Beach parking fee returns despite county’s opposition

Public hearing scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 17
A plan to charge parking fees at Sonoma County’s free coastal state beaches returns for approval next month despite staunch opponents including 5th District Sonoma County Supervisor Efren Carrillo.
“I will fight this proposal on every front,” said Carrillo, in whose district the beaches are located. “This is where I draw a line in the sand,” said Carrillo in an e-mail detailing his opposition.
The proposed $8 fee would be collected by “iron rangers,” hollow metal pipes installed at 15 coast beaches where parking is now free at public beaches from Bodega Bay to Salt Point.
“The impact of the proposed $8 parking fee on individuals and families of modest means is especially objectionable,” said Carrillo.
A public hearing on the iron rangers is scheduled before the county Board of Zoning Adjustments (BZA) on Jan. 17, when the county Permit and Resource Management Department (PRMD) will recommend a denial of the request. The BZA will then make a recommendation to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors.
Iron rangers would be installed at Russian Gulch, Blind Beach, Goat Rock Beach, Shell Beach,  Portuguese Beach, Schoolhouse Beach, Salmon Creek, Campbell Cove and Bodega Head at the Sonoma Coast State Park and at Stump Beach in Salt Point State Park.
The state coastal parks district now charges fees for bringing a car into some locations such as Guerneville’s Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, and charges camping fees at coastal beach campgrounds, but the new parking fees have drawn deep local opposition including petitions signed by hundreds of county residents.
The $8 fees, proposed by the state as a means to close the state’s budget shortfall, were called “exorbitant” in a resolution county supervisors unanimously passed last summer.
The hope then was “to send a message to the governor and the state that our intent is to preserve, protect and enhance the public state park system,” said Carrillo who introduced the opposition measure at the request of local state Senator Noreen Evans.
Concerns include fears that the $8-per-vehicle charge would change “patterns of use” by discouraging regular beachgoers from using the beaches, and that the money would go to benefit parks outside the county.
“It is absolutely unacceptable for the state to charge people to park as they access their beaches,” said Carrillo  “And please take note: I refer to their beaches with intended special meaning. The people of this state made it perfectly clear in 1972 when they adopted Proposition 20, the California Coastal Initiative, and followed that with the Coastal Act in 1976, the beaches along our magnificent coastline are within the public domain. Access to our beaches is fundamental and public access to coastal waters is protected under the California State Constitution,” said Carrillo.
“A day trip to the beach is one of the most enjoyable recreational activities California offers for residents and visitors alike,” said Carrillo. “Our coast offers significant mental and physical health benefits to everyone that visits.”
Carrillo said local officials understand the budget problems facing the state, “but we were all stunned when we learned state parks had hidden funds of more than $50 million,” said Carrillo.
“Hiding tax dollars from the public, the legislature and the Governor and relentlessly pursuing these indefensible parking charges is a non-starter,” said Carrillo. “There is no justification to prevent the public from free access to their beaches.
State officials were embarrassed and state Department of Parks and Recreation Director Ruth Coleman resigned last summer after $54 million in unspent funds were found in state park coffers.
The money surfaced at a time when Governor Jerry Brown was trying to close 70 state parks to save $22 million to balance the budget.
The local standoff between county and state officials has also raised the question of whether the installation of new iron rangers are subject to Local Coastal Plan review and require a Sonoma County Coastal Development Permit.
State Department of Parks and Recreation officials don’t think they need a county permit but have applied for one anyway.
The state says the county has no legal authority over whether the state can charge fees at state parks.