The San Mateo campground in San Diego county found unlikely heroes in "everyday" normal people.
Teachers, students, surfers and others banded together to fight against the destruction of their treasured state park and beach.
The fight to oppose the expansion of the 241 toll road through the campground has been characterized as a "David vs. Goliath battle."
The Transportation Corridor Agencies wielded political clout and wealth.
Southern California residents exhibited heart and determination as they came together against the odds, to fight the proposition that would endanger the future of the campground and Trestles beach.
The California Coastal Commission recently held a hearing to determine whether the toll road would violate the California Coastal Act.
This hearing was a pivotal point in the battle.
The commission holds the keys to developing on California coastlines.
Volunteers from all over Southern California began working together to encourage the commission to deny the toll road.
"This battle has been going on for eight years," said Robin Everett, Conservation Organizer for the Friends of the Foothills campaign.
Those in opposition to the toll road worried that the wealthy TCA would sway the commission.
Local environmental conservation groups, such as the Sierra Club and Surfrider Foundation, began to drum up support through meetings, rallies, T-shirts, posters and lawn signs.
The commission decided at the hearing that the expansion does not comply with the Coastal Act, putting a major roadblock in the plans.
"I think the compelling arguments and the large turnout of those in opposition swayed the commission," Everett said of the commission hearing.
Some of these individuals had previous experience in political activism, others were new to the process.
Candice Mize, a California State Fullerton public relations major, was never involved in activism for any political issue prior to this one.
She camped at San Mateo with her aunt a few years ago and heard of the plan to build the toll road through the campground.
"It caught my attention," Mize said. "I was shocked to hear that they would take away a state park."
Mize's aunt, Deborah Fry, is a sixth grade teacher in San Bernardino county and calls San Mateo her "home away from home."
Fry and her family have been camping at San Mateo for 14 years. Her passion for the campground and other state parks in her hometown drove her to be involved in the campaign.
"This is the first time I've ever been involved in an issue like this," Fry said. "My family was never involved in politics."
Fry said she feels compelled to do what she can to help stop the expansion of the toll road.
Fry began writing letters to her local newspapers, sending out e-mail blasts and getting the word out wherever and whenever she could.
The commission hearing on Feb. 6 was attended by over 3,000 people. Mize and Fry attended the meeting that went from early in the morning until 11:30 p.m.
"I showed up and held a sign," Mize said. "It was neat to be able to be a part of something, to say I made a difference."
Mize said she joined the campaign because she and her family enjoy hiking and camping in the state parks in Northern California as well as the San Mateo Campground.
"I love being able to escape from city life, to have the peace and serenity of nature," Mize said.
Fry said she believes there is power in numbers.
"Every little act makes a difference," Fry said. "Sometimes you won't know until later what your impact was. I will be able to look back and say that I did everything I could to save the park. I won't have any regrets. Every little act makes a difference."
