Public Hearing Set on Rincon Camping

Residents can tell the Board of Supervisors how they feel about overnight RV camping on the Rincon Parkway at a 9 a.m. hearing Tuesday at the County Government Center.

Supervisors are considering reopening overnight camping for 75 recreational vehicles along the ocean between Emma Wood State Beach and Solimar Beach. The overnight spaces would be designated near the sea wall from the late spring through the summer each year and would cost $18 per night. Only daytime parking would be permitted in the fall, winter and early spring.

A vote on the plan is scheduled for July 11.

Several area homeowners and the Surfrider Foundation are opposed to the plan, citing concerns about diminished views, environmental damage and traffic safety problems. They note that overnight camping was discontinued years ago.

But General Services Agency Director John Johnston is recommending reopening the overnight spaces as part of a plan to make up a $475,000 operating deficit in the county parks department. Johnston estimated fees from the overnight spaces would bring in $127,000 a year.