Local Stories by Local People
updated: Oct 09, 2012, 4:00 PM

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to stop the consideration of a proposal to charge to park at county beaches.

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

THE BARRON	2012-10-09 04:03 PM
YES!! They actually listened to the people. Right on
COMMENT 329721	2012-10-09 04:04 PM
Well then, there ya go. Makes the BOS look good. But you know they are going to squeeze some nickels out somewhere.
COMMENT 329723P	2012-10-09 04:08 PM
Heck, they're squeezing A LOT of nickels out of us with the their "matching" funds for the North County Jail we voted down. Boo
COMMENT 329724	2012-10-09 04:10 PM
Yay!
BULLSEYEB	2012-10-09 04:17 PM
Absolutely the right decision!
COMMENT 329732P	2012-10-09 04:24 PM
Right on ya BOS!
COMMENT 329734	2012-10-09 04:25 PM
Yea!
COMMENT 329748	2012-10-09 04:53 PM
A rare win for the overburdened taxpayer.
COMMENT 329763P	2012-10-09 05:14 PM
This is so unfair to us County employees. We've worked hard for our pensions and we are entitled to them! The BOS needs to find something else to tax so I can retire comfortably when I'm 50.
COMMENT 329772	2012-10-09 05:42 PM
763, don't you mean Hardly Worked, nothing like having a job and getting paid to do as little as possible
COMMENT 329776	2012-10-09 05:57 PM
Boo. this works in lots of other cities, like S. B.
COMMENT 329809	2012-10-09 07:38 PM
Holleeffenlujah!!!!!!!
EMUWREN1	2012-10-09 07:44 PM
This is one issue that brought everyone together. No one wanted to see SB beaches held hostage. A HUGE THANK YOU to all the people who came to the County Parks & Rec hearings, wrote emails and letters, and who attended this BOS meeting. What a relief. I can't imagine having to worry about parking fees while walking/playing on the beach. Hooray.
COMMENT 329830	2012-10-09 08:17 PM
Now let's get rid of this tyranny all the way to the top!
COMMENT 329901	2012-10-10 08:22 AM
Typical. A noisy mob shows up and the politicians back down and hand over more free goodies, so the public can continue to believe they can keep getting something for nothing. Andy Caldwell was the only honest man in the bunch. Wake up voters, you keep electing officials who hand out present goodies when the money has already been committed to pay county pensions to county workers long-retired. You can't have it all. You first voted for county supervisors (Rose, Schwartz, Marshall) who handed out unsustainable pensions and perks to county employees and now when the bills are due, you complain that you don't want to pay for this. If you use the beach pay for it, and while you are at it clean it up because the grateful public continues to treat it like a pig-pen.
FLICKA	2012-10-10 09:50 AM
Families are having enough of a struggle; they should be able to take the kids to the beach and have it affordable; i.e., no cost. Same goes for seniors and all the hard working people who deserve a "free", stressless time at the beach. Luckily, I live a block from the ocean.
COMMENT 330028P	2012-10-10 01:15 PM
A noisy mob = democracy in action. Or would you prefer some other political system?
COMMENT 330034	2012-10-10 01:36 PM
A sandy mob is an angry mob! TX BOS!!!
COMMENT 330044	2012-10-10 02:31 PM
According to the County's website, if you work for the County as a regular employee for 30 years and end up with a salary of $60,000 per year, if you retire at age 62 you get a monthly pension of $3,927. With that you have to pay all living expenses, including medical costs of at least $500/mo if you are eligible for medicare. Less years of service and less salary or retiring earlier = less pension. I guess with that, the County retirees are all moving to Montecito? Now don't confuse this pension with what the fire fighters and police get. That's a whole 'nother story.
COMMENT 330047	2012-10-10 02:39 PM
It's also important to point out that most public employees don't receive Social Security. They get their pension and that's it.
COMMENT 330054	2012-10-10 03:07 PM
It is important to point out most people in private industry fund out of pocket their own IRA's to supplement their private retirement benefits or social security. High-end social security might be $2000 a month, but at a much higher retirement age. So a county retirement of $4000 a month starting at age 62 is pretty darn premium. This amount comes at our expense -- and is also the drain on present county services in order to keep present county revenues flowing to cover this presently unfunded amount. This is why beaches need to charge for their use. At age 62, your house should be paid off and your kids out of college. Medicare kicks in at age 65. So why should you be getting a better health care than rest of us get with Medicare? BTW: 62 is considered a very early retirement any way. So what is the point of that example?
COMMENT 330144	2012-10-10 06:02 PM
Direct user fees are good. Start charging a dollar per visit. Get used to the idea public services cost money. This is okay. Most things in life do. Your tax dollars are getting used to pay off county debt and unfunded retirement benefits for county workers. Stop complaining because this is what you voters asked for and are now getting. The bills for all that progressive spending have finally come due. Maybe some of those county retirees can set up a scholarship fund for those who claim they can't afford the dollar beach access fee?
COMMENT 330203	2012-10-10 08:01 PM
Showing up as a noisy mob is intimidation. It has nothing to do with democracy. It has everything to do with demagoguery. And that folks is the dark side of a free society. But the real failing are the spineless politicians who succumb to such organized mob intimidation. And the voters who keep putting such spineless people back in office to do even more damage.

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