Viva La Pata

Pic: circa 06 - Old Hwy 101 concrete bridge at Upper Trestles

La Pata History:
A road first penned in 1956.
At that time, RMV Corp (their land) had it in mind
to develop the San Mateo Watershed, all the way
to Caspers Park, approximating Garden Grove etc.

The crushing burbs SC'ers fled from.

I've seen the original drawings.
Blanket development as far as the eye could see - east.
SC today, would look like Huntington Beach, sprawling
east to the Cleveland Nat Forest - with La Pata its major
north-south foothills traffic venue. Predicted heavy traffic

numbers back then. Thankfully, it didn't happen.

Important to remember, South County as it looks today,

is a Master Planned Community, beginning at Lake Forest,

down to here, one big-ass pre planned development result,

fed by toll roads.

Fact: Big, sprawling development, to gain approval,
require big roads in & out.

I don't think there's another Planned Development,
the size of South County anywhere (maybe China).
We're the master-planned American Model.
And, because Rancho Mission Viejo Corp owns
our southern-most half of the county, and Irvine Corp
owns the northern most half - so go our roads.
The developers / land owners plan the system.
Back in the day, the state had already put thru I-5,

and the 405, then stopped. This is the reason why,

TCA was necessarily conceived. To complete

the dream of South County's Master Plan.

In the original Plan, the 73 and 241 were drawn

as Freeways. But the state was broke, so no more
freeway construction. Hence toll roads, to open
up South County's desired open space, to build
homes on.


La Pata, never being completed, has all to do with
RMV Corp changing its mind on development

areas / where to place them.

Times change. Development thinking changes.

The Landfill, Forester Ranch and Talega have all
delayed La Pata's completion. Then came the toll
road Plan, further stalling La Pata.
All of the above land, is owned / once owned / and
or managed by RMV Corp. Get the picture?


Nothing new. It's basic to development anywhere.
And why traffic sucks, everywhere.
Because developers and land owners control it.
Politicans just follow orders.

Completing La Pata depends entirely on RMV Corp money.
$75-million.
$25 is already committed - but, until RMV starts building

their 14,000 more homes east of SJC, in 5,000 home housing
bubbles (each 5,000 home portion triggers more money
for La Pata), LaPata ain't gonna get finished.
What isn't on anyone's map, is a La Pata connector around

Steed Park, hooking up to Cristianitos Rd at I-5, forever

erasing a toll road threat, and taking traffic off of Pico.

(important to remember: a toll Road at Trestles is totally
superfluous unless one wants to develop-out the San Mateo
Watershed east of San Clemente. Remember Rule 1:
build the big road in, then sprawl in the development.
No road. No development.

Historically, Cristianitos Rd was / is, a paved farm-road
(RMV), extending from the Rancho HQ, north of Ortega -

south, to where Cristianitos Rd is now (gated off) at the

end of Pico...then resuming at Pendleton's north gate,

finishing off at I-5 / Trestles.

In other words, finishing La Pata to I-5 is mostly done,
with a mile and a half missing (Pico to Pendleton's north-gate).

All because the Navy "disconnected" Cristiantos Rd at Pico,

when creating Pendleton in WWII.

Everything here, regarding back country foothill "traffic,"

Cristinatos Rd, La Pata, Los Rambles, Los Mares, etc,

hinges on RMV Corp's development time table -

and always has.
He who owns the land, Rules.
As we all scream about paving thru the Donna O'Neill,
there's a paved road there now. It's been there for well
over a 100-years: Cristianitos Rd. From Ortega Hwy
south to Pico (with a 1-mile gap) reconnecting at

Pendleton's north gate, then to I-5.
What we experience here, regarding unfinished roads
seemingly to nowhere? Is why Joseph Heller wrote
his WWII classic novel 'Catch-22.'
A comedy of errors.

And or, a comedy of developmental changes over the

years to RMV Corps' many changing master-plans for

their Ranchos' vast open spaces, dictated by the

economy, at that time.


OC's elected-puppets, dance at the end of
Rancho Mission Viejo Corps strings.

Same for Irvine Corp. "He who has, Rules."
Interesting tidbit:

The old Hwy 101 concrete bridge, at Upper Trestles.
Where I stood for 7-years handing out Save Trestles
bumper stickers and signing up surfers - that bridge,
and its old road (101) heading south to SONGS,
is owned and maintained by RMV Corp.
But that's another story.
Here's more TCA Catch-22 News - their 73-toll road's

Non-Compete-Zone (can't fix I-5 if it steals traffic from

the 73, really) terminates in 2012.

That's why La Pata now has a 2012 start-date, signaling

the end of TCA's / Caltrans Non-Compete-Agreement.

So in other words: La Pata has effectively been purposely
stalled for decades, waiting for TCA to complete their 241,
green-lighted to Trestles in 2004 by the OC Supes.

A plan now dead as a doornail.

Catch 22 b) - but it takes RMV-$$$ to finish La Pata, and

RMV Corp ain't gonna build none of the 14,000 new houses
until the housing-market comes back. Most experts say
that won't happen for 5-years maaaaaaaaaaaaaybe.

So let's all enjoy our open spaces here, while we have'em.
Conclusion - it could have been much worse.

Goal: make it better.

VIVA LA PATA!

by Jerry Collamer