Backing Ahmanson City Inappropriate

* There are three major flaws in the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s advocacy of Ahmanson Ranch City.

The conservancy director states that 20 years from now no one will care if there are another 500 extra trips on our streets and freeway but that people will care if we lose this opportunity to gain parkland.

First, Ahmanson City will generate 46,000 daily car trips, not 500. Second, as attorneys for Ahmanson have stated, there is no deal between Ahmanson and the owner of the potential parkland to trade development for parkland. Third, it is inappropriate to have the conservancy advocating a city in the mountains.

Some attempt should be made to acquire the land for a park without insisting on development. Each year $900 million of oil-company (pollution) mitigation money is available for the purchase of parklands nationwide. Officials should be protecting this critical airshed, not encouraging the massive degradation of our air quality and transportation systems.

LINDA PARKS

Thousand Oaks