Supervisor Brooks Firestone has floated a plan to preserve 43
acres of Gaviota land between El Capitan State Park and the Gaviota
Tunnel by designating it cemetery land. Noting that 11 of the 43
acres are zoned for highway commercial uses, Firestone asserted the
land would constitute a significant sore thumb on an otherwise open
coastline. Since none of the groups currently fundraising to
preserve Gaviota have the $3 million needed to buy the land,
Firestone suggested to Craig Geyer – whom he recently appointed
chair of the Goleta Cemetery District – that the district do it.
Geyer, who noted the district could run out of plot land in about
40 years, said he’d bring the matter to the board for
discussion.
