🚀 go-pugleaf

Any of you who enjoy the woods or want to go exploring in the southland,
be prepared to pay up. 

As of Monday, the County of Los Angeles is implementing fees of $23/year
to access small strips of trail and dirt road which generally lead from 
towns to national forest. 

If you don't buy your permit, you may be fined $54 (plus costs I imagine).

Many of these strips are less than a mile long. Use of the national forest
areas, remains free of charge however :-)

Its just that 1000ft strip of dirt that you need to pay your $23 for!

The office where I picked up the map had 3 staffers in it. Plus they have
to spend money on enforcement. Is this cost effective? In addition, it 
opens up the county to liability. A mountain lion attack in Orange County
cost Orange millions not too long ago I seem to remember. 

Anyway, I suppose if you think this is stupid, you should call your 
member of the County Board of Supervisors. I did. 

It costs $5 to go in Yosemite (road tax). I wouldn't mind if there was an 
option to just pay $2 in a cash box or something. Its just I know in this 
case I'm being asked to pay for nothing in return.

The county's position on this is that the money will go towards trail
maintenance. A worthy cause. Just how many people do they think will 
pay their money and how much will be left afterward. 

Anyway, maybe someone out there would like to flame me and tell me to chill
out. Or that there ought not to be any people in the woods. Just found 
out about this yesterday. Any historians out there know any 19th century 
laws this violates? 

Paul Brewer
Caltech, Dept. of Economics.
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Not a representative of Caltech or the dept. Void where prohibited.