There is a serious problem occurring in the Santa Monica Mountains. People are buying up property where the fire roads go through their property, and are erecting fences across the fire roads cutting off access to the backbone trail and other trails in the area. Those roads were dedicated to hikers and horseback riders many decades ago, and are to be used in the event of a disaster by the Fire Department, and other emergency personnel. Riders have been met with guns and vicious dogs, barbed wire, and a two-ton boulder placed strategically at fire road access points. I have personally ridden in these mountains for over 50 years and have never met such vicious people. Are they the same people who complain about the wildlife in the area, too?
We, who have lived in these mountains for many decades, have enjoyed the wildlife, the rural atmosphere, and have abided by the laws put down by the county regarding the fire roads. When Kanan Road was put through to the Pacific Coast, the horse people were told that trails would be made alongside of Kanan. How conveniently the politicians forgot what they promised.
When the North Area Plan was in the discussion stage, we were interviewed by county representatives and our property was found to be in compliance with the over-all plan and deemed a recreational facility.
Well, the county has all but destroyed these mountains with permitting people to build on ridge lines, putting a major highway corridor in, allowing these ugly, oversized mansions to be erected, allowing motorcycles to race through the canyons blasting the area with their noise, and cars racing on Mulholland Highway. The road areas are not safe for horses any longer with the idiots throwing trash, honking horns, or swerving toward the horse and rider. Complaints to the county fire departments, Zev Yaroslavsky, Sheriff’s Department, and other county agencies are met with deaf ears. Have they forgotten that the state government authorized the fire roads for the hikers and horseback riders? So what can be done to open these roads? Those property owners had to have signed easement agreements to keep those roads open, didn’t they? Or is that one more thing the county overlooked?
Carol Homes