Katy Perry’s Proposed Youth Summer Camp Sparks Wildfire Concern From Santa Barbara Residents

Katy Perry’s Firework Foundation has proposed a youth summer camp just outside of her hometown of Santa Barbara, CA, but nearly 400 residents are opposing the plan, citing a laundry list of concerns from wildfire risk to traffic and noise.

According to the project’s website, Gratitude Canyon “would provide a permanent home for Camp Firework” at a Goleta property that formerly operated as the headquarters of Bragg Live Food Products—the company that popularized apple cider vinegar.

Gratitude Canyon explains that the pop star and her sister, Angela Lerche—the foundation’s president—spent “significant time” at the proposed site of the camp growing up, noting a “close friendship” with Patricia Bragg, the company’s former CEO who died in 2023 at the age of 94.

The foundation estimates that “approximately 97% of the roughly 110-acre property would remain open space, agriculture or landscaping,” and that the camp’s activity would be “concentrated on about 16 acres,” leaving “much” of the existing apple orchard to remain.

The County of Santa Barbara's Major Condition Use Permit Application Project Description supports those claims.

The program has operated for seven years across more than a dozen camp sites, and serves children ages 11 through 13, combining “art, nature, leadership, and relationship-building for young people who may not otherwise have access to immersive camp experiences.”

A petition under the name “Neighbors Against Gratitude Canyon” has garnered 396 signatures from concerned residents in response to the way the project is “currently proposed.”

“The Firework Foundation is seeking County approval to rezone 183 Winchester Canyon with a General Plan Amendment and build a youth camp/event center, bringing 8,000+ visitors a year into a quiet, residential canyon, with amplified noise permitted 9am-9pm, 400-person events, and one way in or out of a high fire-risk, debris-flow zone,” the petition states.

Neighbors Against Gratitude Canyon has organized the neighbors’ “top concerns.” The first on the list is that they believe the camp is a “Trojan Horse” and is a “year-round event center” designed “under the guise of a summer camp for underserved kids.”

However, Gratitude Canyon has stated that the proposal is not intended to serve as “a wedding or concert venue,” and plans to keep limited use outside of summer camp to schools, nonprofits, and “occasional retreats,” as well as “no more than four special events per year.”

Additionally, the petition raises concerns about fire safety, claiming “a formal fire protection plan and independent county-reviewed evacuation analysis still haven’t been completed,” and that evacuation capacity for the camp’s children and staff should be established prior to changing the property’s zoning.

However, Gratitude Canyon’s frequently asked questions page notes “fire prevention has been incorporated into the project form the earliest planning stages” and claim “measures include defensible space, vegetation management, emergency access, onsite water, hardened structures, evacuation planning, emergency communications, and 24-hour staffing while campers are onsite.”

The Gratitude Canyon website also explains that the Firework Foundation is engaging “directly with neighbors” and that the project “remains an evolving proposal.”

The summer camp proposal is not the first time Perry has been involved in a dispute centered around property in Santa Barbara.

The “California Gurls” singer and her former fiance, Orlando Bloom, were involved in a yearslong courtroom battle regarding a $15 million Montecito mansion.

The legal drama began in 2020, when the couple purchased the home from 1-800-Flowers founder, Carl Westcott, who rescinded the deal days later.

Westcott had reportedly purchased the estate for $11 million just two months prior, and sued Perry’s long-time business manager, Bernie Gudvi, who handled the purchase. Westcott claimed he “lacked capacity” to sell his home because he was suffering from a brain disorder and was under the influence of painkillers.

After years of legal back-and-forth, a 2023 ruling concluded that the original sale contract should be upheld. Perry countersued Westcott, seeking nearly $6 million in damages from the veteran, including $3.5 million in lost rental income and more than $2 million in repairs due to his alleged “lack of maintenance” of the property. The damages were later revised to $4.8 million.

Perry was awarded $1.94 million in damages, which was deducted from the $6 million that remained outstanding on the property’s original purchase price, leaving Perry and her representatives responsible for paying just over $4 million.

In October of this year, Westcott alleged he had only received a fraction of the amount owed, leaving Perry and Bloom susceptible to another legal confrontation.