Schaefer Urged to Quit LAFCO Over Stand on Jordan Ranch

A member of the environmental group Save Open Space demanded Monday that Ventura County Supervisor Madge L. Schaefer resign as chairwoman of an area planning agency because of her staunch support of a proposal to annex entertainer Bob Hope’s Jordan Ranch to Simi Valley.

“Madge is on the warpath, and it is clear she has an ax to grind,” said Elois Zeanah, a Thousand Oaks activist and supporter of Maria K. VanderKolk, who defeated Schaefer in the June county supervisorial race.

“Right now, she’s using her position as chairman to push this thing . . . and she has prejudiced herself,” Zeanah said. “She should step down.”

Although Save Open Space, based primarily in eastern Ventura County, has not formally asked Schaefer to resign her Local Agency Formation Commission post, members said they expect to do so later this week.

On Saturday, Schaefer announced that she would use her position as chairwoman of the five-member commission, a state-created countywide governing agency that reviews annexations, to support the Simi Valley proposal because she believes it is a way for Hope to complete a controversial land swap.

On Monday, the veteran politician held fast to her position.

“The swap is an opportunity for the public to receive 5,700 acres of parkland,” Schaefer said.

She said Zeanah and other members of Save Open Space, which has sharply opposed the land swap, are shortsighted.

But Schaefer’s comments may not make that much difference in the long run, said Mike Sedell, Simi Valley assistant city manager.

The city would still have to spend up to two years amending its general plan before going back to LAFCO for final approval, at which time Schaefer would no longer be a member of the agency, Sedell said.

The swap has been described by supporters--including the Sierra Club’s Southern California Conservation Committee and the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy--as the best deal possible because of the shortage of public money to buy parkland.

Under Hope’s proposal, the National Park Service would exchange 59 acres for an access road to the Jordan Ranch subdivision for 1,100 acres of the 2,308-acre ranch. In addition, Hope is donating and selling 4,600 acres to park agencies for a below-market $10 million.

But the exchange hinges on the county’s approval of the Jordan Ranch subdivision. Schaefer had been considered the potential swing vote for the development on the Board of Supervisors. But she was narrowly defeated in June by political newcomer VanderKolk, who made her opposition to the development the focus of her campaign.

As a result, Hope has asked Simi Valley to annex the land. Last week, Simi Valley asked LAFCO to consider issuing an early ruling on the annexation so it will not waste time and money if there is no chance the agency will approve the proposal.

Simi Valley also has requested a meeting with Thousand Oaks to discuss whether it would be more logical for that city to annex the Hope property. At a special meeting Monday night, the Thousand Oaks City Council voted to delegate Councilmen Lawrence E. Horner and Frank Schillo to meet with Simi Valley officials.

Save Open Space and other groups, including the Wilderness Society, say Jordan Ranch should be preserved as open space because it is within the boundaries of a national recreation area. Critics say they are worried that if the land is turned over to Hope, it will set a dangerous precedent.

Times staff writer Carlos V. Lozano contributed to this story.