In contempt of the California Coastal Commission’s (CCC) ruling of March 18, 2021, the Off Highway Vehicles Division (OHVD) of State Parks defies the law and opens the plover enclosure south of Oceano beach to vehicle activity.
It is not the only defiance. The OHVD also keeps allowing vehicles to drive on the wet sand and crush the Pismo clams, although the same CCC ruling prohibits it.
The OHVD says it needs time to adjust to the new rules. There was nothing to adjust to in order to leave the fence the way it was at the plover enclosure. Furthermore, if it really wanted to comply, the OHVD has had since March to adjust and make changes.
The truth is that the OHVD is not making any changes, is not adjusting, is not taking advantage of the long transition period to the full implementation of the new coastal permit that the CCC allowed. And when the deadline comes, the OHVD declares it is not ready.
The OHVD is simply not willing to do what it has been told to do. It has not for 40 years. The CCC needs to stop it now.
If it lets it get away with this, the OHVD will never comply with any other change.
We are law-abiding citizens. Why shouldn’t the OHV Division obey the law?
Lucia Casalinuovo
Oceano Beach Community Association
This article appears in Oct 21-28, 2021.
