Montecito beaches expected to see tough parking rules
MONTECITO, Calif. - After weeks of impacts from cars, trash and related problems due to large crowds, Montecito area beaches may be harder to get to in the near future.
Santa Barbara County Supervisors have been receiving many complaints from residents who say in many cases they are seeing waves of people beyond the usual sunny day crowds.
Some have said the recent strict rules in Ventura and Los Angeles County beach zones have sent thousands to the north looking for convenient places to park and spend hours on the sand and in the waves.
Often they are loaded up with coolers, umbrellas, and chairs.
It tests the advice to have "recreational" time outside during the coronavirus crisis.
A NewsChannel report recently showed overflowing trash cans in many areas.
Heal the Ocean Executive Director Hillary Hauser says she has received numerous pictures of garbage left on the streets, human waste and parking violations.
Call have been made to Supervisor Das Williams who has a district that includes Hammonds, Butterfly and Miramar beaches where the concerns have been raised.
Nearby there have also been issues with intense vehicular and crowd loads at Santa Claus beach.
Depending on how who you talk to, some people are not social distancing at the beach based on their spacing, some are with their families, and others are only too close in passing but not on the sand.
Plans under consideration would have timed or restricted parking with more patrols, ticketing and possible areas where cars would be towed.
In the last few weeks, there have been extra patrol units in the area from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, along with its Mounted Patrol unit.
In Carpinteria, this past weekend, several city streets near the beach were marked off with two-hour time limits or No Parking. Tickets were $43.00 each.
It was hard to determine the impact due to overcast weather.
Some residents were upset about the rules they said would impact local taxpayers trying to enjoy the waterfront and who were complying with parking and liter issues.
