Temecula observes Pechanga Pu'éska Mountain Day

Kim Harris

Managing Editor

The city of Temecula observed Pechanga Pu’éska Mountain Day Monday, Nov. 15, with a special event reflecting on the ways in which the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, Temecula’s first citizens, shaped the community’s character and heritage.

The event was held at sunset on the steps of City Hall for a short ceremony featuring Proclamation recital of the city’s proclamation, originally drafted in 2012 by both Temecula and tribal councils that affirmed Pechanga Pu’éska Mountain Day as a city holiday and shares the Pu’éska Mountain story that bonded the two communities.

Inside the conference center, food and drinks were served and a viewing of “The Mountain that Weeps,” a documentary by Brad Munoa, a member of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, highlighting the movement to protect Pu’éska Mountain, was held.

Munoa, who is a writer, director and producer for Pechanga Creative Studios, released the award-winning film about the land-use battle between Granite Construction Company, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians and the local community in 2019.

Liberty Quarry was planned adjacent to the city boundary and would have been among the largest aggregate mining quarries in the United States with up to 1,600 gravel truck trips every day, boulder blasts, lights, noise and dust in the trajectory of the prevailing winds overlooking Temecula. Despite being rejected by the Riverside County Planning Commission, the mine was ultimately fast-tracked for approval by the 2012 county board of supervisors, none of whom remain on the board.

After many years of opposition by tens of thousands of residents and businesses, the Pechanga Tribe, the city of Temecula, Save our Southwest Hills and San Diego State University, who came together in what many call an “unprecedented effort” to contest the project, Pechanga ultimately negotiated an agreement with a multi-billion dollar nationwide mining corporation in order to protect their sacred creation area in perpetuity, which in turn protected Temecula residents and businesses from the significant impacts of a mine this size.

According to a news release issued by the city, before being elected to the Temecula City Council, Temecula Mayor Pro Tem Matt Rahn worked for San Diego State University and managed SDSU’s Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve which shared a boundary with the proposed Liberty Quarry and was vehemently opposed to the project.

“As proposed, this was going to be one of the largest mining operations of its kind, causing permanent damage to sensitive biological, cultural and hydrological resources,” Rahn said. “This area represents the last of so many things for southern California – the last inland to coastal wildlife linkage, the last fully-protected free-flowing river, home to many endemic and sensitive species and a significant cultural legacy for Pechanga that could never be replaced. After nearly eight years of a very intense and often contentious battle, Nov. 15, 2012, Pechanga announced the purchase of this mountain and, unquestionably that remains among the best days historically for the city of Temecula.”

Temecula Mayor Maryann Edwards said that the film is “perfectly produced” and reflects a time in the history of Temecula that could have changed the city forever.

“The city of Temecula is grateful for this accurate and historic accounting of this challenging time,” Edwards said. “Pechanga Pu’éska Mountain Day formally sets aside one day to show our gratitude to the Pechanga Tribe for saving our community from the impacts of a massive open pit mine. Liberty Quarry would have irreversibly desecrated the mountainous area southwest of Old Town and the Luiseño Garden of Eden (Pu'éska Mountain which is the place of the Sacred Creation Area for all Luiseño Indian People).”

Interested residents and businesses can watch “The Mountain That Weeps” online at http://www.mountainthatweeps.com/.

Kim Harris can be reached by email at [email protected].