Rent plan hits rough water

Paul Clinton

CRYSTAL COVE -- A plan to hike the rents of the trailer park

inhabitants at El Morro Beach to pay for the restoration of the cove’s 46

cabins isn’t winning a quick approval from environmentalists.

Of the activists who had reviewed the plan, only Jeannette Merrilees

said it could be a “creative solution” to the thorny problem of how to

pay for the restoration of the cottages.

Assemblyman John Campbell (R-Irvine) earlier this month suggested that

he supported hiking the residents’ rents to increase the revenue from

$840,000 to as much as $5 million.

His proposal could keep the trailer park renters on public land until

2009. California State Parks officials have signaled their intention to

remove them after their leases expire in 2004.

The plan likely would need legislation to change state law and support

from environmental groups, many of which have been raising the alarm for

greater access to Crystal Cove State Park.

“I’m not sure the public will support putting off the [expiration of

the] leases,” Merrilees said. “I’m not buying into it until I see the

figures.”

Other environmentalists were even less enthusiastic.

Laura Davick, who founded the Alliance to Rescue Crystal Cove, said

she could not comment on the plan.

“I don’t have any comment,” Davick said. “I haven’t formulated an

opinion on it.”

Joan Irvine Smith, who founded the Crystal Cove Conservancy to raise

funding for the job, also had no comment.

Campbell has said the idea is a natural because both El Morro Beach

and the historic district are part of the same state park. He has said

“one part of the park could raise revenue for the other part.”

State Parks officials have also not warmed up to Campbell’s plan,

saying the demand for public campsites is too intense to allow the

residents to stay.

“This is not a plan that we will be endorsing,” Areias said. “It’s

creative, but the time is ticking at El Morro. We have a general plan,

and we are going to remove all those residents.”

In that 1982 plan, the parks department announced its desire to

install 60 sites for recreation vehicles or tents, picnic areas of

parking lots.

With a softening economy and a looming shrinkage in state departmental

budgets, funding to restore the cottages may be hard to find. State Parks

has estimated the job would cost between $12 million and $20 million.

* PAUL CLINTON covers the environment and John Wayne Airport. He may

be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail ato7

paul.clinton@latimes.comf7 .

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