It was a beautiful morning Sunday was.

The early sun warming Ronald Reagan Sports Park was tempered by the breeze from the west through the pass where it brings fresh ocean air daily to the valleys beginning with Rainbow and continuing through Temecula and environs.

More than 200 runners/walkers had preregistered as of Friday for the inaugural 5K Run for the Hills at the first Healthy Hills and Valley Expo.

The run was sponsored in the main by Save Our Southwest Hills, the group fighting to save hundreds of thousands of residents from the unavoidable consequences of allowing an open pit, rock-blasting quarry mere miles upwind of the cities and communities they built and in which people actually want to live.   

By Sunday's 9 a.m. start, the number of participants had grown to 340. Their fees went to help support SOS-Hills, the Temecula/Murrieta Rescue Mission and the Santa Margarita Ecological Reserve.  

A fine morning indeed, but the longer forecast reveals clouds that likely will rain great expense on quarry opponents.

Much weight has been put on the Local Agency Formation Commission's next action on Temecula's amended annexation application. Some even call it a sell-out.

Whatever your view, at this point LAFCO's decision is irrelevant to the question of the Granite Construction's proposed Liberty Quarry.

Assuming Granite's application gets to the county Board of Supervisors, a likely event, that's the decision that will be tested.

Then the fun begins. 

As one wizened quarry opponent points out, no matter who wins, the loser will go to court. Granite has spent too much money to back off now and, says he, the corporate bigs have too much reputation invested.

What must happen now, whether the issue makes it to the supervisors by November or two Novembers hence, is a further bonding of anti-quarry elements; a sharpening of the awareness of the opposition in your daily life.

SOS-Hills reports its Businesses, Organizations and Non-Profit Groups Opposing Liberty Quarry arm has topped 500 members and the list of Physicians Opposing the Quarry is said to stand at 105.

Questions: Are the people you do business with on that list? Ask.

Are your doctors? Ask.

Have you joined your neighbors in protesting or volunteering with SOS-Hills? Do it.

And when LAFCO and the Board of Supervisors meet, attend.  

But what increasingly will be critical is the funding to wage a long-term court fight. So when you see SOS-Hills selling dollar bumper stickers, buy 10 if you can, two for you and some for the neighbors.

PHIL STRICKLAND writes from Temecula. Contact him at philipestrickland@yahoo.com.