Conservancy Plan for Park

* Not only did the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy’s destruction of the natural habitat of Caballero Canyon violate state and environmental laws (“Judge Blocks Conservancy Plan to Build Public Park,” June 29), the court also found that the conservancy’s so-called expanded development plan violated the Santa Monica Mountains Comprehensive Plan (the “constitution” under which the conservancy exists) and the conservancy’s own Mulholland Gateway Park Master Plan, its site-specific plan.

As to the wildly inaccurate assertion by the conservancy’s director that the Friends of Caballero Canyon are trying “to keep nonresidents out of the area,” the facts are, as set forth under oath in the court proceedings, that the Friends have introduced more than 100,000 people to the Santa Monica Mountains, including Caballero Canyon, in terms of hiking, interpretive sessions, etc.

As I can personally attest from more than 42 years of living with Jill Swift, the Friends founder, she has devoted a substantial part of her adult life to introducing people to the Santa Monica Mountains. As a matter of fact, she organized the March on Mulholland in 1971 that, abetted by other events and many other people, ultimately resulted in the establishment of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area.

H. MELVIN SWIFT JR.

Tarzana

Swift is an attorney who volunteered his legal services to Friends of Caballero Canyon.