Deukmejian, Ford Lobby for Hotel’s OK

Gov. George Deukmejian and former President Gerald R. Ford are using their influence with local politicians on behalf of a controversial 524-room hotel development proposed by Hyatt Hotels Corp.

The pressure from Ford and Deukmejian is being brought on county Supervisor Robert Kallman, a Republican who generally is pro-growth but has indicated misgivings about the scope of the Hyatt proposal, the Santa Barbara News-Press reported Friday .

Kallman is considered a key vote on the issue.

If approved, the project would be built west of suburban Goleta, next to heavily traveled U.S. 101 on the bluffs above Haskell’s Beach.

Some environmentalists have said that locating the project there would open the now-undeveloped area to urban sprawl. They also have raised questions about the adequacy of water supply to the area.

The county Planning Commission and its staff have recommended that the Hyatt project be denied.

Earlier this month, Kallman received a personal phone call from Deukmejian and a letter from Ford urging him to support the Hyatt project.

Kallman said it is the first time he has received a letter from Ford and the first time Deukmejian has called to lobby for a planning project in Santa Barbara County.

“I resent that kind of pressure,” the supervisor said. “If anything, those kind of inputs make me look even more closely.”

He said the communications will “not influence me at all.”

Call From Governor

Kallman said Deukmejian called him two weeks ago and said “he hoped Santa Barbara County wasn’t going to do anything to discourage” tourism.

Kallman said he asked Deukmejian whether he was referring to the the Hyatt proposal, and that the governor replied “yes.”

Ford, in his letter, said he was “writing on behalf of Jay Pritzker,” chairman of the board of the Hyatt Corp. and a longtime close friend of the former President.

“It is my understanding that Jay Pritzker and the Hyatt Corp., along with Alvin Dorfman, hope to build a world-class hotel in Santa Barbara,” the letter read. “I have been made aware of the various difficulties confronting the project.”

Ford’s letters added: “I know from experience how difficult it can be to represent all the interests of a constituency. . . . I would not presume to speak for or against the project, but only for the quality and standards that Jay Pritzker brings to all that he undertakes.”

Ad Campaign for Tourism

Deukmejian spokesman Larry Thomas on Friday defended the governor’s action.

“When the state of California has embarked on a $6-million advertising campaign to bolster the visitor industry, and when you have a community on the verge of making a decision on a world-class resort facility that could enhance that industry, it is entirely proper for the governor to offer his opinion,” Thomas said.

Thomas said that “all the governor did was express his interest and support for a project that is being proposed for Santa Barbara. . . . He is not substituting his judgment for the Board of Supervisors. They have the fundamental responsibility to make a final decision. . . . And clearly they have the option to say no.”

Ford’s office in Rancho Mirage referred inquiries to the ex-President’s spokesman, Robert Barrett. But Lori Circle, a secretary for Barrett in Los Angeles, said Barrett was traveling Friday and could not be reached for comment.