Stable Owners Group Sheds Anonymity : Code enforcement: Leaders in fight over unlicensed horse facilities say none of their members are developers.

A group of stable owners spearheading a crackdown on competitors operating without city permits revealed the names of their leadership Wednesday after weeks of anonymity.

Jack Thompson, president of the Alliance of Licensed Stable Owners and Operators, said his membership had remained anonymous because of fears of retribution and harassment from owners of non-licensed stables. He also denied charges by Assemblyman Richard Katz (D-Panorama City) that the group was “a front for land speculators.”

“We’re just a bunch of small businessmen trying to protect our businesses,” said Thompson, who owns a stable in Lake View Terrace with a capacity for 100 horses. “We’re not trying to put anyone out of business.”

The group had contended that unlicensed stable operations unfairly undercut those who complied with the city permit process. Their complaints led to the city of Los Angeles in December citing 18 stables from Chatsworth to Tujunga for not having business licenses or zoning permits.

Attorney Robert Graham, who had been acting as spokesman for the organization, said 10 stables were represented in the group, and Thompson said no land speculators or developers were part of the organization.

Katz could not be reached for comment.

Thompson said stable owners and representatives of Katz and local city officials planned to meet today to iron out their differences.

In the meantime, owners of unlicensed stables will meet with city officials this week for a workshop on how to obtain permits.

Arline DeSanctis, a representative of Councilman Joel Wachs, said those cited will be able to apply for a categorical exemption at a cost of $50, as opposed to the $786 fee required for an environmental assessment. Along with the conditional-use permit and variance fees, the owners may have to pay as little as $2,679 to come into compliance.

“These stables have been there for so many years and there has never been any environmental problems that we have been made aware of,” said DeSanctis, explaining why an environmental assessment may not be necessary. “It’s not like they are some new development coming in that’s having a tremendous impact.”

Some stable owners were also cited for having illegal barn structures, but DeSanctis said it was unclear how they can comply with that provision since the city has not yet defined what would be a legal structure for housing horses.