Oak Park Wants Quick Action on Cityhood Request

In a move to block neighboring Simi Valley’s bid to annex Jordan Ranch, an Oak Park group said Thursday it has requested that the Local Agency Formation Commission speed up consideration of its request for cityhood.

The five-member Oak Park Municipal Advisory Council said it has written to LAFCO requesting that the agency provide an early ruling on the request at a meeting Oct. 17, the same day LAFCO is scheduled to consider Simi Valley’s request for an early ruling on the proposed annexation of the Jordan property.

The Oak Park group’s request would be a first step toward incorporation. It has proposed annexing both the 2,308-acre Jordan Ranch and the nearby 5,547-acre Ahmanson Ranch once it incorporates.

But incorporation would be a lengthy process, possibly taking as long as two years, LAFCO officials said. The advisory council would have to conduct a study of whether the area has enough tax base to support a city and to gather enough signatures to hold an election on cityhood.

If LAFCO assures Simi Valley that it can annex the Jordan property, Oak Park’s request for cityhood might be stymied, council members said.

“We want it on a fast track,” Ron Stark, a member of the advisory council, said of the cityhood effort. “We wouldn’t want Simi to get that land before we present our case.”

LAFCO Executive Director Bob Braitman said Thursday that he had not received the letter from Oak Park. Although the LAFCO board is scheduled to consider only Simi Valley’s request, it could review both requests at the same time, Braitman said.

Oak Park officials said development proposed for the Jordan and Ahmanson properties would require more schools and better roads in their area.

The Oak Park council is scheduled to hold a public forum on the incorporation effort Oct. 23.

The small community, sandwiched between Thousand Oaks and the Jordan Ranch property, has about 10,000 residents, according to county planners.

The council serves as an advisory body to the county, but it does not have the authority to decide land-use issues. Cityhood would give residents the authority to seek land annexations.

Oak Park should have more control over the Jordan Ranch annexation because development proposed for the property is closer to it than Simi Valley, said Pitt Gilmore, a council member.

Officials of the Ahmanson Land Co. and representatives of Potomac Investment Associates, which has an option to buy Jordan Ranch from entertainer Bob Hope, have said they are open to the idea of Oak Park incorporating and annexing the properties.

Developments proposed for the Jordan and Ahmanson properties would usher into the area about 11,000 new residents and 240 acres of commercial, office and retail space, a county environmental report concluded.

To annex Jordan Ranch, Simi Valley must complete a General Plan amendment, a costly and lengthy process that could take up to two years, Braitman said.

To become a city, the Oak Park community must conduct a financial study and gather enough signatures to place the incorporation issue on the ballot. The process could also take up to two years, Braitman said.

Simi Valley Mayor Greg Stratton said Oak Park should not be threatened by his city’s request for an early ruling. LAFCO’s denial of a speedy ruling for Simi Valley could pave the way for the community’s incorporation, he said.

“If I were Oak Park, I would want this decision by LAFCO made as quickly as possible,” he said.