With temperatures soaring and the Santa Anas just around the corner, I’m stunned that the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy has a plan to build a parking lot in a pristine meadow at the end of Winding Way to facilitate overnight public camping in Escondido Canyon! In the mid-’90s, the HOA granted the conservancy a trail easement along our private street which allows public access to Escondido Canyon and the gorgeous waterfall at the end. My family is blessed to live here and we delight in sharing this beauty with hikers seeking solace in the canyon. This is not a public access issue; rather it is a public safety issue.
The HOA has spent countless hours maintaining the trail along our road. Although the trail through Escondido Canyon is in dire need of attention and presents a very serious fire threat, we have been told repeatedly that there are no funds available to weed whack and do proper care management. The Conservancy has, however, graciously offered to ‘lend’ us tools if we wanted to do clearance along the three-mile public trail ourselves. This is the same body now proposing chemical toilets, parking lots and camping along Escondido Creek which empties into the ocean, recently hailed the most polluted beach in the state according to Heal the Bay. The City Council needs to urgently address this issue which constitutes a threat to our entire community. What’s next? RV parking on the Pt. Dume Headlands?
Lori Gray