Fight to Protect Free Parking at Local Beaches
Stand Up And Have Your Vote Counted
Writes a fired up local surfer, “We are under represented in fighting against parking fees at Hendry’s beach, Rincon, summerland, Loon’s, Goleta beach, and a host of other areas. I was one of only a handfull of surfers at this morning’s meeeting. I want to pack the house. I’m calling everyone out, and their friends. Come on locals, where’s your voice? Get involved, get your voice heard. I’m calling everyone out now, I want you to be there. Let’s show them how important free beach access is to us, that it’s what makes Santa Barbara special. It’s now or prepared to get out your wallet EVERY time you go to the beach for a surf or a walk on the beach. The final meeting to get your voice heard is Thursday, August 16th at 5:30 PM. That meeting will take place in Santa Barbara at 123 E. Anapamu Street.”
» wrote on 08.06.12 @ 11:29 PM
The squeaky wheel gets the oil. Time to squeak my saltwater brothers. Money’s tight at the county and they are looking for places to suck our money. No time to have your head in the sand and let other’s do this for you. Come yourself to the meeting and invest in your local unmetered surf beaches. There will be friends, there will be chicks, free beer!! o.k. no beer but you will feel like you gave your part on this if you go. See you there!!
» wrote on 08.07.12 @ 09:07 AM
So, will there be a season pass available or does a surfer have to pay every time they want to check the surf whether or not they choose to stay, or go to another beach for better conditions in the same day? How about the weekend tourist? Are they limited to one beach per payment per day? That could get quite costly and ANNOYING even if they can afford it. Like having someone stick their hand out (OR IN YOUR POCKET) for a tip every darned time you stop your car. This is not a third world country is it? Is Santa Barbara so desperate for money that they have to squeeze the individual to pay for the natural beauty that should be FREE???
» wrote on 08.09.12 @ 09:33 AM
Ocean Beach in San Diego has free parking and everybody digs it. It had to be voted down in SD after some numbnuts proposed it. It’s almost nostalgic to have free parking these days.
» wrote on 08.09.12 @ 07:18 PM
This decision to tax access to the beach at rates that will be prohibitive to lots of people is abhorrent for the reasons that it is divisive, unfair and unjust. It divides the community further into the wealthier and the poorer. It undermines quality of life for many who benefit socially and psychologically from direct access to the most beautiful aspects of nature. It is unfair if the persons who already wield more power are able to prevail in the decisions without significant community input and alternate considerations for revenue. It is unjust because the beauties of nature should not be controlled by the powerful and the wealthy, but should be shared equally by all. It is totally unimaginative, uncreative and mundane, for surely there have to be numerous less-divisive, socially redeeming, more fair and just ways to raise taxes than to punish the beach-loving community. STAND UP AND BE HEARD!
» wrote on 08.12.12 @ 10:07 PM
They are not proposing fees in Montecito or Hope Ranch, just in the places where the working class uses the beach. The only way to stop it and protect our free use of public beaches is to go to this meeting on this Thursday and all shout at once “No!” Otherwise they will just think we don’t care and start charging us to use all public spaces. None of the money produced by these parking fees goes to improve the beach; they just go to pay other county finances.
» wrote on 08.15.12 @ 08:29 AM
As a 20 year resident of Santa Barbara, this issue makes me boil! I will be there at the meeting and I will make my voice heard! Join together! We can do this!
» wrote on 08.15.12 @ 10:19 AM
I have been going to Rincon Beach since 1975. It has always been my beach of choice. I will not be able to afford to go to Rincon as often, if parking lot fees are put into place.
I wonder if the cost to the County to construct toll booths and to pay the salaries of the people collecting the fees would offset any financial benefit to the parks and recreations $606,000 deficit. In my opinion the cost far out weigh the benefit. I believe the County underestimates that local people, who cannot afford the parking fees, will just stop going to the beach. Further offsetting any finical benefit to the County.
According to Kent Carlander and TQ, Hope Ranch and Monticito beaches not subject to these unfair taxes proposed by the County. It appears extremely unfair that the wealthy communities are not subject to these same use taxes. This proposal would be another bureaucratic attempt to generate income on the backs of the middle class. Sounds like the “Ryan Plan”, tax the middle class and give the wealthy a free pass to enjoy Mother Nature. Fundamentally this proposal is unfair. If you are going to put a tax in place it should be for everyone not just the lower income communities.
Who is backing this proposal? Is it the County board of supervisors? If so, they need to spend their time fixing what they already have in front of them rather than to spend more money on this highly unpopular no win solution. They need to find a better way to fix their finical shortfall.
» wrote on 08.15.12 @ 12:24 PM
Please everyone go to the meeting and stop the madness.
» wrote on 08.15.12 @ 07:34 PM
Highway robbery!!! Like Mike dude says, once they get their greedy hands on our wallets for public access, they will run with it and never stop. We will be paying for their budget problems and pensions for the rest of our lives. They cant cut expences because that would dip into their pockets. So their answer is to sock it to the public with fees, taxes, traffic citations, more fees and more. STOP NOW!!! Im sick of this shit.
» wrote on 08.18.12 @ 01:38 AM
What are the consquences of not funding these beaches? What will the revenue be used for? It seems that these are the questions to ask, after all many parks are now threatened today and alternative sources of revenue could come from taxes paid and shared by all county denizens. Personally I’m proud to support the beaches if I can, not that I pay every time I go to El Capitan or Refugio. THe parking lot(not to mention the line up) seems to indicate that Rincon is loaded beyond carrying cappicity every medicore to good swell, but often times after visitors leave the trash remains. Sometimes public servants deserve better funding to deal with the human impact on coastal environments. I’m sad to admit that Santa Barbara must be struggling with it’s parks and rec. bedget but pitching in can be positive as long the revenue is responibly used in a democratic fashion. Perhaps we could actually enforce littering laws for a chnage to, enforcing penalities would certianly generate revenue also.
» wrote on 08.18.12 @ 10:55 AM
I wish i could of been there. I had to work. I can tell you that the reason i go to work everyday is NOT so i can pay to go to the beach afterward. It’s already morally wrong to have to live with so many nonsense rules and regulations. Dont add parking at our beaches to it!
It makes me so happy to see so many people ready to fight agaisnt these indecencies!
How did the meeting go?!? I havent heard anything yet
» wrote on 08.19.12 @ 11:22 AM
It’s funny reading these comments! It makes me flash back some years ago when a fee was proposed to visit the mountains to go on a hike. They call it an “adventure pass”. All of the protesting did NOTHING! If they want to double tax you to enjoy public areas, they WILL. All the while taking more and more to pay their retirement packages, pensions. I wonder what will happen once the pensions take up 100% of the budget? Everything will be closed. So, all of you beach visitors,, welcome to my world. Pay to play.
» wrote on 08.22.12 @ 10:50 PM
I found this so sad I grew up on the beach.My family is from Santa Barbara.I think everyone needs to email Frank Hotchkiss and let him know how you feel!FHotchkiss@SantaBarbaraCA.gov
» wrote on 08.26.12 @ 09:54 PM
STOP WHINNING! WE LIVE IN THE REDEST OF ALL RED STATES.PROGRESSIVE FISCAL POLICES EVENTUALLY LEAD TO THIS. HEY WHY DON’T YOU OCCUPY RINCON!
» wrote on 09.06.12 @ 03:13 PM
I already have to buy a county park pass to surf Jalama. If this means less people are going to surf Rincon then I’m all for it. Atleast the pass is only $50 and not the $200 for state parks.
