Parks Panel OKs Fee Plan for Camping at Rincon

A key panel endorsed a controversial revenue-raising plan Monday to expand parking and charge fees for overnight campers who park their motor homes along an oceanfront stretch of the Rincon.

But the proposal, considered a godsend for the financially beleaguered county Parks Department, leaves many residents of nearby Solimar Beach cold. They say crowds, pollution and traffic fatalities will increase if the Board of Supervisors approves the plan.

“I have personally pronounced two people dead” after traffic accidents on old Pacific Coast Highway north of Ventura, retired physician William L. Hart told the Parks Advisory Commission. “I can assure you more lives will be lost in that area. Is one more life worth the risk?”

The stretch of roadway between Emma Wood State Beach and Faria Beach is a magnet for vehicles. During summer, a seemingly endless procession of recreational vehicles shoehorn into the two-mile roadway to capture an unimpaired view of the Pacific. Many spend the night, though they are not supposed to, and pay citations to the state.

The Parks Department proposes charging visitors $18 per night to use about 75 spaces during the summer. Also, parking along the half-mile stretch of the road would be configured to accommodate more day users.

Parks Director John F. Johnston estimates the plan will bring in about $127,000 a year--money he considers critical to keeping parks open in the rest of the county.

Indeed, the plan accounts for almost a quarter of the revenue the department needs to avoid a budget shortfall.

The Parks Department is being asked to cut $475,000--17% of its budget--to help the county government avoid red ink in the coming fiscal year. Other measures on the table include eliminating countywide youth summer programs, charging community and senior groups for using park facilities and handing over some park maintenance duties to cities.

The cuts represent a small fraction of the $12 million chief administrator Harry Hufford says is needed to balance the county’s budget next year.

“Closing parks is an option if we can’t find a way to turn this around,” Johnston told the parks advisory panel.

Focused on the bottom line, the panel unanimously approved the plan. The recommendation goes to the Board of Supervisors today, and a final decision is expected later this month.

If approved by the supervisors, the new fees could begin next month. In subsequent years, they would be in force from May 20 to Sept. 20.

“This project looks like it can offset our costs,” said commissioner Karl Krause. “I know that’s not a real popular position. That’s the situation we find ourselves in.”

Said commissioner Jeff Alexander, “This is a good thing for 700,000-plus residents of this county and so the parks continue to function.”

But a handful of residents urged the commission not to endorse the plan, saying parking and overnight stays will increase traffic and crime and lead to more motor-home waste dumping that pollutes beaches.

Johnston, however, said some of the revenue will be used for toilets, rangers and trash pickup. Also, he said his department is working with Caltrans to find ways to reduce highway hazards.