Negligible Influence on Santa Barbara : Reagan’s Visits to Ranch Leave Little Trace in Area

SANTA BARBARA —  President Reagan, who has visited his nearby ranch numerous times during nearly eight years in the White House, has had only a negligible impact on this idyllic beach resort.

It reflects Reagan’s deep desire for solitude and the more mundane fact that his vacation home is about 30 miles away on a narrow, steep and dangerous canyon road from the center of the city.

“When you get out there, the world is gone,” he once told an interviewer for the local newspaper.

Reagan prizes his privacy. Shortly after he took office, he let it be known that he wanted only the bare minimum number of staff aides staying at the ranch. So, except for the security watch, the White House physician and the military officer carrying the equipment needed to launch a nuclear strike, the President usually rarely sees evidence of his role as chief executive and leader of the Free World when he is there.

Keeps in Shape

He gets his relaxation--and exercise--by chain-sawing fallen oak branches and using a hydraulic device to split logs, according to ranch visitors.

In addition, there are spectacular views of the Pacific coastline and the Santa Ynez Valley from the horseback trails on the property.

But, unlike other chief executives whose presence transformed such towns as Plains, Ga., San Clemente, Hyannisport, Mass., and Vail, Colo., Reagan’s vacationing has left little trace here.

Gerry Rankin, former city editor of the Santa Barbara News-Press, said that he once made a survey of law enforcement officials, business leaders and others to see what Reagan’s impact had been.

“No impact whatsoever,” Rankin concluded. “People here never see him.”

Reagan, now making one of his last visits as President, comes to the center of Santa Barbara only rarely.

Gerry De Witt, a member of the city council, said that he could recall only one occasion since 1981 when President and Mrs. Reagan came to town to attend a church service.

Not a Tourist Attraction

Surprisingly, only a handful of the 5 million tourists who come here every year even try to take a look at his secluded ranch.

Ron McGurer, director of the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors’ Bureau, said that his office prepared maps showing how to get to Reagan’s ranch after he became President. Surprisingly, however, they never were in demand.

“I doubt if we get more than one inquiry a month about directions to his ranch,” McGurer said. “The word has gotten out that it’s pretty remote and there’s not much to see.”

Reagan’s fellow travelers--the White House staff, Secret Service bodyguards and the Washington-based press corps--do make their presence felt in Santa Barbara’s hotels and restaurants, of course.

And the dateline has become better known around the world because of stories originating from the “Western White House.”

Some demonstrators, eager to attract attention from the national press and television correspondents, have targeted Santa Barbara, including advocates for the homeless and native Americans.

Reagan did make two visits to the Hope Ranch section of Santa Barbara--a wealthy residential area--on this trip.

Spoke at Fund-Raiser

Once, he spoke at a fund-raising rally for Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ojai), who calls himself “the President’s congressman” but is facing a tough challenge from Democratic State Sen. Gary K. Hart.

Hart is hoping to use the national Democratic theme that “it’s time for a change” to upset Lagomarsino, a seven-term member of the House.

For Reagan, however, who bought the ranch in 1974 shortly before he left office as California’s governor, it is not time to change his choice of vacation spots.

Aides said that the President is certain to spend many weekends and holidays at the ranch even after he leaves office next January.

Exactly how often Reagan will return to his refuge remains uncertain, since he has lined up a house in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles as a permanent residence.