\u201cIt is not safe for people to drive on a major freeway at high speeds directly under LIVE MUNITIONS,\u201d his office wrote on X. \u201cWhite House not communicating, endangering the public, and then trying to blame the Governor for doing the right thing \u2014 keeping people out of harm\u2019s way \u2014 yet another day living in Trump\u2019s authoritarian America,\u201d the post said<\/a>. <\/p>\n Administration officials said the Camp Pendleton event was perfectly safe and that a freeway closure was not needed.<\/p>\n \u201cGavin Newsom wants people to think this exercise is dangerous,\u201d said William Martin, the communications director for Vance, in a statement.<\/p>\n Oceanside\u2019s assistant police chief John McKean said that while the full closure lasted only a little over an hour, the California Highway Patrol planned to conduct a traffic break when the ammunition fired.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not like they\u2019re going to get hit by explosives or anything like that, it\u2019s just loud booms, and it may frighten [drivers] when the rounds are going to go off, because it\u2019s going to be going off for about a good 15 or 20 minutes,\u201d McKean said.<\/p>\n Mid-morning on Saturday the southbound 5 Freeway grounded to a halt about half a mile ahead of the El Camino Real exit, the second-to-last exit before the previously announced interstate closure.<\/p>\n The previous three freeway exits \u2014 Avenida Palizada, Avenida Pico and Avenida Vista Hermosa \u2014 all had flashing freeways signs warning of the impending closure.<\/p>\n Motorists who were brave or foolish enough to venture beyond Avenida Palizada endured a minimum of 30 minutes trying to exit the freeway.<\/p>\n San Clemente City Councilmember Mark Enmeier said that the freeway closure came \u201ccompletely out of the blue\u201d and that he found out about it just as many residents did on Saturday morning when the Orange County Sheriff\u2019s Department announced it publicly on Instagram.<\/p>\n \u201cThere was no coordination with any local officials on this whatsoever,\u201d Enmeier said. Or if there was, he said, \u201cI was not informed of it.\u201d<\/p>\n Interstate 5 was closed temporarily Saturday after military officials confirmed live-fire artillery rounds would be shot over the freeway.<\/p>\n (Jonathan Alcorn\/For The Times)<\/p>\n The mid-morning closure stretched from Harbor Drive in Oceanside to Basilone Road near San Onofre.<\/p>\n Some vehicles on the interstate illegally made nearly 90-degree turns on the freeway heading southbound to break through the bottleneck by exiting the vacant El Camino Real onramp for about 15 minutes. A California Highway Patrol officer eventually rode up the ramp and shut off access.<\/p>\n McKean told The Times he\u2019s been in meetings with Camp Pendleton officials about the celebration for the last month. The closure of the interstate \u201ccame up overnight from Governor Newsom\u2019s office.\u201d <\/p>\n In a statement to The Times, the city of Oceanside said it was notified of the interstate closure at 7:30 a.m. via a California Highway Patrol update.<\/p>\n \u201cMarine Corps was not even aware that [the interstate] was going to be closed, this was something from Sacramento to Cal Trans to CHP,\u201d McKean said. <\/p>\n The assistant police chief has lived in the Oceanside area since 1996 and said this is the first time \u201cany training other than fires that I can remember closing down the I-5, this is not a normal thing.\u201d<\/p>\n McKean also said he has spent 20 years in the Marine Corps and \u201cI\u2019ve had artillery shot over me plenty of times,\u201d but he said, \u201cit can be a distraction for drivers, for sure, and I think Governor is doing it in abundance of caution.\u201d<\/p>\n Share via Close extra sharing options <\/p>\n The governor\u2019s office said it was informed earlier in the week that the White House was considering closing the freeway<\/a> and when no order materialized by Wednesday, state officials began weighing whether to do so themselves. Driving that decision, they said, were safety concerns about reports that live ordnance would be fired over the freeway and onto the base.<\/p>\n Newsom\u2019s office said Thursday it was told no live fire would go over the freeway, only to be informed Friday that the military event organizers asked the California Department of Transportation for a sign along the I-5 that read \u201cOverhead fire in progress.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier Saturday morning, the state was told that live rounds were scheduled to be shot over the freeway around 1:30 p.m, prompting California Highway Patrol officials to recommend the freeway closure because of the potential safety risk and likelihood it would distract drivers. <\/p>\n In San Clemente, Saturday\u2019s brunch specials at the SC Cafe included mimosas, Bloody Marys and beers along with avocado toast, eggs Benedict and breakfast burritos.<\/p>\n Nearly every table at the corner eatery right off the 5 Freeway was filled with local and seasonal European tourists.<\/p>\n Yet business was a \u201ca bit slow\u201d that day, according to the staff and cafe owner Joey Abi-Loutfi, due in part to the freeway shutdown.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard about the traffic from the news a day earlier and wasn\u2019t exactly sure what to think,\u201d Abi-Loutfi said. \u201cThat\u2019s the give and take of owning a restaurant right next to a freeway ramp.\u201d<\/p>\n Abi-Loutfi said traffic and slowdowns have been a boon to his business in the past.<\/p>\n Jackknifed big rigs translated into frustrated drivers pulling over and grabbing a bite at the 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily establishment.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople will wait out the traffic with some food,\u201d said Abi-Loutfi, who\u2019s owned the eatery for 27 years.<\/p>\n Abi-Loutfi said he\u2019s not thrilled about this shutdown, though, aside from slower-than-usual business, due to the government\u2019s show of force in firing off weapons.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat a great use of funding,\u201d he said with a sarcasm thicker than his restaurant\u2019s chunky salsa.<\/p>\n A cyclist manuvers around safety cones signalling that Interstate 5 freeway is closed on Saturday.<\/p>\n (Jonathan Alcorn\/For The Times)<\/p>\n Saturday\u2019s closure brought a deepening strain between California and the Trump administration \u2014 which has been escalating in recent months after the White House deployed National Guard troops<\/a> to Los Angeles to clamp down on protests, ramped up immigration raids<\/a> and pressured California universities <\/a>to comply with his agenda.<\/p>\n To Enmeier, the live-ammunition event is a \u201cshow of force on behalf of a few individuals\u201d more than likely intentionally timed to this day of widespread protest.<\/a> Plus, he said the freeway closure is a source of needless financial strain.<\/p>\n \u201cNot only are we paying as a taxpayer for these shows of force, we\u2019re also losing money,\u201d Enmeier said. \u201cI mean, this is a major arterial road, and there\u2019s no other way down to San Diego from Orange County without taking an hour-and-a-half detour.\u201d<\/p>\n The Marine Corps said in a statement that Saturday\u2019s event would be a \u201chistoric Amphibious Capabilities Demonstration, showcasing the strength and unity of the Navy-Marine Corps team and ensuring we remain ready to defend the Homeland and our Nation\u2019s interests abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the Marines said artillery was shot from Red Beach into designated ranges on Friday evening as part of a dress rehearsal. <\/p>\n \u201cM777 artillery pieces have historically been fired during routine training from land-based artillery firing points west of the I-5 into impact areas east of the interstate within existing safety protocols and without the need to close the route,\u201d the statement said. \u201cThis is an established and safe practice.\u201d<\/p>\n The military show of force coincides with \u201cNo Kings\u201d rallies and marches across the state Saturday challenging President Trump and what critics say is government overreach. Dozens of protests<\/a> are scheduled Saturday across Southern California, with more than 2,700 demonstrations expected across the country.<\/p>\n During \u201cNo Kings\u201d protests in June, <\/a>Trump held a military parade in Washington, D.C., which included a 21-gun salute, to celebrate the U.S. Army\u2019s 250th anniversary. <\/p>\n \u201cUsing our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn\u2019t strength \u2014 it\u2019s reckless, it\u2019s disrespectful, and it\u2019s beneath the office he holds,\u201d Newsom said in a statement. \u201cLaw and order? This is chaos and confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n The Marine Corps said in a statement to The Times on Thursday that a detailed risk assessment was conducted and \u201cno highways or transportation routes will be closed\u201d for the event titled \u201cSea to Shore \u2014 A Review of Amphibious Strength.\u201d <\/p>\n Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis of the I Marine Expeditionary Force said that no ordnance will be fired from a U.S. Navy ship during the event, but Marines will fire high explosive rounds from artillery known as M777 Howitzers into designated ranges \u201cwith all safety precautions in place.\u201d Simulated explosives and visual effects will also be used, he said.<\/p>\n The Trump administration previously had plans for a major celebration next month for the 250th anniversary of the Navy and Marines, which would have included an air and sea show \u2014 with the Blue Angels and parading warships \u2014 to be attended by Trump, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune<\/a>. Plans to host that show in San Diego have been called off, the paper reported.<\/p>\n Camp Pendleton is a 125,000-acre base in northwestern San Diego County that has been critical in preparing troops for amphibious missions since World War II thanks to its miles of beach and coastal hills. The U.S. Department of Defense is considering making a portion of the base available for development or lease<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gridlock reigned Saturday on one of California\u2019s most vital freeways after state officials closed a 17-mile stretch of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235086,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,130386,130388,2356,25317,130384,130385,4379,130387,3,39153,16178,27534,5572,6318,13109,16597,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-235085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-artillery","tag-busy-highway","tag-california","tag-closure","tag-freeway","tag-i-5-today","tag-military","tag-navy-ship","tag-news","tag-newsom","tag-office","tag-order","tag-president","tag-saturday","tag-state","tag-thursday","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235085"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235085\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235086"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}} <\/p>\n
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