City of Temecula proclamation regarding Pechanga Pu’éska Mountain Day
The City of Temecula
PROCLAMATION
- WHEREAS, Pu’éska Mountain represents the place of the Sacred Creation Area for all Luiseño Indian People; and
- WHEREAS, Pu’éska Mountain is the Luiseño Garden of Eden, Dome of the Rock, and the Wailing Wall altogether, and is the place of the union of “Sky-Father” and “Earth-Mother” where life on earth began; therefore holding profound cultural, historical and spiritual importance to all Luiseño Indian People for all time; and
- WHEREAS, Pu’éska Mountain was threatened to be permanently desecrated by Liberty Quarry, the most contentious land issue ever faced in Riverside County; and
- WHEREAS, the Liberty Quarry “story” is remembered as a collaborative and united effort by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, Save Our Southwest Hills, San Diego State University, the City of Temecula, tens of thousands of citizens, business owners, community stakeholders, and all who worked tirelessly to stop the useless destruction of an environmentally and culturally sensitive mountain; and
- WHEREAS, the proposed surface mine would have irreversibly ruined the Sacred Creation Area of the Luiseño Indian People; and
- WHEREAS, Pu’éska Mountain became a symbol to many communities of people enduring the seven year battle to protect it from a devastating and massive quarry; and
- WHEREAS, the Valley’s clean air, health, and general welfare of its population were threatened; as were the streams and groundwater of Pu’éska Mountain, the beauty of its native habitat, oak trees, and weeping rocks of its cultural landscape; and Southern California’s last free-flowing river to the ocean, the designated wildlife linkage between the
inland and coastal mountain ranges, the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve, the local economy, and the quality of life for the people in the Valley below it; and - WHEREAS, Pu’éska Mountain strengthened and bonded its surrounding communities in a common cause worth protecting until the end; and
- WHEREAS, on November 15, 2012, Pu’éska was reunited with its original stewards to be preserved for future generations through a historic settlement agreement negotiated by the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians; and
- WHEREAS, the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians announced the end of Liberty Quarry, and as a result, the crying rocks of Pu’éska wept with happiness as the winds blew strong and clean; and then all the people cried with profound gratitude; and
- WHEREAS, the power of Pu’éska Mountain protected itself, like it has since the creation of time for the Luiseño Indian People.
- NOW, THEREFORE, in heartfelt recognition, the City Council and the citizens of Temecula would like to profoundly thank the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians. In honor of the significant contributions of many, I, Chuck Washington, on behalf of the City Council of the City of Temecula, do hereby proclaim November 15, 2012, and every November 15th thereafter, to be: “Pechanga Pu’éska Mountain Day.”
(Original Proclamation signed in 2012)
Submitted by City of Temecula
SEE RELATED: Temecula honors, observes Pechanga Pu’éska Mountain Day, Nov. 15
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Trevor Montgomery, 49, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, (the now defunct) Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.