Wilson Names Ex-Aide Sybert to Parklands Agency

Gov. Pete Wilson on Tuesday announced the appointment of former senior aide Richard P. Sybert to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, a move expected to raise Sybert’s standing as a Republican challenger to Rep. Anthony C. Beilenson (D-Woodland Hills).

Sybert, 41, will replace Roger Gertmenian on the policy-making board of the conservancy, a state agency that acquires parkland in the Santa Monicas and neighboring hills and mountains, and provides grants to local park and conservation groups.

Sybert resigned in October from his post as state planning director and head of the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research, moving to Woodland Hills to open a law and land-use consulting firm. By then, he had already loaned more than $300,000 of his own money to a committee exploring the possibility of his becoming a candidate next year for the Republican nomination to represent the 24th Congressional District, which includes portions of the San Fernando Valley, Thousand Oaks and Malibu.

The appointment may give Sybert a leg up on other Republican hopefuls and is sure to annoy supporters of Beilenson, a nine-term Democrat who sponsored the legislation that created the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

“I suppose there will always be cynics, but I believe the appointment is on the merits and I will certainly try to do a good job,” Sybert said.

“I’ve been hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains since I was a teen-ager, and I know the area inside out,” said Sybert, noting that he also worked on parkland issues in the Santa Monicas as a member of the Wilson Administration.

“I think the governor appointed me as he makes his other appointments--on the merits,” Sybert said. “The governor got himself a Republican environmentalist.”

Gertmenian had been a member of the conservancy board since 1984, when he was appointed by former Gov. George Deukmejian. Gertmenian said he was not upset when informed by Wilson’s office that Sybert would replace him, and had not heard about Sybert’s aspirations.

“I think that Gov. Wilson probably let the appointment go for a couple of years, and so this came as no surprise,” Gertmenian said. “I’m just pleased that I could serve under governors Deukmejian and Wilson as long as I could.”

“We’re very happy to have someone who is as close to the governor as Richard Sybert is on the board,” said conservancy Executive Director Joseph T. Edmiston. “It shows . . . how important the conservancy is to the governor that he put one of his top people on it.”

Sybert has made no formal announcement of his congressional candidacy, but said late Tuesday, “I do intend to run. I’ve made the necessary filings with the FEC (Federal Election Commission) to make sure I’m legal.”