Montecito, California, is known for being home to Oprah, a former royal family, and a stunning stretch of coastline. It’s also home to miles of trails, some of which are being blocked by residents hoping to stop people from accessing public hot springs.
Santa Barbara county has been watching encroachments on East Mountain Drive and Riven Rock Road in Montecito since at least 2022, when they sent letters to residents warning them to remove large stones.
Last month, county officials sent letters again to at least six homes alerting residents to remove the stones by 28 March or face civil or criminal prosecution, including daily fines of $850. The county insists that these roads are a public right of way.
The issue seems to be with parking at the trailhead, where a tiny lot allows for just eight vehicles. When that fills up, hikers have to park on roadsides. The hot springs contain six bright blue pools that are located 1.3 miles from the trailhead in the Los Padres National Forest, surrounded by a deep forest and rocky hills. It became popular during the pandemic when hiking surged in the area, and has also taken off on social media as a destination.
County officials plan to create 62 new parking spots near the trailhead – which caused four homeowners to sue in protest in 2022.
“We are currently working with residents to permit items that can remain,” Lael Wageneck, a spokesperson for the county’s public works department, told SFGATE, “and remove items that need to be removed”.
The area is home to many expensive residences, including those of Oprah Winfrey, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. The average home price in the area is $7.2m, according to Realtor.com.
In the letters, the county says that the only encroachments that can remain within 10 feet of the pavement include mature trees and “boulders historically situated onsite and partially buried 40% or more, particularly those boulders adjacent to a buried, high pressure gas line”.
It’s not clear if the stones have been cleared.
Other California cities have been stepping up enforcement of public areas. Earlier this year, homeowners in Santa Cruz county received a $4.7m fine for putting up a chain link fence to block beach access. And the Coastal Commission approved an agreement with two current Malibu homeowners that will ultimately force them to build both a public access way to the beach and a parking lot, estimated to cost several million dollars, for blocking access to Escondido Beach for years.