MIRA MONTE : Man, 84, to Appeal Ruling on Trail Fees

A Mira Monte man ordered to pay fees to Ventura County for the right to cross a bike path in front of his home said he plans to appeal the ruling in Superior Court.

The Ventura County Parks Department took Earl Bebout, 84, to small claims court last week for his refusal to pay $300 in easement fees and upkeep charges for the Ojai Valley Trail, a fence-lined bike and equestrian path that crosses in front of his home on North Ventura Avenue.

Municipal Judge Herbert Curtis III ruled that Bebout, who is legally blind and does not drive, must pay a one-time easement fee of $100 for the right to use a driveway that crosses the trail near his home.

He was also ordered to pay four annual charges of $50 for maintenance of the trail.

Both charges were approved by the Board of Supervisors in 1988, the year the trail was completed.

Bebout contends that the county erred when planning the trail, which cut him and 24 other homeowners off from Ventura Avenue.

Bebout has been joined in his fight by Ventura attorney Donald M. Adams Jr., who has agreed to represent Bebout free of charge in his appeal of the small claims court ruling.

Angered by what he called “absurd treatment of an 84-year-old blind man,” Adams said he will also represent Bebout in a suit challenging the Board of Supervisors decision that led to the easement fees.

The appeal will be filed by Feb. 16, Adams said, within the 20 days Bebout has to appeal Curtis’ decision.