Moorpark : City Seeks Voice on Conservancy Panel

The city of Moorpark wants its own member on an advisory committee to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy to help influence decisions regarding thousands of acres of parkland surrounding the community.

The committee, which includes representatives from 16 state and municipal agencies, meets twice a month to review and help develop land-use policies for the conservancy’s board of directors.

Run by a board of directors, the conservancy is a state agency with the authority to acquire parkland throughout the Santa Monica and Santa Susana mountains. Addition of a representative to the conservancy’s advisory committee must be approved by the state Legislature.

City-sponsored legislation to add a Moorpark representative to the committee is working its way through the Assembly and is likely to be adopted by the Legislature within a few months, a spokesman for Assemblyman Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) said.

“If we’re going to be affected by the conservancy, it’s only right that we have a say,” Mayor Paul Lawrason said.

If the Legislature approves a seat for a Moorpark representative, the City Council would select someone.

Moorpark has developed a greater interest in the conservancy since the establishment of 3,700-acre Happy Camp Park, featuring oak groves and equestrian trails in the Santa Susana Mountains north and east of the city. The park, which opened in September, is expected to have an on-site caretaker in the next few months, said Rorie Skei, a conservancy program manager. Weekend nature hikes have attracted up to 40 people a day, she said.

“Any time you have local representation, they are probably more familiar with the issues that directly relate to their area,” said Don Hunt, who represents the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District on the conservancy.