Day 5, West Coast — Pala Reservation
Who would have thought that people would vote to put a 30 million ton landfill on a site directly on top of a river, a drinking water aqueduct, a sacred site, endangered species habitat and in plain view of a resort? According to the Lenore Voltunre of the Pala Band of Mission Indians, that’s exactly what is being proposed in the city of Temecula, just outside of San Diego.
Over a decade ago, a coalition of real estate agents, and land developers bankrolled a $900,000 campaign to persuade urban San Diego to pass the ballot initiative, which authorized the Gregory Canyon landfill site despite the fact that 111 other sites were found to be more suitable.
“This is being sited on a river which is not good science, not good thinking, not good ethics, not good justice,” said Nina Hapner, Native American Environmental Protection Coalition, who presented on behalf of Lenore who was recovering from a recent injury.
This case challenges many of the traditional environmental justice strategies in that it can’t be challenged using traditional legal means because voter approved the siting of the landfill through a ballot initiative.
The Gregory Mountain area and Medicine Rock are both threatened by the proposed landfill development. These sites, which are sacred to the Luiseño people, are where young women and men hold indigenous ceremonies that have been practiced for generations. Pala tribe lawyers were able to identify major faults, shortcomings, and oversights in the Environmental Impacts Report (EIR), and have also discovered extortion evidence. In addition to the desecration of sacred sites, diesel trucks, hazardous waste spills, and groundwater contamination also threaten the health of the residents of the valley.
The Pala Tribe along with the Native American Environmental Protection Coalition, are resolved to fight the proposed landfill tooth and nail. The tribe will not stand for the dump or the injustice.
-Rafael Aguilera