Judge Cuts Cost of Getting Ahmanson Records
A judge has ruled that Ventura County cannot charge $31,000 for copies of its administrative records on the long-stalled Ahmanson Ranch project.
Instead, Superior Court Judge Barbara Lane set the price tag at just under $5,900 for the complete record, which fills about 38,000 pages.
That total will be divided among Ventura County, Ahmanson developers and the nine entities that have filed lawsuits against the proposed mini-city in the Simi Hills.
The groups suing to block the project, which would bring 8,600 residents to a mountainous tract near the county line, include the environmental group Save Open Space, the cities of Los Angeles, Calabasas and Malibu, Los Angeles County, and various homeowner organizations.
The nine plaintiffs will split about $4,000 of the administrative record’s cost, and Ventura County and Ahmanson will divide the remaining fees.
“I think it’s a very important decision for the right of taxpayers to go off to court,” said Rosemary Woodlock, an attorney for several of the plaintiffs. “It’s great. This works out to a much more reasonable rate.”
Lane also set a Feb. 8 trial date for the nine lawsuits, which have been combined into one case. Originally, the trial was scheduled for next month, but Lane said neither side would be ready by then.
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