Ontario Ridge Trail Cease and Desist Order

The Commission heard a Cease and Desist Order regarding illegal fencing, gates, and no trespassing signs blocking public access at Ontario Ridge Trail. This heavily visited hiking trail on the San Luis Obispo County coast, has been used for over 50 years to access a popular beach cove and a county park. The Ontario Ridge Trail transverses a private property, yet the trail has “prescriptive rights” dating back to the 1960s. Currently there are only two ways to access the beach—either drive to County Park lot, or hike along the Ontario Ridge Trail. The County of San Luis Obispo acquired two easements to facilitate public access and codify prescriptive rights. Some of the unpermitted fencing is located directly on the County easement. Despite the public having the clear right to utilize the trail, the fences are illegally keeping the public off the beach.

Coastal access is a core value of the Coastal Act. Both the County and the Commission have repeatedly notified the landowners that their barriers violated the law and needed to be removed. Despite these warnings, the landowners flagrantly dismissed the law (again) and erected more barriers and signs. Commissioner Howell surmised the egregious actions by saying: “Violations like this are exactly why we need the Coastal Commission.”