Save Whose Open Space?

Shouldn’t the organization Save Open Space really be called Save Open Space In My Back Yard?

If it were really interested in saving open space, how could it not support a land swap that would trade 59 acres of open space for 5,700 acres of open space. Especially since the 59-acre sliver of parkland is steep goat country.

The value to SOSIMBY’s members, of course, is that it’s close to them in old Agoura. They couldn’t care less if 1,100 acres of China Flat were opened up to the public forever. That’s way up near Oak Park. And Runkle Ranch, forget it; that 4,600 acres is all the way up in (yuck) Simi Valley. Who would want to save open space there?

The really sad part, though, is that SOSIMBY seems to have convinced the Ventura County supervisors that being environmentally responsible means saving 59 acres at the expense of 5,700 acres. Bob Hope has made the most generous land offer since Queen Isabella talked to Columbus, and we are saying no. Now he will probably sell the land to developers and give the money to medical research or some other charity.

Why should he give the land to us? We can’t even organize ourselves to say yes. Ventura County supervisors please mark me down for “yes,” approve the Jordan Ranch Project and save us all some open space.

ERIC CLAUS

Westlake Village