Hearst Ranch

The state Friday closed a $95-million deal that preserves a scenic stretch of California's Central Coast and permanently bars development on much of the historic Hearst Ranch. "The dramatic nature of this agreement is exceeded only by the vision for the state's future and the value for the people that it will provide," Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement announcing the closing of escrow. "This magnificent property will forever be preserved."

Negotiations to preserve the Hearst Ranch at San Simeon are moving again as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration is pursuing the project and focusing on turning the most visible part of the ranch -- 18 miles of coastline -- into state parkland. Although the Hearst Corp. has long floated the idea of preserving its historic family ranch for a price, only this week have details begun to emerge.

The California Department of Transportation plans to use $23 million to help keep portions of Hearst Ranch along California 1 undeveloped. The plan also would allow Caltrans to move erosion-vulnerable portions of the highway inland up to 500 feet, and could ensure public access to the entire 18-mile coastline strip of the ranch west of the road.

The U.S. Forest Service is considering creating a Big Sur National Forest that could include the Hearst Ranch and Ft. Hunter Liggett, if the enormous U.S. Army base is shuttered in the Pentagon's coming round of base closures. As envisioned, the new national forest could encompass an area yet to be acquired that alone would be nearly half the size of Orange County, plus northern portions of the Los Padres National Forest. The concept, raised in a briefing paper for U.S. Rep.

It's no secret that there is strong support for preserving the 82,000-acre Hearst Ranch on California's Central Coast. And it's no secret that the Hearst Corp., on behalf of descendants of the legendary publisher William Randolph Hearst, is pressuring the state to approve a deal for the land -- $95 million, to be paid primarily out of state bond funds -- by the end of May, or else. Unfortunately, what remains a closely guarded secret is the exact nature of the deal.

California officials and Hearst Corp. have reached a tentative agreement on a $95-million deal to preserve most of the rolling hills and grassy tablelands of the Hearst Ranch around San Simeon, which have long served as a picturesque gateway to Big Sur. Under the proposed accord, which California Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman announced after months of negotiations, the state would buy about 1,400 acres west of Highway 1.

The barbed wire along a scenic stretch of coastline near San Simeon may come down soon, letting hikers and road-trippers linger as elephant seals lounge on the rocks and waves crash against the shore. A tentative deal reached last month between state officials and the Hearst Corp. would give the public title to 1,400 acres and 13 miles of shoreline surrounding Hearst Castle.

Overflowing a beachfront veterans hall Thursday night, a generally enthusiastic crowd of 400 people heard the details of a plan to preserve the Hearst Ranch and bring to an end three decades of public wrangling over the fate of one of the state's most beguiling stretches of coastal real estate. It was the first airing of a proposal that would transfer 13 miles of beaches to the state and bar development on most of the rest of the ranch.

As state officials near a key decision on the $95-million deal to preserve Hearst Ranch, the terms of the transaction are coming under increasing criticism that the deal is too generous to the Hearst Corp. The latest critique, from the legislative analyst's office, a nonpartisan fiscal watchdog, contends that the deal may be based on a faulty appraisal and lacks specific, enforceable provisions to protect wildlife and rare plants.

Over strong objections from some environmentalists, a state board on Thursday agreed to provide $34.5 million to help preserve the Hearst Ranch, a major stretch of undeveloped coastline in Central California. The unanimous vote by the three-member Wildlife Conservation Board is the second of four steps in cementing a controversial deal totaling $95 million that opponents call too generous to owner Hearst Corp.