The same sort of problem that the FTSP was originally designed to solve, with the help of the Review Board.

Statewide politicians need to become aware of this issue, and expose the OC Board of Supes as a crony-bound OB club, which even dared laugh at being able to "raise the mike" now that they had gotten rid of the one female on the Board, and returned power to all-taller-white-guys (?). I wonder if Coad will hear of this outrage, and if it will haunt Wilson as the "...spared us all these troubles" did Trent Lott.

There might be a chance to get big names for a new Rally, this time bigger and more public.

Your help is solicited as to the wording for such a resolution. This would basically be the spirit of your FTSP writ large.The idea is that there are 2 ways of approaching nature:

--On the one hand, you can fit in, like the way the Native Americans build their houses, they hardly can be picked out from the landscape. This is the idea behind the FTSP, you can use the land, but respect it.

--Cut it all down, in the most "efficient" way, and replant it to look like a "natural" place. This is the way chosen by Rutter and by California Quartet: massive cut-and-fill, followed by replanting, so the whole thing looks like a frankenstein copy of nature.

The Coastal Act has extended such protection to private property for decades, without any loss of property rights.

CEQA process really extends such "environmental quality of life" protections to all construction, but allows polls to approve a project based on "balancing" judgments.

The resolution should state, and be capable of being rolled into the statewide referendum, that:

1. WHEREAS Ancient Trees, defined as trees older than the state of California, are a precious resource for all; and
2. WHEREAS Construction on private property can be done in such a way as to build in the context of existing trees, where possible;
3. WHEREAS the Saddleback and Saddlecreek projects and the Saddleback Meadows project involves destruction, transplantation, re-planting, and off-site mitigastion of Ancient Trees;
4. WHEREAS property rights and the right to construct can be exercised in such a way that homes could be built around and within the Ancient Trees;

NOW, THEREFORE, IT IS RESOLVED THAT

1. Ancient Trees must not be cut down, moved or excessively trimmed when there is an alternative that allows reasonable use of the land by the landowner;
2. Just as with the Coastal Act in the Coastal Zone, upland habitat should be protected and preserved as much as possible;
3. A Review Board shall be established to enforce these rules, and any disputes will be settled by arbitration.

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