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Land may be transferred from SLO to SB County

By Mike Hodgson/Associate Editor

San Luis Obispo County supervisors on Tuesday gave tentative approval to a request to transfer 5,070 acres of ranchland from San Luis Obispo County to Santa Barbara County.

On a 3-2 vote, the board agreed to continue a public hearing on the proposal to its Sept. 16 meeting, which is expected to give the staff time to work with Santa Barbara County officials to develop ordinances that will allow the transfer.

At that time, a decision to close the public hearing and potentially introduce the ordinances would start a 30-day clock for the supervisors to make a final decision on whether to oppose the transfer.

H.D. and Carol Perrett said they petitioned San Luis Obispo County to allow the transfer for a number of reasons, primarily to improve law enforcement and fire protection services to their Suey Ranch, which overlooks the Santa Maria Valley and the northeastern portion of Santa Maria city.

Other reasons included the ranch’s geographic and economic connection to Santa Barbara County, access from Santa Maria via Suey Crossing Bridge on Bull Canyon Road and the proximity of health care services in Santa Maria.

On Aug. 19, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors conducted a hearing on the issue and decided not to oppose the transfer.

But the San Luis Obispo County staff recommended its supervisors reject the transfer, citing no proof of substantial benefits to the Perretts as well as the county’s loss of some $58,000 in property taxes.

Vince Morici, SLO County administrative analyst, also said the transfer would create confusing boundaries and result in the county losing control of land use decisions.

However, an attorney for the Perretts said the loss of property taxes would be “a wash,” because the county would also not have to provide services to the area and the Perretts have no plans to change the land use.

H.D. Perrett said the southern portion of his ranch, which is visible from the city neighborhoods below, has become a magnet for crime — mostly theft and vandalism — committed by Santa Maria Valley residents.

He said response from the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Department has been slow and the jurisdiction sometimes difficult to determine.

But, Perrett noted, a crime was recently foiled when an off-duty Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputy spotted two men headed onto the property from his home in Santa Maria.

“From a practical standpoint, (police and sheriff’s deputies) are right there, they can see it,” he said. “(The perpetrators) have to come (back) down into that area.”

Bill Byrne, a retired Santa Barbara County sheriff’s commander, supported Perrett’s contentions, although he noted that cooperation between the jurisdictions has always been good.

He said the issue is what he called “nuisance calls” for such crimes as underage drinking and theft.

“There are acres and acres of avocados there that are an attraction,” he said. “It’s close to a high school, and it’s attractive to students who want to go out there and do whatever it is they’re doing.”

However, San Luis Obispo County sheriff’s Chief Deputy Martin Basti said that while Santa Maria police might have a better view of the land, Santa Barbara County sheriff’s deputies would still have to go through the city to handle calls there.

He said his department has increased patrol, education and crime prevention for the area in recent years

Basti also said that based on only six calls in three years, removing that area from the county’s jurisdiction would not result in a significant savings, especially since deputies would have to patrol that area anyway.

“There is nothing we will stop doing,” agreed David Edge, county administrator. “You’re talking about 1/250th of a deputy that will not be utilized ... .”

The transfer was also opposed by Gordon Hensley of San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper and Morgan Rafferty, executive director of the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo.

“It’s a poor planning decision, it’s a poor business decision, and we urge denial (of the transfer),” Hensley said.

Rafferty added, “It doesn’t make sense to give up land use decisions for a big chunk of land in the middle of our county.”

Nipomo Community Services District President Mike Winn asked that supervisors reject the transfer now but allow the Perretts to reapply after an environmental assessment is done and more information is available about the impacts.

“NCSD has taken no position in opposition to the proposal, simply because there’s not enough information to support it, and we don’t know if you have enough information, either,” Winn told the board.

Supervisor Katcho Achadjian, who made the motion to continue the hearing, said the property has Twitchell Reservoir water rights and access to Santa Maria water, so the transfer would not affect the groundwater aquifer.

“I want to make it clear ... there is no deal as far as water,” he said. “But ... it will open up relationships” with other agencies.

“The bottom line is, where does the money go?” he said. “What we give away today, would it help us to get something in the future, and at what cost and what value?”

mhodgson@theadobepress.com