Residents weigh in on SANDAG's rail realignment proposals along Del Mar bluffs
A large crowd turned out Thursday night at a music venue on the Del Mar fairgrounds to hear from project managers and share their thoughts, which will ultimately help SANDAG further refine how the project will evolve over time.
It comes after SANDAG released a new Notice of Preparation on May 16, teeing up a 30-month environmental review process which will eventually lead to a report.
'I was actively playing on the bluffs west of the tracks with my son who is 27 as he was growing up, and that's all gone,' said local resident, Jack Jaeger. 'So, I've watched 25 feet go in 44 years.'
Jaeger knows first-hand just how bad the coastal bluff erosion is near his 10th street home in Del Mar. He wants a seat at the table when decisions are made to realign the rail lines.
Up for debate are four options undergoing further study by the SANDAG Board of Directors.
'What we're looking for in this project is to make the lines safer, efficient and resilient,' said Keri Robinson, SANDAG's deputy director of Mega Projects, Border, and Goods Movement.
One option would involve tunneling under Camino Del Mar, while another would move the tracks from the San Dieguito bridge to Interstate 5, also involving some tunneling.
There's also the option to tunnel under Crest Canyon or keeping the tracks where they are but adding double tracking. Or there's a no-build option, which would involve more stabilization efforts.
'I think it's ludacris, absolutely ludacris,' said Jaeger. 'Darn near legally actionable for them to maintain the tracks on the bluffs.'
Opinions vary widely on the best way forward with the multi-billion-dollar project.
'I think it makes more sense to go under Camino Del Mar,' said Gary Hoffman, who lives on the outskirts of Del Mar on Racetrack View Drive. 'It would be easier, faster, less money.'
He said if the tracks move close to where he lives, noise is a major concern.
'So, I'd rather see it some other place, which is kind of what everybody wants – not in my backyard,' Hoffman continued.
The public will have until June 30 to provide comment on the four realignment options. Other ways to share your feedback include the following:
— Email: lossancomments@sandag.org
— Mail: SANDAG, Attn: LOSSAN Comments, 1011 Union St., Ste 400, San Diego, CA 92101
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
07-07-2025
- Newsweek
ICE Arrest Man After Green Card Taken Away
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Immigration agents reportedly confiscated a man's green card during an encounter at Los Angeles International Airport earlier this month, according to Fox 5 San Diego. Raul Sanchez, a long-term permanent resident from the South Bay area, was apprehended by federal authorities on July 2 and has since been held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in Otay Mesa. Newsweek has contacted the Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, ICE, as well as the family for comment. A federal agent wears a badge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while standing outside an immigration courtroom at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. A federal agent wears a badge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement while standing outside an immigration courtroom at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building in New York, Tuesday, June 10, 2025. yU/AP Why It Matters The family has been left devastated by the separation under President Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants. The White House has said anyone living in the country illegally is considered to be a "criminal." The administration is enacting plans to carry out what it calls the largest deportation operation in U.S. history as part of the Republicans' hardline immigration agenda. In addition to people living in the country without legal status, immigrants with valid documentation, including green cards and visas, have been detained. Newsweek has revealed dozens of cases involving green card holders and applicants who were swept up in the ICE raids. What To Know Sanchez, 50, was detained while driving to an immigration appointment in San Ysidro, near his home, Fox 5 San Diego reported. His daughter, Alejandra Sanchez, told the outlet the ordeal began in April when her parents returned from a trip to Europe. "My dad has been separated from us, and there could be a possibility of him completely being removed from us," his daughter, Alejandra Sanchez, told Fox 5 San Diego. Brought to the U.S. from Mexico as a toddler, Sanchez has lived in California for nearly five decades. According to his family, he built a life as a devoted father, husband and hard-working member of his community. But a nonviolent drug conviction from 2001, for which he served time in his 20s, has resurfaced amid the Trump administration's more aggressive enforcement priorities. Immigration attorney Saman Nasseri told Fox 5 San Diego that many old cases like Sanchez's are now being reopened. Newsweek has previously revealed allegations of misconduct and abuse at ICE-run detention centers in Otay Mesa, California, including cases of sexual assault, medical neglect, and mistreatment of migrants. What People Are Saying Alejandra Sanchez told Fox 5 San Diego: "We have a huge community rallying around him and a lot of people aware of what's going on." Attorney Saman Nasseri told Fox 5 San Diego: "I have about a dozen or so cases from 12-13 years ago that are now getting reopened with the court too."
NBC Sports
03-07-2025
- NBC Sports
Report: Commanders' Plan B could involve going to President Trump, Congress
The federal government could be moving from the big, beautiful bill to a sweet, swanky stadium. The tail end of a report from Fox 5 in D.C. regarding the recent dinner hosted by the Commanders for members of the D.C. Council adds an important nugget regarding the potential fallback option for the Commanders, if the D.C. Council doesn't move quickly enough to allow the stadium to be opened by 2030. Per the report, D.C. Council chairperson Phil Mendelson confirmed that he has heard talk of a Plan B that may involve the Commanders going to President Trump and members of Congress to make it happen on time. So what would the Commanders expect the President to do? Pressure the D.C. Council with mean tweets? Come up with the cash that the D.C. Council is reluctant to invest for the project? The mere mention of trying to use the federal government to get the stadium bill helps explain the decision for Commanders owner Josh Harris and Commissioner Roger Goodell to participate in an Oval Office dog-and-pony show regarding the holding of the 2027 NFL draft on the National Mall in D.C. Of course, Republicans are supposed to be against excessive government spending. Which would, in theory, prompt Trump and those aligned with him to bristle at the idea of a pork-barrel project for the Hogs. But the party has changed under the current and former chief executive. Political ideology has been replaced with adhering to whatever the President and those whispering in his ear want. That's not a political comment. It's a comment about our current political reality. And it provides an opening for a multibillionaire like Harris to spin the wheel on the possibility of getting the President to support using hundreds of millions in taxpayer money to get the stadium built on the team's preferred timetable. Even if it means naming the stadium after him.
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Yahoo
VIDEO: Great white shark spotted near boat off San Diego coastline
(Above: Viewer video shows great white shark swimming near boat off La Jolla coast) SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — A group of fishermen encountered a great white shark off the coast of La Jolla over the weekend. Dustin Sergent, a fly fishing captain, sent a video he recorded on his cell phone to FOX 5/KUSI, showing how close the shark was to his boat in La Jolla Canyon. According to Sergent, the sighting happened Saturday, June 28. Don't swim near these San Diego-area beaches, officials say. Here's why Sergent said the great white, which was about 16 to 18 feet long, approached the boat carrying him and his crew while one of them had a blue shark hooked to a line. 'We did not hook or harass the white shark,' Sergent said. 'To top it off, we had a sea lion come in and bully the great white! Very cool thing to see.' As seen in the video, the great white passed by the side of the boat before a sea lion seemingly chased it away. No one was harmed during the rare encounter. Sharks are common along the coast of California. According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, white sharks are commonly seen near the surface of the ocean but are known to swim as deep at least 6,000 feet underwater. Juvenile white sharks are usually seen in shallow waters near the Southern California shoreline during the summer months and during warm water periods, the department said. Last year, a swimmer in Del Mar was bitten by a shark that was later confirmed to be a great white. Watch the rare encounter in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
