Activity fees to rise across Santa Barbara County
Fees for camping, special events and other recreational activities are going up.
Among dozens of changes in the pipeline, campsite reservation fees will go from $10 per reservation to $15. Weekend and holiday cabin rentals at Jalama Beach County Park will rise $25 a night to $275.
In a 4-0 vote, the county Board of Supervisors approved the changes Tuesday. Second District Supervisor Supervisor Laura Capps was absent.
A majority of new dollars generated—an estimated $300,000 of a $425,000 total increase—will come from camping fees, according to county officials.
“The additional revenues will help offset the rising cost of operations,” Jesus Armas, county Community Services director, said in a report.
After First District Supervisor Roy Lee raised concerns, the board declined to raise Santa Barbara County Courthouse wedding fees for local residents, which will remain at $500 at the Mural Room and $1,000 at the Sunken Gardens.
“I have performed quite a few weddings at the courthouse,” Lee said after the vote. “It’s a great bonus of this job… I wanted to make sure they stayed affordable for people living here.”
Victims advocate Megan Rheinschild retiring
Serving more than 4,000 new crime victims and their families annually, Megan Rheinschild leads a team focused on helping people understand their rights, navigate the court system and find support.
“Her oversight of victim services, including the countywide Sexual Assault Repsonse Team, has strengthened access to coordinated and compassionate care,” according to a resolution the Board of Supervisor approved Tuesday.
Rheinschild, chief of the county Victim-Witness Assistance Program Division, will retire this month after 32 years with the county District Attorney’s Office.
“It feels like I’ve just been in this career for a minute,” Rheinschild said. “It’s truly been an honor to serve this community, walking alongside victims and their families in the darkest periods of their lives.”
Among her accomplishments, Rheinschild is considered a statewide authority on victim-wtiness assistance and is credited with uniting local, regional and statewide partners to launch the countywide Human Trafficking Task Force in 2013.
A raft of honorees
County supervisors said thank you to public servants and recognized the Santa Barbara Independent for 40 years of local journalism Tuesday.
Accepting a resolution in his honor, winemaker and former county Supervisor Brooks Firestone, also a former state assemblyman, took the opportunity to promote the Caltrans Adopt-a-Highway program, urging its expansion locally.
“It’s great to be back here,” Firestone said. “I hope it gets the publicity it deserves.”
The board also honored former county Planning Commissioner Michael Cooney, who retired in April after serving on the influential land use commission for more than 20 years.
“I am truly touched,” Cooney told the board. “As I”m sure everyone on the dais can attest… the commitment grows on you. I didn’t need but greatly appreciate the recognition.”
The Independent delivers 25,000 printed weekly papers to more than 700 locations every week, according to a county resolution honoring its 40 years of reporting.
On Tuesday, Editor in Chief and Cofounder Marianne Partridge and Publisher Brandi Rivera accepted the honor.
“We have never missed a Thursday,” Rivera told the board. “I want to thank our current staff that is here with us and also our past staff, readers, nonprofits and businesses that have continued to support us.”
