Trying to find parking at Montecito's Hot Springs Canyon Trail is challenging, but that didn’t stop Daniel Ledin from driving up from L.A. to hike for the day.
"I had a couple other friends that have done the trail, and they're like, you gotta do it," Ledin said.
Selena Harms is visiting from Germany and says she heard about it from other tourists.
"So I'm staying in a hostel at the beach, and yeah, it was just recommended there," Harms said.
Locals say that over the last few months, trash along the trail has increased, parking continues to be an issue and after the L.A. wildfires, public safety is now a top concern. This prompted Santa Barbara County Supervisor Roy Lee to bring the issue to the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.
"People have anxiety and Montecito has a history of evacuations and disasters, so we felt that we had to do something now and getting the board to approve and support this is incredibly helpful," Lee explained.
The supervisors voted 5-0 to spend $25,000 from the general fund to pay for increased parking enforcement during red flag warning days which are a common occurrence in Montecito, with 15 occurring since January, according to National Weather Service.
"So will be ticketing, towing, doing everything we can to ensure the safety of the community," Lee said.
