingham, Alabama, in 1963, the images that were projected across the country showed white Birmingham police officers turning pressurized hoses and aggressive police dogs against peaceful demonstrators. Peaceful protests forced Birmingham’s entrenched, racist police chief Bull Connor to resign. Public spaces like lunch counters and bus stations in Birmingham were ultimately desegregated.

The thing is, peaceful protest works. It can move mountains. It’s also essential, in a moment when the Trump administration will be alert to seize on anything even approaching violence to tamp down on protests that are getting underway and going national, to make sure that protests stay peaceful. In 2020, as Black Lives Matter protests spread across the country, Trump threatened he’d use the military to bring them under control. “We have the greatest country in the world,” the president declared. “We’re going to keep it safe.” He doesn’t need any excuses.

After peaceful protesters were tear-gassed to clear Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., so Trump could have a political photo opportunity, appetite for these overreaches seemed to diminish, although the threats continued periodically. But memories dim, and here we are in 2025 with growing discontent towards a president who has raised taxes and cut jobs, all without any apparent benefit to the American people. Trump might try to take advantage of minor incidents, or even plants who engage in violence, to impose the Insurrection Act and use the military to put a halt to Americans who are out on the streets exercising their First Amendment rights.

Could Trump turn out the American military against protestors if something like that were to happen? Normally, the Posse Comitatus Act prohibits the use of the military for domestic law enforcement. It explicitly outlaws using the armed forces to enforce the law within our borders, unless that action is expressly authorized by the Constitution or an act of Congress. Enter the Insurrection Act, which permits a president to deploy the military in American cities and on our streets in very narrow circumstances involving insurrection, rebellion, or extreme civil unrest. In those circumstances, the military can only be used for “emergency needs” towards the goal of reestablishing civilian control as quickly as possible.

But, as the Brennan Center has explained, “The problem is that the Insurrection Act creates a giant loophole in the Posse Comitatus Act rather than a limited exception to it.” The Act was adopted in 1792, and it hasn’t been updated since 1874. Its language is broad and gives presidents plenty of discretion to, for instance, use the military to arrest American citizens engaged in protest, if a president calls what’s going on an insurrection, rebellion, or civil unrest. In an 1827 case, Martin v. Mott, the Supreme Court ruled that it is up to the president to decide whether the Insurrection Act should be invoked and that the courts may not review his decision. A president inclined to absorb power from a vacuum into his own hands has plenty to work with, as Trump has done, claiming we are being invaded by the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang to justify invoking the Alien Enemies Act and deporting people. So here we are.

Concerns about the Insurrection Act don’t mean that Americans should obey in advance, giving up their right to assemble and protest peacefully. But it does mean we need to understand the way the Trump administration could respond to organized protests as we head toward Saturday, April 5, when many Americans plan to participate in protests that are being organized locally but coordinated nationally. It helps us understand why peaceful protest, which is proven successful, is also essential.

In July of 2024, Kevin Roberts, president of the conservative Heritage Foundation and one of the chief architects of Project 2025, proudly announced on Steve Bannon’s podcast, “We are in the process of the second American Revolution, which will remain bloodless if the left allows it to be.” Donald Trump disclaimed all knowledge of Project 2025 shortly after reporting on that came to light. But we have learned since that Project 2025 was always the plan, and it’s being implemented now. We are forewarned. 

George Orwell wrote 1984: “One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution; one makes the revolution in order to establish the dictatorship.” We still have a Constitution, and we should each find the best way for us, personally, to ensure it stays that way. We have the obligation to find ways to speak up, even if we fear imposition of the Insurrection Act.

Be like Cory Booker. Be willing to stand up for what you believe in.

Subscribe to Joyce Vance’s newsletter and/or her contributions on SubStack. I also suggest you listen to Jasmine Crockett, a member of Congress from TX who is amazingly articulate and willing to call it like she sees it as she does here in defense of our First Amendment Rights.

https://substack.com/@smallbite/note/c-105511073?r=f01sg&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action

Remember and Honor:

From the Los Padres Forest Association (On April Fools Day) I read it early morning 4/2  — 4 am while 1/2 asleep — and given all the sh** this admin has done, I believed it. Now that I am awake, I realize it was a joke, Plaskett Primate finally woke me up.)

Recreational Realignment of Public LandsThe administration signed a new Order to launch a nationwide program designed to monetize public lands through an expansion of recreational opportunities. This program is called Recreational Realignment of Public Lands (RRPL). While the concept of more recreational opportunities within our public lands is certainly positive, the fineprint within the RRPL program has raised criticism from multiple national watchdog organizations. CLICK HERE to read a complete list of the proposed recreational realignment projects. Here locally, there are two proposed RRPL sites within the Los Padres.

RRPL is proposing an expansion of recreation in Ventura County by creating a year-round Golf and Ski destination set within the rugged Sespe Backcountry. ‘Halfmoon Pines’ will be a 4-season resort featuring two 18-hole golf courses, two ski mountains (Thorn Point & Little Mutau), a 25k square foot clubhouse/ski lodge located at Mutau Flat, 518 carbon-neutral villas and a natural hot spring spa resort at Sespe Hot Springs accessed by gondola leading down Johnston Ridge.

In Monterey, RRPL will be expanding recreation by building a one-of-a-kind wild animal experience called the ‘Carrizo Springs Adventure Park’. The park will be the largest in existence covering half of the Monterey Ranger District. The headquarters will be centrally located at The Indians with seven gondolas providing access to an array of ecotourism offerings including zip-lines, shark diving and programs like: Plaskett Creek Primates, Tassajara Tiger Sanctuary, Pine Valley Pachyderm Pasture, Pfeiffer Polar Bear Plunge, the aptly named Lion’s Den and the sure to be crowd favorite Crocs of the Arroyo Seco. What’s truly special about Carrizo Springs Park is that there will be no fences. All animals will be free to wander as nature intended across the vast Los Padres Backcountry.

While the RRPL program will certainly change portions of the Los Padres, it should accomplish its goal of expanding recreation. For us diehards who love the backcountry, don’t worry, we’ve been assured that all backcountry trails will remain open for those with a valid Adventure Pass.