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Residents urge council to protect Prop 70 lands, oppose deals that could enable warehouse conversion
Summary
Speakers at the Ontario City Council meeting pressed the council to pull or reject consent-calendar items they said would let San Bernardino County or the city negotiate sale of Prop 70 conservation land for the Grand Park project, citing legal safeguards and lack of transparency.
A group of residents and environmental advocates urged the Ontario City Council on Nov. 12 to halt actions they say could allow Prop 70 conservation lands to be sold or converted to industrial use.
Speakers from the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice and other residents told the council that two consent-calendar items (items 3 and 21) authorizing agreements related to park funding and land coordination with the county should be pulled or rejected until the public has had full information and scoping meetings. "This proposal treats our protected lands as an interchangeable asset and commodity to be negotiated and sold," Ana Gonzalez, speaking for CCAEJ, said. She cited state procedures and said the county must adopt a land plan and secure approvals — including from the California Department of Parks and Recreation — before any exchange or sale.
Other public commenters raised historical and legal concerns about Prop 70 land. "They failed to put permanent conservation easements on those properties when they were acquired," Randy Beckendim said, adding that the state bond funds purchased about 350 acres and roughly $20,000,000 worth of land and that the county’s failure to record easements may raise public-trust and legal issues. Chris Robles criticized the level of detail provided to the public, saying staff had not supplied APN numbers or clear parcel information and warning that clauses in project agreements could permit conversion to warehouses if funding fell through.
Council members approved the full consent calendar, including the updated materials for items 3 and 21, on a unanimous 5–0 vote after a motion the clerk recorded as "by Prada, second by Bowman." The approval moved those agreements forward despite the public objections.
Why it matters: Prop 70-authorized land is commonly subject to specific conservation and replacement requirements. Residents warned that negotiating sale or broad exchange terms without parcel-specific plans and state-level approvals could result in net loss of protected acreage or habitat value.
What’s next: Residents asked the council to provide more detailed parcel information, ensure public scoping and hearings, and confirm that any county land plans meet the state’s replacement and approval requirements. The consent calendar passed 5–0 and the related agreements will proceed under the updated materials placed with the clerk.
Sources: Public comments recorded during the Nov. 12 Ontario City Council meeting; statements by Ana Gonzalez (CCAEJ), Joaquin Castellanos (CCAEJ), Randy Beckendim and Chris Robles.
