LAS VIRGENES : Homeowners Group Gets New President

The new president of the Las Virgenes Homeowners Federation said she will continue the organization’s opposition to large developments proposed by Soka University and Ahmanson Ranch, as well as guide the umbrella group toward addressing fire safety and other issues.

Michele Herdzina, who became federation president Jan. 1 after serving as vice president last year, said she expects to “maintain the status quo of opinions” expressed by the organization during the last several years.

“Most people moved to this area for the mountains and the rural atmosphere,” Herdzina said in an interview. “So that will continue to be our main goal: trying to preserve more open space.”

Herdzina said much of the federation’s attention early this year will be focused on the work of a committee established after the Calabasas-Malibu blaze to study fire-related issues.

“A lot of people around here are horse owners, have children in schools and live in hillside areas,” Herdzina said. “They want to have a say in policies about how they get onto their properties during a fire and other things.”

The federation was formed in the mid-1960s, before the incorporation of Agoura Hills, Westlake Village and Calabasas, as a quasi-government for homeowners who felt distant from decision-making in Los Angeles. The federation represents 20 homeowner associations, with an estimated 25,000 members. The president of the federation directs the organization’s monthly meetings, writes letters on behalf of the group to local, state and federal officials and often speaks at government hearings.

Herdzina, a data processor for an insurance firm in Warner Center, said she expects to spend one year as head of the federation. She replaces Les Hardie, who served three years as president.