How a 2019 decision led to today’s debate over the Lone Pine Canyon Quarry

UPDATE (August 5, 2026): San Bernardino County will issue a re-notice for a public hearing at a future Planning Commission meeting date in response to the applicant’s request for a continuance.

San Bernardino County officials released an informational video presentation on Wednesday, July 15, outlining the review process for the proposed Lone Pine Canyon Quarry reclamation plan and clarifying what the San Bernardino County Planning Commission will consider when the project comes before the commission on Thursday, Aug. 6, at 9 a.m.

In the approximately 20-minute presentation, county staff emphasized that the video was intended to educate the public about the proposal and explain the review process.

The proposed quarry is 285-acres within a 420-acre site and is located approximately four miles southeast of Wrightwood along Lone Pine Canyon Road and approximately four miles from the 15 freeway in the Cajon Pass. During the presentation, county officials explained that mining has occurred intermittently on the property since the 1920s and that the Planning Commission determined in 2019 that the site has vested mining rights under California’s Surface Mining and Reclamation Act (SMARA).

However, county records show that the 2019 Planning Commission staff report initially recommended denying recognition of vested mining rights. The 205-page report, prepared by then-County Engineering Geologist George Kenline, concluded that the applicant had not provided sufficient evidence to legally establish vested mining rights.

“Staff has reviewed and analyzed the request and all available pertinent evidence and believes that the applicant has not made a sufficient showing for a vested mining right to be legally recognized,” the report states.

The report also noted significant gaps in the historical record.

“Staff has conducted a file review for the above-listed properties and was not able to locate copies of the original Land Use zoning maps, any permits or approved reclamation plans and/or any notations of a public hearing for mining-related activities. In these circumstances, staff does not believe it could support El Cajon Associates, LLC’s claim that it has vested mining rights at the subject properties.”

Despite the staff’s recommendation for denial, the Planning Commission voted 3-2 in favor of recognizing the vested mining rights, allowing mining operations to continue without requiring additional county land-use permits.

Now, seven years later, the county says the application currently under review is not for mining approval but for a reclamation plan, which outlines how the site would be restored during and after mining operations. County officials said the plan addresses slope stability, erosion control, revegetation, equipment removal, financial assurances, and ongoing inspections required under state mining regulations.

The presentation also described the roles of multiple agencies involved in regulating the project, including the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), Cal/OSHA, the Regional Water Quality Control Board, the Mojave Desert Air Quality Management District, and San Bernardino County Land Use Services.

According to the county, more than 500 public comments have been submitted regarding the proposal. Officials said every comment received before the hearing will become part of the public record and will be provided to the Planning Commission before it considers the project.

County staff also said they have met multiple times with Wrightwood residents and representatives of the Lone Pine Canyon Protection Alliance, a coalition of residents formed to oppose the proposed quarry. The group has collected more than 7,000 signatures on the change.org website opposing the project. They have also obtained legal representation through an environmental law firm and are organizing, in hopes, to have a significant public turnout at the Aug. 6th hearing.

Public concerns have focused on traffic, public safety, environmental impacts, emergency evacuation routes, and whether the county should require a full Environmental Impact Report (EIR) rather than relying on an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration. County officials reiterated that the environmental review is limited because the vested mining rights were already established in 2019. The county’s Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration concluded that the project would not result in significant environmental impacts with the proposed mitigation measures in place. However, many local residents remained skeptical when county officials first presented the study in April. Among their primary concerns is blasting near the San Andreas Fault. Residents have pointed to recent research that suggests portions of the fault system are under unusually high levels of accumulated stress, raising questions about whether the project’s seismic impacts have been fully evaluated.

The County’s presentation also addressed concerns about truck traffic on Lone Pine Canyon Road. SBC Officials stated that trucks traveling directly to the quarry would be permitted to use the roadway despite posted weight restrictions because they have a legitimate destination along the route. The presentation did not address potential traffic impacts on Highway 138 or Interstate 15 through the Cajon Pass, concerns which also have been raised by residents and commuters in the greater area.

Residents may continue submitting written comments until the Aug. 6 Planning Commission hearing by emailing SBC Planner Derek Newland at [email protected].

The public will also have an opportunity to speak during the public hearing before commissioners vote on the reclamation plan. The meeting will be held August 6th, 2026 at 9:00am located at the San Bernardino County Government Center, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino. Remote availability for public comments will also be set up at the Jerry Lewis High Desert Government Center located at 15900 Smoke Tree St. Suite 131, Hesperia, CA 92345.

Any decision made by the Planning Commission may be appealed to the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors within 10 days.

The public can review project documents through the San Bernardino County Land Use Services website at https://lus.sbcounty.gov/lonepinequarry/

EDITORS NOTE: Past 2019 San Bernardino County records & reports retained by Mathew Dalton of the Lone Pine Canyon Protection Alliance