OCEANO DUNES, Calif. (FOX26) — Gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton took a helicopter tour of Oceano Dunes on Friday, Aug. 14, amid ongoing battles regarding beach access and off-roading access.

For decades, families have flocked to Oceano Dunes to camp and ride off-road vehicles along the Central Coast. Now, with ongoing disputes over conservation rules and access, some community members say the future of the dunes is becoming a political issue heading into November.

The Oceano Dunes were forced to close in April but reopened in May.

[RELATED] Federal court shutting down Oceano Dunes off-roading over endangered bird

Jim Suty, president of Friends of Oceano Dunes, said his family has enjoyed the dunes for decades and wants the next governor to prioritize keeping the area accessible.

“Is it perfect? No. Then let’s roll up our sleeves and make it better. But don’t just say, ‘Oh, we want to close,’” Suty said. “Many other families are like mine. It is personal to them. I actually know families that spread the ashes of their loved ones out there it means so much to them. So to see a threat of closure is very disheartening.”

Suty criticized the California Coastal Commission and said his group has fought restrictions through the courts.

[RELATED] Oceano Dunes reopening for vehicle day use and camping

“The judge ruled that (the California Coastal Commissioners) are exceeding their authority and that’s not uncommon,” Suty said. “They do it all up and down the coast and it’s usually very politically biased.”

Suty invited the top two primary candidates in the California governor’s race, Steve Hilton and Xavier Becerra, to walk the dunes with him and see the area firsthand.

“Get that first hand experience and see what the California restrictions and abuses are doing to a state legislated park,” Suty said. “And if they’re not willing to step up and see the abuse and make some changes. Then we need to look at a different path.”

Suty said he has not heard back from Becerra’s team, but Hilton arrived on Friday, Aug. 14, for a tour.

“The idiots, the bureaucrats on the Coastal Commission have been trying to shut it down for years. They’ve been trying to shut it down. Well, I am done with all of that,” Hilton said in a social media video. “his bureaucracy is insane I’m sick of these people trying to crush our way of life in California This has been going on for years everyone loves it.”

Hilton said he would appoint the proper people with “common sense” to the CCC if he were to win the governors race.

Suty said he believes there needs to be a balance between conservation and access, and that campers and off-roaders care about coastal species.

“Let’s take that money and let’s use it at the national wildlife refuge to help that species and that land be more useful. But we don’t think outside the box and we as Californians need to demand more,” he said.

Suty said he and others took Hilton up in a helicopter to see an overview of the dunes and spent many hours with him out on the sand.

He said the invitation to Becerra still stands and that the group would welcome his team to visit. He also encouraged people to sign up and vote in November.

Oceano Dunes sees over two million annual visitors, and the last fiscal report shows it brought in $500 million for the local economy.