In case you were not aware of it, the California Coastal Commission has been actively going after off-highway vehicle use around the Pismo Dunes and the Oceano Dunes, both located northwest of Los Angeles along the Pacific Ocean shoreline. They have been calls to eliminate OHV use in the area since 1982, and in the last few years there have been requests to steadily shrink the recreational area available to off-roaders, but in a letter dated December 13th, 2019, Kevin Kahn, the Central Coast District Supervisor for the California Coastal Commission clearly explained the end-game in a letter (which you can read HERE) addressed to the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the California State Parks’ Oceano Dunes district.
Here’s a segment from the letter: “As the Commission identified in its action, including through the letter that provides the Commission’s direction to Parks that is dated July 12, 2019: “the problems identified in this letter are significant and fundamental inconsistencies with the Coastal Act and suggest that it is time to start thinking about ways to transition the ODSVRA (Oceano Dunes State Vehicle Recreational Area) away from OHV use and to other forms of public access and recreation.” In short, the fifteen identified items were to be considered short-term solutions to improve the status quo, while the long term solution was to identify, through the PWP (Public works plan) or otherwise, other access and recreation alternatives since, as the commission stated, “ODSVRA operations that are fully consistent with the on-the-ground realities and with the legal requirements of the CDP (Coastal Development Permit), Coastal Act and LCP (Local Coastal Program) do not include OHV use…” Despite this explicit Commission direction, and as we discussed on Friday (and previously discussed when we met in Oceano in September), Parks to date has indicated to Commission staff that it does not intend to pursue non-OHV options in the PWP. As we have indicated to you, including in the meeting this past Friday, such an outcome would both disregard the Commission’s explicit direction as well as lead to a PWP that cannot be approved by the Commission as consistent with the LCP. We continue to strongly suggest that all of your PWP efforts include consideration of an outcome that is consistent with the Commission’s direction. We do not believe that it is appropriate to simply presume the status OHV quo can continue and to develop a draft PWP for Commission consideration that does that, including as such a PWP cannot be approved consistent with the LCP, as is required.”
The comment period on the proposed options and proposed project concepts closes January 24, 2020, and there is a rally hosted by Stand for the Sand on January 31, 2020 at the state capitol in Sacramento. Don’t want to see the dunes go the way of a lot of dragstrips in California? Act.
Courtesy: Hemmings Motor News
well keep electing the leftist democrat scum over and again – then cry in your cornflakes a second time. You made your bed so sleep in it.
I am a lifelong CA resident and part of a small and continually shrinking group. A political conservative. I say shrinking because conservatives are leaving CA by the thousands. The population in CA is declining to the extent that CA may lose a seat in the House (everybody outside CA should let out a collective cheer!). To be honest I am actually surprised that OHV use at Oceano has lasted this long. This is primarily due to the strong support OHV use has from local governments. If OHV use gets shut down at Oceano it would have a devastating effect on the economy of Pismo Beach and the surrounding communities. The economy of these communities is heavily reliant on tourism Shut down the dunes and you will see a very high number of businesses shutting down soon thereafter along with a corresponding loss of tax revenue to the local governments. Unfortunately the local communities are partly to blame by allowing housing to grow closer to the dunes. Residents (most come from outside the area) located close to the dunes started complaining about “unhealthy” dust blowing onto their homes and blamed the OHV vehicles for kicking up the dust. Next thing you know liberal, activist “scientists” completed studies leading to the letter you referenced. Of course it is a total crock as the homes are located downwind of the dunes. To blame OHV use for sand being naturally carried by trade winds just points to the “scientists” liberal bias. They set out to prove it was the OHV use so they could shut down more carbon burning vehicles which they blame for every problem under the sun. I agree we should continue to fight against this. Not sure if the tide can be turned given the radical, leftist governor and state government along with unbelievably leftist media that continue to put out false and misleading stories. In many ways living in CA feels like living in a communist country. There is only one ‘correct’ way to think and only one voice that is listened to. And you can guess what that is. If I were younger and/or didn’t have all my family here I would be joining the ranks of those fleeing this pit.
Danno, MOVE! We did. We realized our kids and grandkids would be trapped in that hellhole unless we presented other options, so we left a couple years ago and planted roots elsewhere. Our (adult) kids love our new home; daughter joined us and son will once his enlistment ends. Family have been coming to visit on a regular basis (the B&B is open!) and responding to emails with “how’s this neighborhood” quesitons and Zillow links is frequent. CA is toast and the state will crash and burn (you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!): do you want to be there when that happens? Take the plunge, I think you’ll be surprised how mobile families can be given the proper incentives. And yeah, I remember blasting around Pismo in my old Odyssey thee wheeler…good times forever lost to the Gretas of the world.
I passed around petitions to protest the original Cranston/ Feinstein shut down the desert act. Crickets from OHV guys. They’ll never do that!! Some of this is deserved due to the communities laziness