PHOTO: MARILYNN YOUNG, OC REGISTER

Peaker plant protest meeting draws crowd

More than 500 Ladera Ranch residents attended a community meeting on Wednesday, raising concerns about emissions and possible impact on home values in connection with San Diego Gas & Electric's plan to build a peaker plant on the outskirts of the community.

The organizers of the meeting, a group of residents calling themselves Ladera Hope, invited Fifth District Supervisor Pat Bates to the meeting, which lasted nearly four hours. Bates brought members of her staff, as well as Barry Waterstein, the senior executive officer of the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

Ladera Hope spokeswoman Elizabeth Hall said the group was protesting the proposed plant because of concerns that also include toxic waste and its hours of operation.

Bates promised to look into the group's allegation that SDG&E and Wellhead-Margarita, the company building the plant, did not properly notify residents. At an earlier community meeting, Wellhead President Harold Dittmer said his company held a community meeting in July and had publicized the project through various community online and print publications.

"We have gotten a delay," Bates said. "There will be no building permits issued, not anything before February."

Ladera Ranch Town Manager Dennis Javens said the companies met with the Ladera Ranch Maintenance Corp. and Ladera Ranch Community Services in separate meetings in June. Javens said both boards asked the companies to inform the residents. LARCS sent an email blast to 9,000 email addresses and posted information about the July information meeting on www.laderalife.com.

Waterstein and his staff had prepared a 15-minute slide presentation, but the organizers and the crowd opted for a question-and-answer period, which at times got heated.

The project has already been approved by the county planning commission and the state Public Utilities Commission. Residents asked Bates what they could do to stop the construction. Bates said residents should sue.

"I'm telling you to sue the county and I'm the county," she said. "But I'm doing my job as your representative."

To raise funds for a legal battle, Hall directed people to www.laderapower.com. After the meeting, Hall wanted to determine if the community wanted Ladera Hope to continue leading the protest.

"It will be important to know that we are the choice of Ladera Ranch," she said. "Then there are all sorts of processes that we need to begin pursuing."