Rep.Gallegly Key to Land Swap Plan

With the political heat rising, U.S. Rep. Elton Gallegly (R-Simi Valley) says he has taken no stand on a controversial proposal by developers to exchange land with the National Park Service so they can build a tournament golf course and 1,152 homes in the lawmaker’s district.

Gallegly has been courted by both sides in the emotional battle, involving federal parkland in scenic Cheeseboro Canyon and the adjacent Jordan Ranch in eastern Ventura County, owned by entertainer Bob Hope. Both parcels are within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, a network of public parks and private lands.

Gallegly, who has been exhorted by local opponents to fight the swap, has also been given 10 campaign contributions totaling $4,300 by the developers, according to Federal Election Commission records.

At a time that the developer, Potomac Investment Associates, was seeking quick action on the proposed exchange, Gallegly and Rep. Robert J. Lagomarsino (R-Ojai) sent a letter to National Park Service Director James Ridenour requesting an “expeditious” ruling on the proposal.

The letter last June did not endorse the exchange, however, and a Gallegly aide said it was sent because Potomac, local officials and residents all were eager to know the Park Service’s stand.

If the developers sought to influence him, Gallegly said, “It obviously hasn’t worked because you haven’t seen me out beating the drums” for the exchange.

Nonetheless, local opponents of the land swap have expressed disappointment that Gallegly has not come out against the proposal, which is the subject of a planned protest today at Cheeseboro Canyon.

“He should be out in the forefront, stopping the rape of a national park in his district,” complained Mary Wiesbrock, a member of the group Save Open Space.

“Obviously, not everyone feels the same way,” responded Gallegly, adding that he would reserve judgment until environmental studies are completed and Ventura County officials rule on zoning changes sought by the developers.

Gallegly’s attitude is significant not only because the proposal involves his district but because he sits on the House Interior and Insular Affairs Committee and its national parks and public lands subcommittee, which oversee the Park Service.

The proposal also will be examined at a May 1 hearing by a House government operations subcommittee investigating the guidelines used by federal agencies to assess proposed land swaps.

Potomac, based in Gaithersburg, Md., needs Park Service land to build a four-lane road to the Jordan Ranch because existing roads are inadequate for the development it plans.

Under Potomac’s proposal, the Park Service would give the company 59 acres in lower Cheeseboro Canyon, but get 864 acres of the Jordan Ranch in return. Potomac would also sell the scenic China Flat portion of the ranch to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a state parks agency.