Ahmanson and Soka Projects
Am I missing something on the Ahmanson project?
* State and federal taxpayers pay $29.5 million out of their pockets to fund part of the project; taxpayers, in effect, will buy parkland from the developer.
* Calabasas and Los Angeles get improvements we wouldn’t otherwise need, and which won’t reduce traffic or smog from current levels.
* Thousands of extra cars will be added to the already overcrowded Ventura Freeway each day.
* Wildlife loses a 2,800-acre home.
* Ventura County gets tax revenues to pay for continued operating costs of police and fire protection, schools, libraries, and other expenses that wouldn’t otherwise be needed for the Ahmanson property.
Now, what was it again that Los Angeles County, the city of Los Angeles and Calabasas get in exchange for the inconvenience and burdens of the Ahmanson project? And what did Ventura County have to lose in approving it?
The supposed “generosity” of the Ahmanson deal eludes me.
HOWARD SCHLOSSBERG
Calabasas
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