About Us
Escondido Neighbors United
Who we are: An alliance of engaged residents working for the benefit of rural, urban, and natural communities in the Escondido Area.
Where are we located: We are neighbors, friends, and park users who live, work, and play in the neighborhoods of Escondido and the areas surrounding Escondido.
Why did we form: We all love the neighborhoods and natural environment in the Escondido area. We see that there are many threats to the quality of life for present and future generations and we want to make a difference.
Our mission: To advance protection of communities, protection of natural resources, ensure sustainable planning and development, prevent and secure cleanup of contamination, and support of environmental justice in the Escondido area.
Our strategies: To achieve our goals we will educate, collaborate, organize, advocate, and when necessary, litigate in order to achieve sustainable, appropriate, health-based solutions to issues facing our area.
Our goals:
- To ensure contamination from the Chatham Barrel Yard State Superfund site is cleaned up to a level protective of human health and the environment.
- To cleanup, restore, and protect local creeks such as Felicita Creek, lakes, and waterways so they are preserved for current and future generations of people, wildlife, and native plant communities.
- To stop dangerous developments such as Harvest Hills which endanger the region and increase contributions to climate change.
- To advocate for appropriate and affordable projects which are in alignment with community character, healthful and sustainable for all residents; contribute to high quality of life and a vibrant downtown; preserve the character of existing rural neighborhoods; reduce contributions to climate change; and, support a resilient and sustainable economy.
- To encourage all residents, businesses, and government to increase planting of California native plants in landscaping to support local species and reduce climate impacts.
- To celebrate and share information about local businesses, events, organizations, and opportunities which contribute to a rich and diverse life in the Escondido area.
- To effectively communicate with elected and appointed officials, regulators, and organizations about our issues.
- To support each other and have fun too!
We have several priorities we are currently working on. Please visit our Key Issues page.
1. Cleanup of Chatham Brothers Barrel Yard – a State Superfund site that has contaminated groundwater under Felicita Park and Felicita Creek with industrial wastes from the site.
2. Stop Harvest Hills, a dangerous development project proposed for Escondido. We oppose City annexations if they negatively impact current county or city residents or the environment, including Harvest Hills.
3. Clean up and protect Felicita Park and Felicita Creek.
4. Support the protection natural areas as part of the Wildlife and Habitat Conservation Coalition.
How do I become a member: Anyone who lives, works, plays, or cares about the rural, city, and natural communities in the Escondido area can join if they share our mission, goals, and values. There are no minimum financial dues required since we are a fully volunteer-led organization. However, we always appreciate donations of any size which should be sent to our sponsor organization, ECO San Diego. We do ask for donations of your time and effort and ask all members to take at least two actions a year related to our goals. You can sign up for our announcement list or our discussion list here.