Times Series Wins Award

The 1999 John B. Oakes Award for Distinguished Environmental Journalism was awarded Thursday to The Times for stories published last December about development in the Santa Monica Mountains.

“A Growth Plan Run Amok,” by staff writer T. Christian Miller, described how past Los Angeles County Boards of Supervisors repeatedly changed the plan governing growth in the environmentally fragile mountain range to allow campaign contributors to build high-density developments. The resulting urban sprawl crowded schools, clogged roads and harmed the environment, the series found.

After the stories ran, the county’s Department of Regional Planning created guidelines governing how developers calculate the number of homes allowed in subdivisions and drew up a new growth plan to better guide future development. No subdivisions requiring changes to the growth plan have been approved since the stories appeared.

Times staff writer Marla Cone was a finalist for her series “Down the Drain,” which chronicled the problems of urban runoff.

Two other California newspapers, the Ventura County Star and the Fresno Bee, were named runners-up.

The Oakes award, which includes a prize of $5,000, recognizes journalism that makes an “exceptional contribution” to the public understanding of contemporary environmental issues. Administered by the Natural Resources Defense Council and judged by an independent panel of senior journalists, it is given in honor of former New York Times Editorial Page Editor John B. Oakes.