Dispute over Fremont’s Morrison Canyon Road access continues as rancher installs gate

By CBS Bay Area

Some hikers and cyclists in Fremont say a road they frequently take is now blocked off by a gate with a no trespassing sign. 

It’s all part of a long battle over a thousand feet of Morrison Canyon Road near Vargas Plateau Regional Park. A rancher who put up the gate claims it’s private property, but the City of Freemont says it’s public land. 

Paul Perkins has been biking along Morrison Canyon Road in Fremont for more than 20 years. 

“I bought my house on Morrison Canyon because of this road,” Perkins told CBS News Bay Area. 

But for the past few weeks, it hasn’t been the same. 

“As I come up, there’s a gate here. And you can no longer go to the end of the road, which is very frustrating,” he said. 

Perkins said the green electrical gate with no trespassing signs was put up earlier this month by Christopher George, a rancher and mortgage company owner, who lives at the end of the road. 

“I’ve never seen any problems up here. I’m up here all the time. My fitness app said I’ve ridden up here a thousand times,” he said.

The gate is posted about 1,000 feet from George’s private property. 
 
CBS News Bay Area had interviewed George back in 2016 when he filed a lawsuit against the East Regional Park District. He was trying to block the opening of Vargas Plateau Regional Park, alleging there were traffic and parking problems. 

“To me, it feels like a very safe place. But this doesn’t feel very much like community,” Perkins said. 

CBS News Bay Area obtained a copy of a letter that George’s attorney sent to the City of Fremont, alleging that there are no records showing that Alameda County or Fremont has ever asserted control over the roadway. Additionally, the letter complains that the public is “frequently trespassing across it and staging their harassment of Mr. George by photographing and recording his otherwise quiet use and enjoyment of the Property.”

Last month, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors relinquished control over its portion of the final 1,000 feet of Morrison Canyon road that extends beyond the gate to George’s property. 

But Fremont city leaders are saying hold on. 

“Undisputed record demonstrates that the Roadway, including the terminus in question, became part of the City’s roadway system seventy years ago when the City incorporated,” the city attorney wrote back to George’s lawyer. 

“Mr. George has illegally constructed an unpermitted gate,” he added. 

CBS News Bay Area saw the city’s enforcement code team place a nuisance abatement order on George’s gate on Thursday. While unavailable to interview, George’s lawyer said that they are aware of the notice and will be filing an appeal. 

“The dividing line goes somewhere down the middle here. There should be about 25 feet on one side of the county and 25 feet in the city of Fremont. And that’s where the debate is coming over,  where exactly is that line?” Jason Bezis, the attorney for Citizens to Protect Morrison Canyon Trail, told CBS News Bay Area. 

“What their attorney is saying is absolutely untrue,” he added.  

“So peaceful, so beautiful. And on a foggy day, it’s magical. On a winter day, you can see snow-covered peaks beyond from all of these areas,” Monica Melville, a resident, who has been hiking down the path for 20 years. 

“Mobility-impaired people parking in the parking lot and then having family members, using wheelchairs to have them enjoy nature. And almost have of it is taken away. This is the straightest, nicest section,” she added. 

And Perkins said he just wants access to all of the public spaces along Morrison Canyon Road. 

“This is a beautiful park up here, Vargas Plateau. And it would be a wonderful connection into the Sunol area. There’s a very clear path along the hill they could easily put in a trail at a very reasonable cost at what I’m guessing,” he said. 

For now, this final stretch of disputed roadway remains closed to the public. 

CBS News Bay Area reached out to Alameda County and the City of Fremont, and they have both declined an interview. 

Fremont officials did confirm, however, that they have launched a code enforcement case against the George property.