Local News in Brief : Thousand Oaks Backs Plan for Zuma Canyon
The Thousand Oaks City Council has gone on record as favoring a bill in the Legislature to preserve 973 acres in Zuma Canyon as part of the national park system.
By a vote of 4 to 0, with Councilman Lee Laxdal abstaining, the council Tuesday night passed a resolution supporting the bill to provide at least $3 million for the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to buy the land.
The conservancy long has sought the privately owned property, north of Point Dume in Malibu and about two miles inland. It makes up a large part of an area that the National Park Service hopes will become a national park.
Parks officials have called it the only coastal canyon still in its original state and said it offers outstanding locations for hiking, horseback riding, picnicking and other outdoor recreation.
The council will send a letter to Gov. George Deukmejian, who in June vetoed a state budget allocation for the land, saying the money is needed for higher-priority projects.
The Assembly bill also has received the support of the U.S. Department of the Interior, the City of Agoura Hills and the Malibu Township Council.
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