Here is Erik's version of what happened, hope he doesn't mind me posting it (from the LPCP-CAC yahoo groups site):

"What this email and the organized disruption of the LPCP-CAC this evening by an organized group of character assassins represent is yet another, carefully-timed and scurrilous attempt by Marvin Gerst to personally attack me with deliberate falsehoods, coy mischaracterization and sleaze designed to distract others from his singular focus to prevent reasonable hikers, equestrians, cyclists and trail runners from coming together in the best interests of our open space.

It was unfortunate to hear representatives of the Del Mar Mesa Planning Board and Carmel Valley Planning Board identify themselves as such, and then fill the LPCP meeting with their ranting and accusations Gerst had obviously prepared them to make against me, followed by threats against the two gentlemen that set-up the Channel 10 interview and corrected the record regarding the facts that I never provided any photos to Channel 10 (nor knew that they had been), that I spent real time with the reporter clarifying the importance to provide equestrian access in our Open Space and that I had absolutely nothing to do with the reporter's assertion to the effect that members of the DMM Planning Board are the actual persons that vandalized the "tunnel trail 5" in December.

It was very difficult to listen to personal attacks and slander, over and over, without interruption, but I felt it appropriate to allow these persons to illustrate their true colors.

After making their accusations and hearing the first of the factual corrections, the representatives of the DMM and Carmel Valley Planning Boards, along with Bob Loftin and others in the group, stomped out of our meeting so that they could not learn how the primary focus of my comments to the Channel 10 reporter were regarding the importance of a trails plan encompassing a reduction of existing trails and our concern that the Fish & Wildlife and Fish/Game agencies might seek to close the entire area rather than support the City's proposal for a managed, limited trails system.

Those that stayed drowned out my attempt to clarify what the reporter had asked me before the tightly edited clip of my response regarding a small group of equestrians (nearly identical to those disrupting our meeting this evening I would note) that I set in direct contrast to the vast majority of responsible, fair and excellent partners in open space access and trails use that our San Diego equestrian community represents. Clearly, the disruptors of our meeting this evening were unapologetic for the vandalism identified by the Ranger staff as "by equestrians" and outraged when a member of the audience pointed that out..

Our CAC has real work to do to ensure LPCP is preserved and managed to the best of our ability for now, and for future generations to come. If you are one of those willing to work with us in pursuit of well-managed open space and the long term viability of the open space resources in and around Los Penasquitos Canyon, then you are welcome at our CAC meetings.

Although our meeting was extended by over 90 minutes by Marvin Gerst, Lisa Ross and their group, we still managed to consider and approve the Lopez Canyon sewer maintenance plan, the children's summer program, funding of lunch for the Volunteer Patrol training (thank you again to those that have answered our call to join) and an update regarding, ironically, the status of the DMM Resource Management Plan. I'm sorry for those of you that had family matters to attend to and that suffered due to the extension of time caused by this outrage.

Here's hoping that future meetings will not be used or disrupted in this manner.

Erik Basil
Treasurer, LPCP-CAC"

You guys definitely missed a circus. On a positive note, this definitely raised awareness about Tunnels. Some of the board memebers were not familiar with what has taken place, and a few spoke positively toward reopening the trails. At this point it seems like they are waiting on bigger agencies to look at the submitted trail plans and get back to them.

Welp, I guess the "gentry" have spoken. I'm sorry I was not there. It coulda/woulda been fun.

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Scum on a Bike

If I was EBasil or the Ranger, I'd have a friggin' ulcer by now.

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"I never learned anything from winning, it's the races where I got my butt kicked that I learned the most" - Michellie Jones (Ironman World Champion)

http://www.ericpalmerendurancecoaching.blogspot.com

I'm tired, trying hard to watch the video & comment, but man after reading what Gerst posted on the yahoo forum, that guy is a clown shoe size 22.

Erik I feel bad for the tongue lashing you may have encountered, next time take a portable DVD player & play the clip so people have the facts & instead of what they imagined what negativity was coming their way.

Why would you mention the word "Multi-Use" in the segment if you didn't want equestrians, makes no sense.

Too tired to type more on this subject, but man we need a guy like you to stay in there now more than ever.


You should really consider running for a councilman, & I'm dead serious.

We need a politicians who are in favor multi use.

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If you have any Real Estate questions, or looking to buy or sell a home, PM me.

Erik. Seriously, I thank you now more than ever. I can't believe the BS you put up with to fight the good fight. Keep on Rockin' in the Free World!

Supple1 and JSatch, thanks for jumping in the fight. There are those who don't have the time or are busy with other advocacy ventures. I appreciate you helping out.

I wasn't able to attend the circus, I mean meeting, last night. However, I won't miss the March meeting. The Treaders on our Wednesday lunch ride averaged about 6'3" and 230. Me, Mudd, Big Clyde and Sloth could don the black sunglasses, leather jackets and ear pieces and escort the three of you into and out of the meeting. They wan't to play the intimidation game, well bring it on!

All joking aside, I hope that you are able to break through the darkness and bring the truth to the light. All the best.

"The Treaders on our Wednesday lunch ride averaged about 6'3" and 230. Me, Mudd, Big Clyde and Sloth could don the black sunglasses, leather jackets and ear pieces and escort the three of you into and out of the meeting. They wan't to play the intimidation game, well bring it on!"


I honestly think that's a GOOD idea. No distractions for Eric to deal with at all, that way.

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Scum on a Bike

Amen to that brother.

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Actually, that would have been timely. The cyclist contingent was greatly outnumbered.

Here's a picture from the meeting:

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

LMAO

Me Too!

I only wish that were true.

I would venture that Gerst may be one of the most intelligent of the committee. This is not to belittle the committee by any means, just give Gerst his due.

Judging from the slight shadings and his art of misstatements he turned what we considered a rather innocuous TV spot attempting to promote multi-use trails and alert the public that these trails may be closed, to a letter to his group not much short of a call to war, and a request for Erik's resignation.

The timeliness of the letter just prior to the meeting, and the orchestrated response of outrage directed against Erik and cyclists demonstrates the mastery of his skills and power in persuading the committee.

Had Erik resigned, it would have been game, set and match.

Obvious too is a strong conflict in personalities between Erik and Gerst. I can't figure out if Gerst's desire to remove Erik from the committee is strictly personal, promoted through other motives, or both. These differences may be intractable. Both strong personalities. In conflict.


Just my opinions from this single, rather atypical, committee meeting.

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Protective gear for cyclists:

1. XC gear
2. FR / DH gear
3. LPCP-CAC meeting gear

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

...... and don't forget your lightsaber.

It can be used to cut new, illegal trails on your ride to the meeting!!

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

Del Mar Times article regarding Ch 10 uproar at last CAC meeting:

http://www.delmartimes.net/news/252847- ... ac-meeting

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Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Milan Kundera

There's a lot of spin and propaganda in that article, which evidences a return to the yellow journalism that Karen Billings makes her apparent trade mark.

Prior to December, 2008, the official, written policy of the Ranger staff in regard to the Deer Canyon trails was "Ride em while ya got em" during the period of assessment. This was city policy, even though we've since heard several people attempt to claim the trails were, alternatively, illegal or "never opened" even though most of them were on private property and totally outside the capacity of any City official to designate in any way, up until late last year.

When the city did have an opportunity to do so, the policy was Ride em while ya got em. Now you ain't gottem. Why is that? What was the triggering event to the mass closure of the trails system? What did the Senior Ranger publish on the CAC site in this regard?

The reporter spins things dead opposite, suggesting that it was "some users" that had an idea to ride trails in contravention of city policy. She states the claims of Marvin Gerst, Lisa Ross and Jill McCarty as fact, even though she sat in the room while persons in the audience corrected each and every claim/accusation against me... so she knew they were wrong, just as the disruptors did. Then, she reports that the thugs stormed out of the meeting, but spins things the opposite way to hide that they did so when I suggested they owed ME an apology. Hey, they stormed out alright, but not for the reason the author suggests.

The Del Mar Mesa Development Planning Board is the group that approved the bulldozing of the "intestines trails". They are the group that approved the $230,000.00 dollar, ten foot wide "Shaw Valley Trail" as "equestrian" and the ten foot wide CVREP "trail" along the 56 freeway as "equestrian"...both banning citizens on bikes and they're the group that sends representatives to the LPCP-CAC to defend the vandals who chop down the Nutall's Scrub Oak. This is the same group that directed City Planning representative Bernie Turgeon to issue an "opinion" that the DMM Development Planning Board should be the organization to develop a trails plan for Deer Canyon (if any) although this same organization has never even considered Open Space trails before, failed to prepare any assessment of the area in the 8 weeks between July and September '08 when they were requested to prepare an analysis for the CAC Workshop and admitted most were completely unaware of the trails before the workshop took place.

When the Carmel Valley planning board was tasked with their Specific Plan and approval of a trails plan for the open space Carmel Mtn Preserve (the western half of the joint RMP the Deer Canyon trails are part of) both City Planning and City Open Space staff (along with Councilman Peters office) agreed that the LPCP-CAC was the appropriate body to develop the actual trails plan since LPCP is tasked with the management of the open space (and development boards are not) and has both Rangers and a community-based trails committee. That led to some trail closures, but the adoption of a multiuse trails plan on the CMM, by vote at the LPCP-CAC only, that's reflected on all the LPCP maps.

Now, the DMM development planning board wants you to believe that the developers on that committee, combined with the stridently anti-bike, anti-access equestrians, are uniquely suited to decided how everyone throughout the entire City of San Diego and beyond will have access, if any, to a trails system they will "design" rather than the Rangers and LPCP-CAC that manage the open space. This is bunk, and they are distracting you and others from this by stirring up outrage over the fact that City Rangers identified vandals as "equestrians" and perpetuating a myth that each and every trail in Deer Canyon was not only created by mountainbikers in the last 12 months but were also deemed "closed" the whole time by the private landowners upon whose land the migrant communities and trails have existed upon for 20 years or more.

Do you object to a development board with a proven hostility to your access being the committee that will decide whether trails are incorporated into the open space system? Does it concern you that the Rangers have stated it will not be acceptable to chainsaw open the Nutall's Scrub Oak to accomodate equestrian access, and that the DMM developers and bike-haters know this? Do you think it would be more appropriate for the LPCP-CAC, imperfect as it may be, to work with Rangers to develop a trails plan, exactly as the CMM trails plan that's part of the same Resource Management Plan was done?

Well then, get on the fax machine and the telephone. Contact Councilpersons Sherrie Lightner, Carl DeMaio (both of them) who sit on the LPCP Task Force. Contact Karen Billing's newspaper, the Union Trib, Channel 10, Turko, and the US Congressman whose district you live in. Public access and preservation of lands is at stake, so do it now, today. Tell them you call foul on this debacle and that you want them to call you back and explain how they are going to CHANGE THINGS (rather than simply placate you that they'll look into it).