On Saturday morning, the coastal town of San Clemente became ground zero in the battle between California and the Trump administration over a pre-planned live-fire artillery round shot over the freeway during a military event at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.<\/p>\n
A 17-miles stretch of Interstate 5 was periodically closed through Camp Pendleton, and the northern side of the closure was just outside San Clemente\u2019s city limits.<\/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 closure during 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
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
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
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. 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 traffic did not seem to nit business at the SC Cafe in San Clemente, said cafe owner Joey Abi-Loutfi.<\/p>\n
\u201c\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 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
By mid-afternoon, it appeared motorists had gotten word lf the closure and conditions around San Clemente had eased.<\/p>\n
By the 91 and 15 freeways \u2014 the inland alternative to the 5 between Los Angeles and San Diego \u2014 were jammed.<\/p>\n