Reason for Agoura Hills Recall Drive

As a member of the United Neighbors of Agoura Hills and a founder of the city of Agoura Hills, I attended a meeting of registered voters in the city of Agoura Hills, (by invitation only) on Sept. 29, to discuss the recall of four inept and irresponsible City Council members.

Your article dated Sept. 30, titled “Agoura Council Members Face Recall Drive” left me wondering if I attended the same meeting your reporter did. The Times reported the reason for the recall being the “catering to the influential Old Agoura neighborhood at the expense of the business community, especially in handling a recent controversy over Medfield Street”.

In addition to the irresponsible act of closing Medfield Street, endangering the lives of residents and workers alike, the committee also found the following:

--The failure of two potential assessment districts. The Canwood district was disbanded by the court, and the Reyes Adobe district was not pursued because landowners objected to its cost.

--The expenditure of about $100,000 to set up the Reyes Adobe Task Force. Formed to find solutions to traffic problems, it was finally disbanded.

--The $250,000 annual cost of retaining a law firm because of numerous lawsuits against the city.

--The lack of community facilities. Teen-agers hang out at shopping centers because there is no community center.

--The stacks of studies that have been commissioned and paid for, but which the council is unable or unwilling to do anything with.

--The approval of projects even though traffic problems have not been resolved.

--The approval of a preferential parking district and changing setback rules on horse property because of the wishes of a vocal minority in Old Agoura.

--Keeping millions of dollars in reserve, when it should only be between $300,000 and $400,000 for a city the size of Agoura Hills.

--Forming a redevelopment agency with the goal of downzoning properties.

Finally, your article stated that the business community wanted Medfield Sreet open. Not true --2,500 residents of the city signed a petition to reopen Medfield Sreet so we could leave our homes, conduct our personal business and get home safely. When we leave our homes we would like to know the roads are still there and the bridges haven’t fallen down!

CAROLE DYNDA

Agoura Hills