Anti-illegal-immigration group's sign back up on I-5
The San Diego Minutemen had sued to force Caltrans to allow their Adopt-a-Highway sign near the San Clemente Border Patrol checkpoint.
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
9:56 AM PDT, July 25, 2008

An anti-illegal-immigration group's Adopt-a-Highway sign was re-posted this week on Interstate 5 near the Border Patrol checkpoint in San Clemente after a federal judge ruled it did not pose a danger to the public.

State transit officials had moved the San Diego Minutemen's sign to a less-busy highway in eastern San Diego County because they were concerned it would become a gathering place for protesters and clog the busy interstate.

Minutemen exit I-5, get new road to adopt
The Adopt-a-Highway program "is not a forum for advertising or public discourse," CalTrans officials said on the agency's website.

The Minutemen sued in federal court, claiming that the sign's removal violated the organization's right to free speech. A judge ruled last month that the sign did not pose a danger to the public and should be re-posted. It had been moved to a stretch of California 52.

"We are all thrilled to see our Adopt-a-Highway recognition sign back up, standing more proudly than ever," the group's founder, Jeff Schwilk, said in a statement posted on its website. "The U.S. Constitution has thankfully trumped the lies and coercion of the illegal alien activists. . . . Thank you to Americans nationwide who helped us win this critical legal fight for our rights and to have our message heard by all America!"

Most of San Diego and Imperial counties' state roads have been adopted by individuals, groups or businesses, with the exception of a few stretches of Interstate 8, CalTrans officials said.

Groups typically adopt a two-mile piece of road in one direction, agreeing to keep the area clean and litter-free. In exchange, they are allowed to erect a road sign bearing their name. The waiting list for popular areas can be years.

The Minutemen are seeking approval to post a second sign on southbound Interstate 5 in San Diego County. They filed an application with CalTrans in May that was denied, Schwilk said.

The Minuteman Project, a different anti-illegal-immigration group, recently adopted a portion of northbound California 133 in Irvine.

CalTrans officials suspended pending Adopt-a-Highway permits last month to review the 19-year-old program's rules. State officials have said they will seek public comment during their evaluation. They estimate that 120,000 people or groups have participated in the program since its inception.


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