Subscriber Comments for
Toro Canyon Park

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 290782	2012-06-23 04:26 PM
There may be an issue here, but the camp hosts I've encountered have been good, well-meaning citizens, no matter where they're from. The ones I've met are older, retired adults who take their jobs seriously and are competent to fulfill their duties. They don't deserve abuse for taking a job. I do rue the loss of the live-in rangers. They know the job & the needs better than anyone; I've worked with them as a county employee. But this is not surprising in light of the money crunch. A place like Goleta Beach would seem to benefit from such oversight. Did they lose their ranger also? Or just the pierman?
COMMENT 290792P	2012-06-23 05:11 PM
The 3 unpaid hosts, one part-time paid employee and several County SWAP workers do/have done all the work at Goleta. The current live in ranger is retiring and will not be replaced with another live-in. Its cheaper to use work campers who provide their own housing and don't receive a salary or benefits than maintain a residence for an on-site ranger. It was a myth that on-site rangers were available 24/7 anyway - experience was they mostly worked to rule and rarely were available 'after hours'.
COMMENT 290798	2012-06-23 05:32 PM
As certain vocal elements in our society get their way with smaller government and fewer revenues for said government expect more such drops in the "quality of life" we once took for granted.... and lots of scapegoating.
COMMENT 290801	2012-06-23 05:42 PM
You cannot put employee unions on both sides of the bargaining table and not have a decline in present services while present county tax dollars increasingly are used to fund prior employee service. Keep reading what I wrote until this sinks in. The county must cut present services to pay for retired county worker benefits. This is how it works. You can thank all the prior progressive county supervisors for this mess we are in today: #1 Naomi Schwartz (R.I.P) #2 Susan Rose and #3 Gail Marshall did a lot of damage when they were the county supervisor majority. This happened in plain site and you voters keep replacing them with more of the same in South County: #1 Carbajal, #2 Wolf and #3 Farr. Remember the next time you vote: do not put employee unions on both sides of the bargaining table. In the county, in the city and on school boards. Because this is what you get.
COMMENT 290838P	2012-06-24 06:55 AM
I think Park Rangers are valuable; however, I know volunteers who live in other parks and do keep an eye on things. It all comes down to getting what you pay for. If people want to keep low taxes (and they're low compared to other countries), we lose services. None of the "don't tax me!" folks will figure that out until the paramedics/firefighters/cops don't show up the minute they need them - then they'll complain about lack of service. Go figure.
COMMENT 290867	2012-06-24 08:23 AM
I always wondered why there was a full time ranger at Toro. Its a beautiful place but its barely visited and the ranger had a pretty nice set-up. did they get to live there for free as well? I’m sure there are a ton of citizens who would trade free accommodations for a little yard work... besides Toro was far from well maintained. The fence around the ground squirrel infested dog park is one example... I dont think privatization and profiting from public land is a good thing but I also dont think we should pay people for a part time gig like maintenance of a sparsely used park.
COMMENT 290936	2012-06-24 11:03 AM
You really need to be careful saying all camp hosts are uneducated ex cons and vagrants. You are so wrong it's scary that this is allowed to be posted. You are putting wrong information in peoples heads. Who's going to want to visit our parks and campgrounds now if they think this is true? I assure you community this is very false. One camp host I know who works at a local camp site is a very good man in his 70's who worked hard at his job for 50 years and has retired. He gets a trailer to live in and takes care of the entire grounds including cleaning and selling firewood, checking guests in etc. He does not get paid. He works in exchange for living on the grounds. Parks are otherwise closing down because the state does not have the funds to keep them open. If it weren't for these people who work for FREE then our community wouldn't have these lovely parks to enjoy. Next time, instead of making up false accusations and poisoning peoples minds, you should really do some more research.
COMMENT 290941	2012-06-24 11:28 AM
Like most people, I want to complain the government does not provide or cuts services like resident park rangers, but I do not want to pay for those services nor will I offer any suggestion on what else to cut in the county budget.
COMMENT 290955	2012-06-24 11:57 AM
The right wing politickers are wrong about the facts, as usual.
RHS	2012-06-24 01:55 PM
Accusing the hosts of being criminal and drug abusers is beyond the pale. No evidence needed. Why can't arguments be made on issues and not ad hominum attacks. Still, it does seem to me that these sort of attacks do come universally from the neo-fascist, corporation apologist, anti-women, anti-gay, polka playing, John Wayne loving, anti-evolution-science-fact right wing nutsos. By-and-large.
COMMENT 291106	2012-06-25 08:06 AM
I honestly feel that a majority of these comments are only focusing on one sentence of this whole essay like comment. It appears that the public is losing focus on the real issue. Replacing trained, park educated, hard workers that ate have spent their entire lives dedicated to the park service, is being replaced with people not up to that standard. I'm know the writer was exclaiming their thoughts and issues about toro canyon and I have to understand their concerns. Have you meet the hosts at Toro? I know they have been through a few already and a i know at least two were alcoholics/drug addicts. The reason I know this is because I'm very close to these ex-hosts. But i do know there are fantastic, smart, educated people as hosts and rangers out there, but it depends on the place and park and in this case we are talking toro canyon park and the surrounding area. .
SEEDLADY	2012-06-25 08:48 AM
I think my brother is a pretty good example of a typical work camper. Military service, long time utility company employee, retired, wife still works. They snowbird-it, moving around the west from their home base in Yuma, seeing as much as they can see. He is a real jack of all trades, can fix anything, can get along with and converse with almost anyone, board presidents to bikers; honest, resourceful and reliable. He puts the WORK in Work Camper. Nothing can replace the situation the resident rangers had, but the reality is that this can't be sustained now. I do wonder about the OP's assertion that he parks will be commericalized and trashed. There needs to be oversight and supervision, of course.

33% of comments on this page were made by Edhat Community Members.

*** 3 comments were deleted from this thread by the Edhat Board Nanny for violating Edhat Comments Board policy. Click Here to see them.

EDHAT COMMENTS POLICY