SIMI VALLEY : Annexation Review Delayed for Study
Ventura County deferred a decision Monday on Simi Valley’s request for a speedy review of a plan to annex Jordan and Runkle ranches.
The county’s Local Agency Formation Commission said it needed time for more study. According to Robert L. Braitman, the executive director of LAFCO, the commissioners requested a detailed review of the agency’s procedural process, which must be amended before Simi Valley’s request can be accepted.
LAFCO traditionally has not considered annexation proposals by cities until their general plans have been updated and the necessary environmental impact reports completed, but there is no law prohibiting the panel from changing its procedures.
Simi Valley wants to annex the land as part of a land exchange involving the state and federal governments and entertainer Bob Hope.
The issue will be discussed at LAFCO’s Oct. 17 meeting. In addition to Jordan Ranch, Hope has asked Simi Valley to annex 3,600 acres of his Runkle Ranch a few miles northeast of the city.
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