Residents Fear Plan Will Boost RV Traffic

Local residents are concerned that plans to charge for overnight parking along Rincon Parkway will increase camper traffic.

The Ventura County Parks Department, seeking additional revenue, wants to abolish a free parking area and instead charge $18 per night for recreational vehicles during the summer, said Johnny Johnston, the county’s general services director.

An additional goal is to create a more structured parking area. Additional garbage cans and portable restrooms would be added to the dirt parking area.

But surfers and locals complain the proposal will greatly limit the amount of free parking available for people wanting to hang out for the day at the beach.

Members of the Ventura chapter of the Surfrider Foundation made their concerns known to county officials at their regular meeting on Tuesday.

Open and free beach access is one of the foundation’s principles, said member Kevin Rose, a 35-year resident of the Solimar Beach Colony. “It will change the entire character of the area,” he said.

If approved by the Board of Supervisors, the plan would carve up the quarter-mile area north of Emma Wood State Beach to accommodate day use and RV parking.

Officials estimate the overnight fees could generate about $127,000 annually for the county’s General Services Agency. That means a $94,000 county profit after the $33,000 cost to maintain the area. The county would reinvest about one-third of that money at the Solimar Beach site. The rest would help maintain other parks in the district, Johnston said.