It has been said that surfers are selfish. Having grown up a second-generation Windansea local in La Jolla, and having both married a surfer and raised one, I can say that the oft-whispered slight isn’t true. However, when you mix entitled surf localism with obscene wealth, the result just may look like the decades-long land grab going on in Santa Barbara over 8.5 miles of beach just south of Point Conception — Hollister Ranch.
In my childhood days, localism took the form of guys beating up surfers from out of town, who were often outed by the number of fins on their board or by a comb seen peeking from their back pocket — and then spreading the message that certain surf breaks were for locals only.
At Hollister Ranch — all 22 square miles — some of these same sorts (but this lot is loaded suitcases of cash) have managed to fortress the area and keep the public off what are considered to be the best waves in Southern California for 40 years, despite the fact that state law provides the public beach access to the mean high tide line.
Infrastructure already exists for Hollister Ranch residents and shareholders; there are roads, parking, bathrooms, and access to the beach for them. They have built the gates, worked out a complex real estate scheme, driven their vehicles all over the sand, and harassed the few surfers who venture in on foot or boat out of “their waters.” In recent years, they found a more effective flag to fly in order to say “keep out” with the “We are stewards of the land” preservation message. To keep the unwashed masses outside the gates, they have hired an army of attorneys spouting high-value buzzwords like “cultural preservation” and “sensitive resources.”
The Surf Pass: Make no mistake, this has always been about protecting a wave like no other, uniquely positioned on the elbow of California, just below Point Conception, with multiple point breaks akin to Rincon in Ventura County yet holding bigger size. A glorified surf pass was created with a real-estate scheme that involved dividing parcels to include non-buildable shares sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in return for the coveted key to the gate — effectively controlling who surfs the waves.
Who Can Take Up This Fight?
The castle that is the Hollister Ranch has been fortressed for over 40 years, so long that relatively few Californians have ever seen or experienced what this incredible coastline has to offer. Ever since the public boat launch at Gaviota, was dismantled in 2015 there are only a couple of very hardcore options for the public to gain access to these beaches. The first is a beach launch of a properly outfitted zodiac inflatable boat, which in itself takes considerable skill and resources. The second is a long arduous, sometimes dangerous journey that is part amphibious assault mission on foot, through water, and atop a rugged sea-wall, all while wearing a wetsuit and carrying supplies for a day. All of this is braved by only a few — drawn to the wave like a magnet — to enjoy their California right to surf the perfect waves of the Pacific Ocean and visit its sandy shore.
Guarding the waves, incredibly motivated, well-armed owners with a legion of lawyers throw everything at the wall as they hoist their false flags. They are not “stewards of our coastline.” They are primitive, rich surf bullies who will not be stopped without fierce resolute protectors of the public interest and enforcement by our elected representatives. The California Coastal Commission is our only hope against money and power.
California Senator Monique Limon: In favor of the people’s interest is Assembly Bill 1680, sponsored by State Senator Monique Limon and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2019, affirming the public right to access and legislating a process to open the unlawful gates by 2022. Six years on, the power of the Hollister Ranch owners continues putting sticks in the spokes of justice, shaping the game board and setting a framework to laughably check the compliance boxes.
Among the absurd solutions suggested in a recent public options survey are plans to only admit a few visitors for “guided tours” or a limited access “shuttle.” It is all beyond reason and stinks of the disingenuous effort and continuous successful blockade to the existing infrastructure of roads, parking, and bathrooms.
Stop the Nonsense: On behalf of the rabble — the California beach-going public — we want the gate torn down, to take over the existing access roads and parking lots at each beach by eminent domain power, and give us access to the public place that is our beach.
Please join me in contacting: Senator Monique Limon Santa Barbara Office: 805-965-0862
California Coastal Commission – http://www.coastal.ca.gov/hollister-ranch/
Laura Rearwin Ward is publisher of “Ojai Valley News.”
