Funds Earmarked for Trail Acquisition

Attempting to put more of the Backbone Trail into the public domain, Assemblywoman Sheila James Kuehl on Thursday arranged for $238,000 in state funding to help purchase the remaining privately held seven-mile stretch of the trail.

A Santa Monica Democrat who also represents parts of the Valley, Kuehl introduced the funding as an item on the new state budget, which awaits Gov. Pete Wilson’s signature.

The budget item, which received bipartisan support, provides money to purchase part of the estate of the late movie director Frank Capra, high in the mountain range.

A 65-mile mountain trail that stretches from Will Rogers State Park in Pacific Palisades to Point Mugu in Ventura County, the Backbone Trail has been purchased lot by lot by a variety of state, federal and local entities.

Liz Cheadle, chairwoman of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, hailed Kuehl’s efforts. “Every dollar we can get to the Backbone Trail at this point in time is extremely significant,” she said.

Noting the need for more parks in Los Angeles, Cheadle said, “We are really park poor. Whoever laid out Los Angeles was more interested in housing tracts than open space.”