Chatsworth Reservoir Debate Put Off Again

Rick Caruso called in sick at City Hall on Wednesday, postponing for the third time his showdown with Councilman Hal Bernson over the future of the Chatsworth Reservoir.

Caruso, president of the Department of Water and Power Commission, was long overdue to present a report on alternative uses for the dry DWP reservoir, which is frequented by wildlife, including bobcats, coyotes and migratory Canada geese.

“This is a stonewalling tactic,” Bernson angrily told his colleagues, prompting a mild objection from City Council President John Ferraro.

“I understand he’s quite ill,” Ferraro said. Councilwoman Ruth Galanter added that she too had suffered a recent bout with the flu. But Bernson, who has lobbied over two decades to preserve the 1,300-acre reservoir, had little sympathy for a commissioner he views as having repeatedly thwarted the council’s will.

Caruso did not return a call for comment Wednesday, but his secretary said he was not ill and would “be in and out all day.”

A prominent developer, Caruso resisted a council directive last year to lease the reservoir land to the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, saying he wants to consider other uses for the property, such as soccer fields. As DWP commission president, Caruso has the power to explore such options, since the council can only overturn a commission decision after the fact.

Caruso’s resistance of the council’s wishes enraged Bernson, who in September opposed Caruso’s reappointment to the commission. At that time Caruso had promised to order a 90-day study of the reservoir. He was scheduled to present his findings to the council in December, but his appearance has been put off several times.

“This is another tactic on the part of Mr. Caruso to stall and not give us the report that’s due,” Bernson said, after reassuring a small band of conservationists that the meeting would be rescheduled yet again, this time in Chatsworth.

“I find it very objectionable,” Bernson told his colleagues. “This is the third time that he flaked out on us.”

Last week, however, it was the council’s turn: Caruso was scheduled to appear but the council failed to muster a quorum.

Meanwhile, the consulting firm recently hired by the DWP to conduct the reservoir study said it had yet to finish a rough draft.

Sharon Kaplan, a planner at Psomas, a Los Angeles-based land-use firm, said the study will most likely lay out options for recreational use, including athletic fields.

The possibilities include a golf course, areas for hiking or equestrian uses, and perhaps limited residential development, but no office buildings, Kaplan said.

A few preservationists testified at Wednesday’s council meeting, praising the educational and ecological assets of the reservoir. Several had traveled to City Hall on more than one occasion, hoping to hear Caruso’s plan for the land.

“It’s a rural spot where people go to enjoy nature,” said Rosemarie White, director of the Canada Goose Project, a habitat conservation group based in the San Fernando Valley. “We need that much more than we need another golf course.”