Off-road riders say they’re ‘under attack’ by California, ask for re-opening of Oceano Dunes
Dave Kraus said he came to Sacramento to put a human face on the financial toll of a decision to close part of Oceano Dunes, California’s only coastal state park that allows off-road vehicles.
The beach concession stand he owns once had eight full-time employees, as well as seasonal hires. Now he’s down to seven, with no plans to hire any seasonal help this year.
“One full-time job for the community is gone,” Kraus said.
Kraus was one of several dozen protesters to show up on the Capitol steps Friday morning to “Stand for the Sand,” as the rally was named.
Oceano Dunes is one of nine State Vehicular Recreation Areas in the state, and the site is popular with off-road enthusiasts from across California.
State Parks closed 48 acres in the park and limited the number of campsites at the end of December as part of an effort to reduce dust emissions generated by vehicle activity.
Those dust emissions blow downwind into a residential community, creating health risks for hundreds of residents, particularly children and older adults.
Danny Hensley, a Pismo Beach business owner who organized Friday’s rally, said that in addition to protesting the closure, the rally was to promote a 30- to 50-foot-high wind fence along the park perimeter to block blowing dust.
Hensley said he believes off-roading “is really under attack throughout the state.”
“I’m a fourth-generation beach-goer and my whole life they’ve been whittling away at the park,” Hensley said. “There’s just not that much there.”
Hensley said rally-goers were coming and going from the Capitol all morning, visiting with lawmakers and making the case for keeping Oceano Dunes open.
“We’re here today to rally our voices,” said Jim Suty, president of the group Friends of Oceano Dunes. “Today we want to make sure people hear from us.”
Among those attending Friday’s rally was Stacy Korsgaden, a candidate for the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.
“We have 2 million people that go to this park every year. And by shutting it off, it would be like all of a sudden you or I got our arteries shut off going to our hearts,” Korsgaden said.
She likened closing off the dunes to shutting down the wine industry in San Luis Obispo, saying both “would be a huge jolt to our economy.”
Korsgaden, an insurance agent, said that in one month she knew of “six quality families” that moved out of the state.
“People are leaving the state of California,” she said. “When we don’t work with a large economy producer like the economy that comes from the dunes, we’re driving more people away.”
Kraus said that if Oceano Dunes were to close entirely, his business would be forced to close as well.
“If they close the beach, it’s all gone,” he said. “This is devastating financially.”
This story was originally published January 31, 2020 at 2:04 PM with the headline "Off-road riders say they’re ‘under attack’ by California, ask for re-opening of Oceano Dunes."
