County officials alert Montecito homeowners that they face prosecution, including daily fines of $850 if stones are not removed

County officials alert Montecito homeowners that they face prosecution, including daily fines of $850 if stones are not removed

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 San Padres 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.

    • AutistoMephisto@lemmy.world
      9·
      7 months ago

      Technically, we’d just need to eat one rich person. Just one. The rest will get the message. OceanGate showed us they are not immortal. Their own stupidity got them killed. After that, if I were ultra rich, I’d be very scared. Like “Let’s call up a team and come up with a strategy” scared. You see, for decades they’ve built this narrative that they are this untouchable class of beings, beyond mortals. Then OceanGate showed us that they can, in fact, bleed. You see, when a dragon is killed, we don’t mourn it’s life, we cheer the Dragonslayer. So, if I were in the 0.1%, I’d be worried about appearing very human, very quickly.