Hollister Ranch Lawsuit Lives On to Fight Another Day

Eight attorneys were gathered, in person and virtually, in Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Colleen Sterne’s courtroom on Monday morning, in the hope of influencing her ruling that saved a Hollister Ranch lawsuit from an early death. Three were from the state Attorney General’s Office, and one was Barry Cappello, arguably the litigator’s litigator in Santa Barbara.

At issue was whether Hollister Ranch should have sued the state back in 1980 or in 2013, an issue of when the statute of limitations expired. And it was all with an eye to whether the public would be allowed untrammeled access to the ranch’s eight miles of south-facing beaches where world-class surf breaks roll.

The ranch lands are somewhat remote, and its beaches to the west can be gained by sea or by the main road, which is limited to ranchland owners. Hollister is not entirely closed off; it offers a number of docent-led visits, in part a concession to the Coastal Act and also a means for scientists and schoolchildren to research and tour the land. A legislation-induced process is also ongoing to complete a public access program for the ranch. The evolving question here addresses how people would reach the beaches.