Yes, SB Parks Should Benefit SB Residents!

At the April 1 Supervisor meeting a variety of monumental decisions were made – not the least of which was a 3-2 vote approving a $179M expansion of our North County Jail Mahal. A more hopeful sidenote, however, had to do with decisions that the Board made regarding our majestic open spaces. Allow me to explain:

The one place our county truly shines is in its natural beauty. In fact, it was a couple of nights camping lakeside at Cachuma that sealed the SB deal for me back in 1998. So I was personally excited when the Board focused on enhancing park benefits for SB residents.

The discussion was driven by the $14M Lake Cachuma improvement plan that the Board had previously approved, and which will soon be completed. Cachuma is idyllic, with more than 500 lakeside campsites, cabins, pools and lake cruises aboard the Osprey. The skillful presentation was made by our Director of Community Services Jesús Armas and Business Manager Sherman Hansen. Note: Community Services (CS) has 100 employees and an operating budget of $73M.

Together, they came asking the Board to approve a proposed increase to Cachuma RV fees in order to better service the improvement debt. Debt service costs the county $520K per year, yet with very modest fee increases – and rates that better reflect what other parks charge – we can generate $570K in fee revenue. 

Supervisor Nelson led the way and asked, very pointedly, why – if SB County is paying for the improvements – aren’t county residents afforded a preferred fee structure? “We are paying for improvements and debt service, yet people from L.A. are paying the same as our residents,” quipped Nelson. He argued that many counties have beneficial resident fee structures and that we should follow suit. I agree!

Lake Cachuma is part of a long-term County lease from the federal government’s Board of Reclamation that began back in 1953. For many decades, however, there have been questions about swimming in the lake which, as Supervisor Lavagnino said, is completely bewildering because gas powered outboards are allowed. So Mr. Lavagnino asked the question: Can we push for swimming? The answer by Director Armas was “yes!”

In the end, the entire Board agreed (5-0) to raise the fees with the caveat that SB residential discounts, on ALL parks, will be explored. Supervisor Hartmann suggested an Ad Hoc Committee and will join Mr. Lavagnino to explore swimming in Cachuma. For those of us who often take the short drive over the 154, this would be a huge additional park benefit. 

A bit of the discussion also wrapped itself around Jalama Beach. This spectacular 24-acre site (swimming, camping and fishing) was donated in 1943 by Richfield Oil and is one of the more stunning venues in the county (I can highly recommend the burgers for weight challenged Eye-talians. It is all about the food). 

Only 30% of the people who use our parks are county residents, and the average occupancy is just 60%. So my advice for our South County couch potatoes is to please shoot to North County – if only for the day – to visit Lake Cachuma and Jalama Beach, as it will renew your love for Santa Barbara. Something I know that I need to do more often than most. 

Jeff Giordano, SB County Resident