City Set to Condemn Land for Footbridge
The City Council may vote tonight to condemn a small strip of land needed to build a footbridge across the Arroyo Simi, now that the company that owns the land has rejected the city’s offer to buy easements across it.
The council voted Oct. 9 to offer Southern California Edison $7,700 for the right to gain access across the land, near the spot where an 11-year-old boy drowned in the arroyo during a storm last winter. Edison, however, rejected the offer, saying it did not have enough time and information to evaluate the city’s offer before the Monday deadline set by the council.
Mayor Paul Lawrason, who is recovering from heart surgery but plans to attend the meeting, said the council will likely vote to begin the condemnation process. The action will allow the city to gain access to the property--across the stream from Liberty Bell Road--while negotiating with Edison representatives in court to determine the land’s price.
“We’ll move on, get the property and do what we have to do,” he said.
The meeting is scheduled to begin at City Hall at 6:15 p.m.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
