Wrightwood residents fight a quarry they never saw coming

# What happened

# What the mine would do

The proposal calls for extracting ultra-high purity calcium carbonate by blasting down roughly 1,600 feet in open pits. The site has a long history: Cajon Lime operated a small plant there in the 1920s, and descendants of Michael P. Hannin applied for vested rights in 2018. At the initial hearings a former owner told the commission the family had invested "many millions of dollars" and that the material was important to the county and Southern California.

# How the community found out

Most Wrightwood residents were unaware the 2019 hearings took place. Two hearings had so little public participation that only one member of the public spoke out. When county officials this spring proposed adopting an abbreviated form of the reclamation review required after vesting, a local resident posted about it on Facebook. That post brought the issue to the Wrightwood Fire Safe Council, which held a meeting on April 21 that drew a standing-room-only crowd instead of the usual dozen or so attendees.

# Local response

Residents organized quickly. They formed the Lone Pine Canyon Protection Alliance, drafted petitions and raised funds for legal action. More than 7,600 people signed a petition calling for a full environmental review. Community leaders and neighbors voiced concerns about toxic dust, groundwater pollution, and potential impacts on wildfire evacuation routes.

# Environmental and regulatory concerns

State wildlife officials have flagged potential harms to bumblebees, desert bighorn sheep, golden eagles and other species. A quarry with vested rights still must clear a reclamation-plan review showing how the land will be restored after mining. County staff recommended an abbreviated review this spring, a move that prompted residents to push for reconsideration of the Planning Commission's 2019 decision.

A county geologist originally recommended denying the vested-rights application, arguing mining at the site had been dormant well before California's 1976 surface mining law. The Planning Commission nevertheless ordered the geologist to revise his findings and granted vesting. A county land-use spokesperson noted staff provide recommendations but the commission can reach its own determination.

# What's next

Planning Commission decision. The project still faces review of a reclamation plan even with vesting, but the abbreviated review proposed by the county offers a narrower path forward than a full environmental impact process. Residents continue to press elected officials and gather support while exploring legal options.

# Community stakes

Wrightwood is a small, pine-studded mountain village with an estimated population of about 5,067. For many residents the quarry raises practical concerns about health, water and safety: dust generation, possible water-table effects, and how large-scale mining operations could affect roads used for wildfire evacuation.

# Immediate actions residents have taken

• Formed Lone Pine Canyon Protection Alliance.
• Collected more than 7,600 petition signatures.
• Pressed county officials for public briefings and reconsideration of vested rights.
• Sought political backing and prepared for legal challenges.

Residents who learned about the project in the spring described shock and a feeling of betrayal given how little notice the earlier approvals received. The county planning process and the next steps on reclamation review will determine whether the community gains a broader environmental review or whether the project proceeds under the vested-rights framework.