The festivities of the annual celebration of our nation's independence at Lake Murray will be a lot less festive this year, as the Lake Murray July 4th Music Fest and Fireworks Committee has decided to cancel the fireworks display and music fest.
Committee chair John Pilch, in an email to La Mesa-Mount Helix Patch, said that because of a threat of litigation by the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF), the popular event will not happen this year.
"Marco Gonzalez (CERF lead attorney) prevailed in lawsuits No. 3 and 4, due to the City of San Diego not completing a Program Environmental Impact Report (EIR) as they reported they were working on last August. The three-member Lake Murray Music Fest and Fireworks committee did not wish to deal with personal liability exposure and the costs of litigation and decided to cancel the event this year," Pilch wrote.
Gonzalez, an environmental attorney, is a staunch opponent of fireworks displays over bodies of water, claiming that they can have harmful ecological effects on the water, and that further evaluation is needed. As Pilch noted, last week, Gonzalez and CERF won two lawsuits against the City of San Diego, because of the city's failure to properly complete an EIR about fireworks shows.
Pilch added that his committee is awaiting the results of a pending appeal that the city has taken to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
"We hope to hold the event next year, if the court rulings are favorable," Pilch wrote.
It was reported earlier this week by U-T San Diego that Gonzalez will choose not to challenge the annual fireworks display over La Jolla Cove, despite his previous victories.
In a , an overwhelming 70 percent voted that once-a-year fireworks displays should not be subject to CEQA laws.
For more updates about the Music Fest and Fireworks and other events in our area, please visit www.navajoevents.com.
Use a page out of the "occupy" handbook and go with the they can't arrest us all theory. Now that I think about it I could probably be arrested for writing this....what a Country!
If Gonzales is so focused on our environment, maybe he should turn his sights to the oceanic pollutants being sent north from our neighbor, Mexico...
Indeed it seems Mr. Gonzalez for the sake of getting his name in the news is instigating threats of lawsuits. While he may not have caused the fireworks to be canceled, his threat of suit did have a direct impact on the cancellation. I suggest his actions are an infringement of our rights of local and inexpensive entertainment. While living close enough to the lake, I cannot (nor a multitude of others) enjoy the 4th of July at home in a way of choosing (sharing time with friends/neighbors at home having BBQs enjoying food & drink). We (collectively) are forced to go elsewhere should we choose to go out. That being stated, I would suggest that individually, we sue Mr. Marco Gonzalez in Small Claims Court for the costs of going out when the plans were to stay home... OR better yet threaten him with suits… Maybe Mr. Gonzalez should stay in his own neighborhood...
Looking.....no big deal, but swimming is not permitted at Lake Murray.
http://www.denix.osd.mil/edqw/upload/es0700698.pdf
Or will just the threat of litigation be enough elsewhere?
My goodness! That lawyer is going to be a busy little bee, isn't he?
I don’t pretend to know as much about the law as Mr. Gonzales but I am a reputable scientist and do know that the > 20 reports on the environmental impact of firework based perchlorate pollution are very early from a scientific & health perspective. A more comprehensive study is the Albany 2011. To put this in perspective the fluorination of drinking water has been done since the 40s and is still being evaluated on the best way. If only Mr. Gonzales were only as preliminary in his legal proceedings (instead of over interpreting results to fit his legal agenda) as the researchers in this field suggest being the rest of us could enjoy the fireworks shows. cont..
But wait! Not until we first marshal an army of "experts"--scientists and lawyers--to conduct "studies" to determine its health effects and legal advisability. (No wonder this nation's so you-know-what'd up.)