Heir Apparent Under Fire for Dana Project

At first, it was just a nature center. Then it became a monument. Now, it is the focal point of a court battle. And it is a campaign issue.

The $4.4-million nature center project planned for Deane Dana Friendship Regional Park is sending shock waves rolling far beyond a scenic hillside on the Palos Verdes Peninsula known for its panoramic views of the Pacific.

On the campaign trail, Donald Knabe, Supervisor Dana’s chief deputy and would-be successor, is being hammered by his opponents who see the 6,000-square-foot nature center as a multimillion-dollar-symbol of what’s wrong with Los Angeles County government.

Certain to fuel the criticism are newly released documents showing that Dana has been intimately involved in planning the most minute details of the project, from the type of light fixtures to the location of windows, cabinets and shelves in the nature center’s Deane Dana Room.

“I don’t think there is any question that Supervisor Dana was appropriately interested in this project,” said Principal Deputy County Counsel Helen Parker.

But candidates in the race to fill Dana’s seat take a different view. Former Rolling Hills Mayor Gordana Swanson calls the project a scandalous example of the county’s misplaced priorities. Long Beach Councilman Douglas Drummond brands the nature center complex a travesty. And two less well-known candidates in the race for Dana’s open supervisorial seat have joined in berating the project.

Knabe, citing a pending lawsuit brought by well-heeled Palos Verdes Peninsula homeowners, said he could not discuss the project in detail. Since opponents of the project have filed suit and the county’s response is still being prepared, Dana said he could not discuss the issue. “I do not feel it would be prudent to comment at this time,” he said.

The court documents show that Dana and to a lesser degree, Knabe, were involved in a major effort to shepherd the nature center project to final approval by the Board of Supervisors in November.

The records, taken from county files, indicate that Dana ordered changes in the nature center’s plans to provide more room to house memorabilia from his 16 years on the Board of Supervisors.

On one drawing, which appears to have been signed by Dana in March, a notation states that a door and window need to be deleted to make room “for cabinets with shelves for memorabilia on north, south and west walls.”

An April 25, 1995 memorandum from the project’s designer reflects these changes. “The supervisor and staff have requested that more display space for memorabilia in the Deane Dana Library be provided,” the designer states.

Parker, the county’s attorney, confirmed that “there is a library in the plan . . . variously known as the Deane Dana Library or Deane Dana Room,” which will include “the history of the 4th District in Dana’s term.”

The plan for Deane Dana Friendship Park has stirred controversy in exclusive enclaves of the Palos Verdes Peninsula. The 125-acre park--which remains mostly in its natural state with rolling grasslands and spring wildflowers--has been in existence since 1960.

The $4 million was included in a 1992 county park bond issue to pay for recreation improvements to the hilly site, which lies between Rancho Palos Verdes and San Pedro.

In a memo to a field deputy, Dana aide Gail Tierney wrote in January 1995 that Dana wanted to be assured that the project would move forward and be completed before he leaves office in December. Tierney wrote that “Supervisor Dana would like you to keep tabs on the local constituency and for me to pursue the construction. He has also asked for weekly briefings to keep him updated on the progress.”

She also wrote that she would meet with County Counsel DeWitt Clinton “to discuss any possible legal problems that may arise.”

By March, Dana aide Dennis Morefield wrote to the staff: “Deane wants to make sure that we are doing everything possible to head off any anti-Friendship Park steamroller effort.”

And in a Sept. 15 memo, Dana wrote to Knabe and key staff members that “any modification of the project plan, including changes in location . . . will jeopardize approval of this project.” But, he added, “I believe this plan will be defensible in court if the few radical opponents who want the status quo contest the plan.”

In recent weeks, the controversy has spilled over into the race for Dana’s seat.

At a recent candidates forum in Torrance, Drummond said the park is “a travesty” and urged that the “beautiful mountainside” be left alone.

That put Knabe on the spot.

“Obviously, I cannot say a lot. . . . because of the impending court hearing,” Knabe said.

He said the money for the nature center must be used for park programs and cannot be spent for more sheriff’s deputies or health services for the poor. Knabe expressed the hope that as a result of the suit, people can come together and try to “work out a meaningful solution to this entire problem.”

Swanson called the proposed park “a scandalous example” of how the supervisors do things against the public good.

Another candidate, Norm Amjadi, said the Deane Dana park was “an ego thing” that represented a wasteful expenditure of “$4 million to erect a memorial for an outgoing supervisor.”

“I find it hard to believe that Don Knabe and Deane Dana have not gotten the message that this project is not wanted,” said candidate Joel Lubin. “It is not a time to send a signal to the people of Southern California that there is money for monuments when they want to shut down necessary public services.”

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Dana’s Designs

Supervisor Deane Dana has been intimately involved in designing aspects of a controversial $4.4-million nature center on the Palos Verdes Peninsula that will bear his name. County records indicate that the supervisor directed that design changes be made in the nature center’s Deane Dana Room. The changes, seen drawn on an excerpt of the plans below, were intended to provide more cabinets and shelves for memorabilia of his 16 years on the Board of Supervisors.

Source: Los Angeles County documents included in lawsuit challenging the project