County officials alert Montecito homeowners that they face prosecution, including daily fines of $850 if stones are not removed
Montecito, California, is known for being home to Oprah, a former royal family, and a stunning stretch of coastline. It’s also home to miles of trails, some of which are being blocked by residents hoping to stop people from accessing public hot springs.
Santa Barbara county has been watching encroachments on East Mountain Drive and Riven Rock Road in Montecito since at least 2022, when they sent letters to residents warning them to remove large stones.
Last month, county officials sent letters again to at least six homes alerting residents to remove the stones by 28 March or face civil or criminal prosecution, including daily fines of $850. The county insists that these roads are a public right of way.
The issue seems to be with parking at the trailhead, where a tiny lot allows for just eight vehicles. When that fills up, hikers have to park on roadsides. The hot springs contain six bright blue pools that are located 1.3 miles from the trailhead in the San Padres Forest, surrounded by a deep forest and rocky hills. It became popular during the pandemic when hiking surged in the area, and has also taken off on social media as a destination.
Of course, they didn’t have the right to do that, and everyone has the right to visit the place. The problem is that when too many people visit somewhere, then it ruins the experience. It leads the place getting destroyed or permit lotteries.
Public places are for everyone… If the rich don’t like it, they shouldn’t have bought a house near a public area. Just like when our neighbors complain about airplane noise, I remind them that they bought the home near the airport.
Public places being for everyone ≠ public places are for everyone to destroy.
That being said, another person commented that there was no push on social media or anything and that these people were locals. If the locals were trashing the place there are any number of ways they could have gone about stopping it besides infringing on others rights. How the rich people went about doing this was absolutely wrong.
That sounds like a problem that would solve itself. The local area could invest in amenities and staff to keep it clean if they cared that much, probably be cheaper than the $850 daily fines plus future prosecutions on top of legal fees.