State, Developer in Battle of the Signs

After a dusty hike through Fryman Canyon with an entourage of environmentalists and aides on Thursday, the head of a state parks agency accused developer Fred Sahadi of illegally posting no-trespassing signs in the Studio City canyon, and vowed to seek their removal.

Joe Edmiston, executive director of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, also speculated that posting the signs on a heavily used trail was “intentionally” designed “to ratchet up things to get more attention and more money” as Sahadi jockeys to sell the canyon to the conservancy.

Sahadi could not be reached for a reply.

The conservancy, with help from the city of Los Angeles, has been negotiating to buy the entire woodsy canyon just below Mulholland Drive in Studio City from Sahadi and block his plans to build 26 luxury homes on the site.

But after weeks of talks, Sahadi informed Edmiston on Wednesday that he was breaking off negotiations, convinced that the city was unwilling to contribute $2 million of its own toward purchasing the canyon. Sahadi has said his rock-bottom price is $8.7 million.

Yet Edmiston and Los Angeles City Councilman Michael Woo, who represents the area, said that they believed Sahadi can be brought back to the bargaining table. “It’s just legal posturing,” Woo said.

Meanwhile, Edmiston said he would ask the state attorney general’s office today to sue to prevent Sahadi from posting no-trespassing signs on 32 acres of Fryman Canyon that Edmiston said should belong to the conservancy.

Edmiston spoke as he stood before two no-trespassing signs on a trail through the canyon. Conferring with an aide over a detailed topographical map, Edmiston declared that the signs were on property Sahadi was supposed to have deeded to the conservancy in 1986, but never did.

His aide told Edmiston that a half-dozen other signs were posted on the same disputed property.

The city had agreed to see that Sahadi donated the 32 acres to the conservancy for open space as a condition of getting important city land-use approvals. However, for reasons still unknown, the property never was deeded to the conservancy.

Sahadi has said he will deed the property to the conservancy after he has finished his project. Sahadi’s plans show that he intends to build a temporary road across the 32 acres. The road is needed for access for the major grading work he plans for the site.

Edmiston said the conservancy also is likely to sue Sahadi in a separate lawsuit to obtain title to the 32 acres.

The recent posting of no-trespassing signs, an armed guard at the canyon, and the tagging of trees for destruction by construction crews have heightened the anguish of environmentalists seeking to save Fryman. Several of them blocked the road earlier in the week--one woman parking her Mercedes Benz in front of the gate--to keep workers off the property.

“Sahadi is trying to antagonize and intimidate the neighbors and others out here so they’ll put pressure on the city to pay him whatever he wants for his property,” said Ann Rushton, staff counsel for the Conservancy.

It remains unclear whether such a strategy, if it exists, is working.