Jalama Beach County Park could grow by 36 acres if the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors takes a step on Tuesday toward accepting a land donation.
The proposed donation comes as part of a California Coastal Commission enforcement action against Cojo and Jalama Ranches due to unpermitted development activities, including removal of major vegetation, installation of 37 water wells; grading related to the construction of a road down a bluff face; and more.
In late 2017, Coastal Commission staff said the land donation was part of an amicable settlement reached after years of talks about the alleged violations.
The Gaviota Coast Conservancy has called upon supporters to email the county Board of Supervisors urging it to accept the property, which would more than double the size the county park 20 miles southwest of Lompoc.
“This is a vitally important action for the county to substantially expand park resources on the Gaviota Coast,” said Marc Chytilo, attorney for the Gaviota Coast Conservancy. “We wanted to encourage everybody to get out and let the supervisors know this is an important action and people are watching.”
The supervisors are set to discuss the topic behind closed doors during Tuesday’s meeting, with action likely limited to formally directing staff to proceed with the land acquisition.
The action alert suggests supporters say, “The County should accept the 36 acres offered to address historic coastal zone violations on Cojo/Jalama Ranch. Please direct staff to process the offer as soon as possible, and enhance public use of Jalama County Park.”
Emails can be sent to sbcob@co.santa-barbara.ca.us and reference “Public Comment – Closed Session, 1/29/19.”
“Jalama is a public treasure on our coastline,” Teresa Jamison added to her letter urging the board to accept the land.
Once the county accepts the new land, it is expected to undertake a planning process for Jalama, to define what changes should occur.
Accepting the land will enable relocating the park’s entry kiosk and expanding parking along the road for the public to more easily access surf and the beach in areas that were previously prohibited, Chytilo said.
The Cojo and Jalama Ranches added up to 24,364 acres just south of Jalama Beach.
The century-old ranches founded by the Bixby family in the early 1900s historically have been home to cattle ranching and dry land farming.
Several years ago, the state charged that violations of the Coastal Act and Santa Barbara County Local Coastal Program had occurred, leading to settlement talks.
In addition to donating the land to the county, the settlement pact called for 200 acres of oak tree planting, 300 acres of ice plant removal from a coastal prairie, and payment of civil liabilities of $500,000.
The original 23.5 acres for Jalama Beach were donated to Santa Barbara County from Atlantic Richfield Oil Company. The pristine and remote site includes camping along with the Jalama Beach Store & Grill, famed for its popular Jalama Burgers.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
