Tribal bloc about-faces on proposed O.C. toll road
A faction of a Native American tribe against a proposed toll road through south Orange County has agreed to drop its opposition -- and stands to make $350,000 because of it.
David Belardes, who heads one of four Juaneño groups, said he signed a letter of intent with the Transportation Corridor Agencies by which the toll road operator would help pay for a tribal museum and genealogy studies to further the tribe's efforts to gain federal recognition.
In return, the Belardes' group requested that the state's Native American Heritage Commission dismiss the commission's lawsuit against the TCA seeking to halt the toll road through San Onofre State Beach.
The state attorney general filed the suit on behalf of the commission to prevent the tollway from destroying Panhe, the Juaneños' ancestral home near San Mateo Creek.
The TCA is in similar negotiations with the other three Juaneño factions. If successful, the deals could strike a serious blow to efforts to stop the toll road.
"It was a tough decision," Belardes said. "But we felt the handwriting was on the wall."
Belardes, a prominent leader known statewide among Native Americans, was criticized by fellow Juaneños for his decision. But he justified his actions, saying that no matter where "you build that road, you're going to impact Native American sites."
"This doesn't mean I support development. But the agreement helps get us in the process and helps us gain access to land to continue our ceremonies and reburials," he said.
What effect the proposed agreement will have on the toll road operator's overall chances to build the turnpike is uncertain. But toll road opponents acknowledged the threat of losing such a powerful ally as the Juaneños would be a serious blow.
Joe Ocampo, who heads one of the factions, said his group was still against the toll road.
"Does it weaken the opposition? The TCA would like to convey the thought that it is weakening," Ocampo said. "But I still think we have the strongest support against the toll road."
Other toll road opponents took exception to the accord, saying it was similar to the TCA's $100-million offer to help state parks that it made before a California Coastal Commission hearing at which the toll road was vetoed.
That decision has been appealed to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
