To the editor: The proposed settlement between Hollister Ranch and the state of California is a travesty. What good is beach access if there is no way to get there?
Limited access would amount to three-fourths of a mile of beach out of a total of 18. Gaviota State Park is two miles west of the beach at Cuarto Canyon. That is a long paddle.
In 1982, the offer of public access was written to satisfy the California Coastal Commission as it permitted the development of a YMCA camp on the property. The Hollister Ranch Owners Assn. (HROA) purchased the property in 1983. Despite the purchase, the court stated that the public-access offer remained. No one wants to see Hollister Ranch or its beaches overrun, but this deal stinks to high heaven.
Nathan Post, Santa Barbara
