$6 million earmarked for El Monte Valley

Two weeks after buying the land from the Helix Water District for about $3 million, the county Board of Supervisors on Wednesday unanimously voted to spend more than $6 million to restore and beautify nearly 100 acres of the El Monte Valley.

The county showed plans to spend $3 million for habitat restoration, $2.6 million to rehabilitate a Little League field on the premises and $800,000 for “primitive” trail construction.

“This can be a wonderful regional asset,” Chairman Nathan Fletcher said, and he spoke of wanting to preserve and protect native Kumeyaay land.

Fletcher said the property also is an important part of a planned 52-mile San Diego River Park walkway and bikeway connecting the mountains to the ocean.

“This is one piece of that puzzle that we can complete,” Fletcher said. “We are making the investment to make it a wonderful place in the community.”

Lakeside River Park Conservancy Executive Director Robin Rierdan gave a presentation to the board showing the community’s top desires for the acquired area.

Those included removing invasive species and restoring the habitat; addressing trash in the riverbed and the needs of homeless persons who live there; creating and improving trails that connect parks and ponds to trails; building a dedicated dog park; and improving and refurbishing a baseball field named for Matt LaChappa.

In line with people who live near the area and have concerns about sand mining operations that have torn up the land, Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer asked the county to stipulate in writing that no extraction of minerals outside of what is needed to restore the habitat would be allowed.

Bobby Wallace, a member of the Barona Band of Mission Indians, asked the county to respect the site where his ancestors lived and died, and to “find it within yourself not to let anyone do any ground disturbance.”

“Mother Earth has been bleeding for way too long,” Wallace told supervisors. “We have to kind of ease up on her a little bit.”