San Diego

Owners of the 4-S Ranch development, commonly called Ralphs Ranch, received a chilly reception Tuesday from the San Diego City Council when they asked to contract for city police, fire and paramedic service. The proposed 634-acre project is just outside the San Diego city limits, near Rancho Bernardo. Plans for the development, which includes an industrial park, have been approved by the county. The owners intended to annex the development to the city, but they decided to remain in the county when slow-growth sentiment grew in San Diego, some city officials say. Council members denied the request for public safety services, saying they didn’t want to set a precedent by extending services for a development outside city limits. The development is next to the city’s urban reserve, land theoretically off limits to developers until 1995.