2014 City Councilmembers from left: Jim Evert, Mayor Pro Tem Chris Hamm, Bob Baker, Lori Donchak, Mayor Tim Brown
San Clemente City Council says there are serious safety issues at San Onofre. City Council voted 5-0 to support needed critical safety improvements at San Onofre.
City Hall 100 Avenida Presidio San Clemente, CA 92672 949-361-8200 Contact City Council members San Clemente City websiteSan Clemente Centennial General Plan, February 2014 website
San Clemente Centennial General Plan, February 2014 (searchable)
Sections referencing nuclear:
Energy Conservation Pages NR-10 to NR-11
The City intends to encourage SONGS’s [San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station’s] owners, other energy purveyors and regulatory agencies to: 1) identify alternative energy sources to help meet local and regional electricity needs, 2) decommission SONGS in a safe and timely manner, and 3) seek a long-term solution for the relocation and storage of fuel rods away from SONGS to a location distant from urbanized areas…
Coastal Hazards Page C-13
As addressed in the Safety Element, landslides, seismic, liquefaction, tsunamis, flooding and nuclear events are potential risks in coastal San Clemente. With a railroad running along the coast, rail-related accidents could be an issue and are addressed in the Beaches section of the Beaches, Parks and Recreation Element. In addition, storm generated tidal surges and rising sea-levels present potential hazards that must also be considered. Another hazard is the loss of beach sand and other sedimentary deposits which are critical to the protection of coastal lands and bluffs and for public safety, recreation and wildlife habitat. A major provision of the Coastal Act is to manage coastal hazards, reduce risks to life and property, avoid substantial changes to natural landforms and minimize the need for protective structures…
Radiological Hazards Page S-7 to S-8
The San Clemente Multi-Hazard Emergency Plan was created to prepare the community for potential emergency situations that could develop as a result of excessive radiation exposure from SONGS. The Multi-Hazard Emergency Plan outlines procedures for oversight, communication, emergency warning, evacuation, response, and recovery…
City Council Meetings
12/17/2013 Meeting
San Clemente City Council unanimously passes Resolution 13-53 regarding the urgency of removing the dangerous nuclear waste from San Onofre, based on geographic conditions and dense population. The resolution was submitted as a comment to the NRC Waste Confidence Generic Environment Impact Statement (GEIS). The NRC GEIS concludes it is safe to store the tons of nuclear waste at all nuclear plants indefinitely.
The city also sent a letter to the NRC requesting an extension of the deadline for GEIS comments to February 28, 2014 and sent letters to cities within 20 miles, asking them to support the same action. More…
07/18/2012 Meeting
City Council votes to send the following letters regarding San Onofre safety, cost and reliability concerns.
- Letter to the California Public Utilities Commission, urging them to not delay adopting its Order Instituting Investigation (OII) regarding [cost and reliability of] the San Onofre nuclear plant.
- Letter to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, expressing concerns about safety issues at San Onofre, including the spent fuel stored on-site. Includes previous letters sent to Chairman Jaczko and Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein.
20011 Meetings – Lessons Learned from Fukushima
The San Clemente City Council sponsored several meetings and presentations regarding the implications of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster for the San Onofre Nuclear Generation Station. This resulted in their conclusion that there are serious safety issues at the San Onofre nuclear plant. Here are some key documents and presentations from those city council meetings.
10/18/2011 Meeting
ACTIONS TAKEN BY CITY COUNCIL
- City Council votes 5-0 to support needed critical safety improvements at San Onofre (meeting minutes page 13 & 14)
- City Council sends November 2011 letters to elected officials and regulatory agencies requesting action and support of changes needed to address San Onofre safety issues. Letters sent to all Orange County city mayors and County Board of Supervisors, Congressmen Ken Calvert and Darrell Issa, Senators Barbara Boxer and Diane Feinstein, the California Public Utilities Commission and Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Gregory Jaczko.
Following discussion, MOTION BY MAYOR PRO TEM EVERT, SECOND BY COUNCILMEMBER DAHL, CARRIED 5-0, to:
1. Direct formal communication, on behalf of the citizens of San Clemente, to the NRC with copies to appropriate elected and appointed officials (including Orange County municipalities and the County of Orange Board of Supervisors with a summary of the action plan, encouraging them to follow San Clemente’s lead and to support the removal of spent nuclear fuel):
a. Support Senator Boxer’s and Feinstein’s efforts to advocate that the NRC modify its relicensing policies in order to assure a full reexamination of design basis elements, including seismic and tsunami hazards, operational issues, plant security, emergency preparedness, and spent nuclear storage options.
b. Insist that the NRC require that utilities move spent fuel rods to dry cask storage as soon as individual rods can safely be moved.
c. Support Senators Boxer’s and Feinstein’s call for the NRC to implement the short-term recommendations in the NRC 90 Day Task-Force Report as soon as possible and that it develop a feasible plan for implementing longer term recommendations.
2. Direct formal communication, on behalf of the citizens of San Clemente, to Senators Feinstein and Boxer and Congressmen Calvert and Issa:
a. Ask our Federal Elected Officials to demand the establishment of a permanent, safe, disposal site for spent nuclear fuel and the establishment of temporary sites, if necessary, to move spent fuel away from our community.
b. Ask our Federal Elected Officials to insist that a permanent off-site storage solution for spent fuel be identified before relicensing is granted to SONGS.
c. Ask our Federal Elected Officials to review the risk/benefit analysis that NRC uses to ensure that it adequately assesses public risk levels.
d. Support our Senators’ efforts to ensure the NRC implements the short-term recommendations in the NRC 90 Day Task-Force Report as soon as possible and that it develop a feasible plan for implementing longer term recommendations.
3. Request that the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission support the proposed Southern California Edison enhanced seismic study of the region so that it begins as quickly as possible.
4. Pursue additional funding for the extension of La Pata as an additional evacuation route from San Clemente.
10/11/2011 Meeting
- Independent Expert Speakers – city council video of meeting
- Speaker biographies and video presentations
- Arnie Gundersen presentation to San Clemente
San Onofre Safety 
This is invaluable, Bert. Thank you.
It’s going to take an “Occupy” type of action before these requests to take action will move forward.